There are plenty of games that allow you to be sneaky. The best stealth games force you to embrace the darkness, hug the shadows, speak in whispers, and move in silence. There are also some superb stealth games that let you tinker with an arsenal of high-tech gadgetry in order to remain undetected, while some ask you to simply use what nature has provided to blend in with your surroundings.
Ultimately, all of these activities are entertaining elements of gameplay that can be mastered to achieve noiseless success rather than going at it all guns blazing. Yet, sometimes it’s rewarding to find a means of altering one’s appearance or concealing one’s identity to achieve an objective. These are the best games that allow you to use disguises to great effect.
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Hitman
Hitman is one of the titles most games think of when they consider stealth gameplay, but our protagonist in this hugely popular series by IO Interactive doesn’t naturally blend in. As with other recognizable fictional characters such as the villains in the Batman franchise, Agent 47 has a distinctive look that is well-known in gaming circles and elsewhere. This look requires modifying to stroll the world anonymously and although it is possible to assassinate the desired target while causing chaos, the game rewards a more subtle approach and so disguises are utilized often.
As 47, you can sport an assortment of disguises to deceive enemies and gain access to restricted areas, with waiters, police officers, and repairmen the more common garments available. The blend-in game mechanic was introduced later in the series and this allowed 47 to perform actions associated with the disguise he was wearing, such as, in the uniform of a repairman, he might appear to be working on a piece of equipment in order to listen to a nearby conversation. Hitman is, without doubt, the standout title for those that like to use disguises and there have been some wonderful examples throughout the series.
Desperados 3 & Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun
Both of these are real-time tactical stealth video games from Mimimi Productions where players are required to complete precise objectives while guiding the various characters through expansive maps. Set in the Wild West in the 1870s, Desperados 3 is a prequel to the first game in the series and explores the origin of protagonist John Cooper. While Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is set in feudal Japan and tells a story of corruption, betrayal, and finally revenge.
Each game has a assemble of different characters with different skills to be used to achieve success and both games have a character that uses disguises to aid progress. In Desperados 3, Kate can use disguises to merge with the crowd or preoccupy enemies, although dogs and Longcoats are not fooled and will attack on sight. Aiko, in Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun can also swipe clothes and disguise herself as a geisha or a priestess, but Samurai can see through her disguise. Along with the other character skills, the use of disguise is an amusing element of each game.
We think these are the best games for those that like to don a disguise in order to fulfill an objective, but disguises have been used memorably in other games. This is particularly true of the fifth mission in Dishonored, Lady Boyle’s Last Party, in which Corvo Attano must infiltrate a masquerade ball at the Boyle Mansion by being dressed as the infamous Masked Felon, Corvo Attano.
The best games for those that like to use disguises
Hopefully, more great stealth games will seek to employ disguise as a game mechanic available to players, as we all like to play dress-ups now and again.
