It’s not a completely accurate assumption that the longer a game goes the better it’s supposed to be. The stealth genre landscape generally requires games with longer runtimes than others, though. Top games such as Hitman and Metal Gear require finesse, something that is possible by dedicating utmost time and effort to the game.
The ideal playtime for a stealth feature lies between 20-25 hours, with those falling higher or lower being too long and short, respectively. In this list, the time to complete the main story and the side missions have been considered. Here are five games whose runtime was too short, and five others who pack in too much.
10 Longest: Thief II: The Metal Age (2000) - 30 Hours
There’s no doubt that this is an extremely fun game, with Thief II bringing in huge environments for the player to tackle. The first-person mode also makes it seem as if the player themselves are the titular thieves, so there’s a lot of value to be found here.
However, the game does slightly exceed its welcome due to the fact that a lot of time is dedicated to sneaking around without empowering the player for combat. The methodical formula of unlocking newer areas is great, but it does get relatively repetitive over time, and Thief II would’ve done better by shaving off at least five hours or so.
9 Shortest: Hitman: Contracts (2004) - 13 Hours
Unlike later entries in the series, Hitman: Contracts plays it too straight by making it all about the plot line. Once the main missions are done, the player has no choice but to replay them the same way if they want more.
There aren’t any real side missions or additional things to unlock, which leaves the core gameplay the only thing to experience. This lasts about thirteen hours, which doesn’t feel nearly enough without having something additional to play once it’s finished.
8 Longest: Hitman 2 (2018) - 35 Hours
Easily the most ambitious installment in the series, Hitman 2 brings in expansive backdrops for the player to fully immerse themselves in. While the number of missions are relatively limited, the big playtime comes from the seemingly countless ways targets can be killed.
The main story doesn’t take more than 10-15 hours, but hardly anyone plays this game simply for the plot. When factoring in everything from additional targets to locating secrets within every level, the time clocks at an excessive 35 hours. The game feels longer than needed mainly because there aren’t as many unique maps as there should have been.
7 Shortest: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010) - 12 Hours
Games just over ten hours long are okay for action games but are still relatively short for stealth ones. In the case of Splinter Cell: Conviction, the issue with the length is that the game doesn’t dedicate as much time as it could have to the stealth elements.
There’s quite a bit of action involved here due to the protagonist’s shooting skills, and the stealth portion makes up the other half. For this reason, the game should’ve been double in length since this would have brought in adequate time for sequences where one has to remain incognito.
6 Longest: We Happy Few - 40 Hours
A game that combines survival horror with stealth mechanics, We Happy Few is an intriguing turn in the genre by blending in action with the stealth aspects. Here, players have a choice of going for a fighting mentality or one where they would like to be covert in their escape.
Set in a dystopian alternative past where the protagonists have to flee in a number of ways, the game feels long due to the lack of depth in gameplay. Sure, it has an interesting premise, but this wears off soon enough. A good ten or so hours are dedicated to doing the same thing: collecting things to survive.
5 Shortest: Mark Of The Ninja (2012) - 10 Hours
You would think a side-scrolling game that requires about ten hours of dedication is a lot, but it’s the testament to Mark of the Ninja’s quality that it feels short. Here, the player is required to sneak through the use of platforming with any noise made detrimental to the situation.
Remaining undetected allows one to have a seamless playthrough, and it’s incredibly satisfying to pull this off. For this reason, the game’s end feels rather rushed as it arrives just when one really starts to hit their stride. About five more hours of the level of originality displayed here would have done wonders in cementing Mark of the Ninja’s place in the industry.
4 Longest: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016) - 45 Hours
The combination of a role-playing game with the stealth genre isn’t widely used, so Deus Ex: Human Revolution deserves praise for pulling it off. Had it been a third-person feature, though, the large assortment of side missions and exploration wouldn’t have come across as excessive.
However, the first-person POV becomes jarring after so many hours of using this as a lens for the protagonist. Stealth mechanics work better when the character can be seen in order to guide them better, meaning the sneaking around sequences don’t feel as rewarding, especially when about twenty hours are dedicated for minor missions.
3 Shortest: Sly Cooper And The Thievius Raccoonus (2002) - 8 Hours
Being a game geared toward children, it’s understandable why this one doesn’t last long. And yet, eight hours really is far too short to get full fun out of a title. Thievius Raccoonus brings in the Sly Cooper formula for the first time, which would’ve been better had it been at least two hours longer.
The action is almost exclusively based on keeping the player character hidden using the “thief sense,” and while it’s nice that it incorporates stealth with platforming, the lack of gameplay after finishing the story is pretty striking.
2 Longest: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015) - 80 Hours
The follow-up to Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain is worth the money for being so rewarding with its vast amount of exploitation opportunities. More than that, it’s the number of ways the player can infiltrate mission areas that stack up the playtime.
What really bloats up the overall number of hours, though, is the needlessly long storyline. This requires a whole lot of commitment from the player, easily requiring them to put in 20-30 hours due to the long cutscenes. Those uninterested in the plot will definitely not enjoy having to go through these sequences, making The Phantom Pain overstay its welcome.
1 Shortest: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014) - 8 Hours
The short time-span of this game caused a minor controversy upon release, as Ground Zeroes really pushes the justification for its price. The core storyline can be finished within an hour on a speed run, mainly due to there being only a handful of missions.
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