Metal Gear Solid made stealth games famous by putting players in control of the main character, Snake, and his often strange experiences in the game’s world. It came out in 1998 for the PlayStation 1, and many people think it was the first spy game.
Some gamers might be surprised to learn that spy games came out before Metal Gear Solid. MGS helped make the stealth genre famous, but these games helped start the series. This makes them the “parents” of the stealth genre, which is a name often given to the first MGS game.
1. Shoplifting Boy – 1979
Shoplifting Boy, or Manbiki Shounen in Japan, was the first game in the stealth genre. It came out in 1979. This early spy game could be played on the Commodore with the simple images and limited gameplay of the time.
As the name implies, this game puts players in the role of someone trying to steal from a store. Players have to walk around the aisles and try to grab as many dollar signs as they can without getting caught by the store owner. If they are caught, the police will take them away, and the game will be over. Even though the look and idea of the game are very simple, ita is still an amazing game for the time it was made. The next year, the sequel Shoplifting Girl came out. The gameplay was the same, but the main character was a girl instead of a boy.
2. Lupin III (Lupin the 3) – 1980
Fans of anime or manga may know the name of this game, which is based on a popular series. The stealth game Lupin III was made by Taito, and it was based on the stealth game Shoplifting Boy. Lupin III came out in 1980 in cabinets all over Japan. It was the first Lupin the Third video game ever made, and it was also one of the first stealth games to come out.
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In this spy game, players control Lupin, the main character, as he tries to steal bags of money to please his girlfriend. He has to get them from the tops of tall buildings and bring them to his stash at the bottom without getting caught by the guards. If one of the guards sees the player, they will be taken away to jail. It’s about the same thing as Shoplifting Boy, but it has the history of a big IP behind it.
3. Castle Wolfenstein – 1981
When players think of Wolfenstein, they probably don’t think of a stealth game. Instead, they probably think of bloody, gun-toting carnage. However, some gamers might be surprised to learn that the original Castle Wolfenstein had stealth elements. Players would sneak into an area to steal secret plans and then try to get out without being caught. Players could also pretend to be guards in order to get past the other guards without being seen.
Castle Wolfenstein came out in 1981, so it has simple images and gameplay. However, it was still a fun and difficult stealth game, and it was one of the games that set the stage for Konami’s hit stealth game series. Castle Wolfenstein was ahead of its time in some ways, like the fact that the player figure could change appearances to avoid being seen by the guards.
4. 2005 – 1981
005 is an arcade game that was made by Sega and put out in 1981. 005 was one of the first stealth games and the first to use “cone vision” for non-player characters. It was an innovative title for the stealth genre, giving early fans of the genre new and more difficult ways to play stealth games.
As players might have guessed from the name, this game was heavily influenced by the James Bond spy movie series. Players had to sneak into enemy territory and steal briefcases full of documents before delivering them to a waiting helicopter without getting caught by the enemies who were patrolling. Players must use the boxes on the maps to stay out of their flashlights or line of sight. If they do, the game is over.
5. Beyond Castle Wolfenstein – 1984
In 1984, a new Castle Wolfenstein game came out. It was the last game in the Wolfenstein series to use sneaking features in a big way. Even though it came out three years after the first Castle Wolfenstein, the graphics and gameplay were mostly the same. The only change was that some new features were added to Beyond Castle Wolfenstein to improve and add to the first game.
The 1984 game put more of a focus on stealth, giving players a knife for quiet, close-up kills and telling them to take a guard’s uniform to hide their identity as they sneaked into enemy camps.