Handheld gaming has a different feeling compared to that of a mainline console or PC gaming experience. Many of these games utilize elements that are uniquely available to the device, or their available peripherals. This can lead players to look up what games from a specific genre are available when they are feeling nostalgic.
The stealth genre works well for handheld titles, giving players patterns to study and challenges to overcome while on the go. One of the best features a stealth game can offer on handhelds is short, self-contained missions. This lets players make their attempts and save before needing to turn off their device. The games listed are those that launched as handheld titles and are not ports from other systems. However, several of these titles were later ported to be more widely accessible.
6Unit 13
Military Style Deployment
Unit 13really captures the feel of soldiers pulling off a covert operation, delivering a very rewarding sense of stealth — while allowing players to go in guns blazing the moment things turn south. Players will constantly see points being earned by tasks such as nailing a headshot and disabling cameras. Cutscenes are like something out of an action movie with their large explosions, and they serve as satisfying ends to completing missions.
Players should never run recklessly out in the open, though, or they can quickly be gunned down. Approaching from the shadows — and leaving an escape route ready when the need arises — is critical. Luckily, just like dealing with thehardest bosses in soulslike games, players can learn all the patterns of their enemies' movements to best approach the situation.
Set in thelong-runningRatchet & Clankfranchise,Secret Agent Clankis one of two handheld entries that were released on the PlayStation Portable. Unlike major console iterations of the franchise, this one heavily focuses on Clank as the central protagonist. The game uses the gameplay of the PS2-era entries of the franchise as a base, but it has a massive focus on stealth elements.
Players will need to hide in the right places, move when safe to do so, and sneak up behind enemies to initiate stealth takedowns. Playing the game in a stealthy manner will see players rewarded for doing so. The game does not struggle to find its own identity with lots of tropey spy-styled antics, such as donning disguises and using all manner of utility gadgets.
Lunar Knightsis part of theBoktaiseries ofgames produced by Hideo Kojima, but a lot has changed about it compared to previous entries. This game lets players swap between two characters, one that uses a sword, and one that uses a gun. The swordsman is named Lucian, who possesses a large health pool. The other character is named Aaron, who has a much larger pool of energy to draw from.
Energy can be restored by finding a light source, with Aaron using sunlight and Lucian using moonlight. While the game does let players play with a much more action-focused approach, stealth is not only an encouraged option, but a highly advantageous one.
Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Handis a stealth game that also incorporates some RPG elements into its gameplay. The game follows the story of a vampire hunter who uses the power of sunlight to slay them. One of the unique elements to this game is that its physicalGame Boy Advancecartridge actually has a sensor that is able to detect the presence of sunlight.
to charge the player character’s weapon, players need to go into the sun. Without a charge, players rely on the stealth elements to avoid enemies until they can find a solar station to charge it back up. The movement of the sun in the game will match the real world sun’s movement based on the in-game clock. Sadly, this game is one of thebest titles to never leave the Game Boy Advance.
It is no surprise thatMetal Gear Solideasily makes its way onto this list withhow many of them there are for handhelds. Unlike theMetal Gear Acidgames,Metal Gear Solid: Portable Opsis not a turn-based affair but a fullMetal Gear Solidexperience for players to enjoy on the go. One of the game’s primary elements is to put together a team of numerous allies.
Players will need to be mindful of who they enlist, as they will each offer different stats. Missions do not take a long time to complete, which is a good thing for a system reliant on batteries or when the game is being played while traveling to a destination.
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walkeris the follow-up title toMetal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, and it is a superior title in every way. The controls feel good, the user interface is easy to understand, and the world is both vibrant and well-designed. The story plays very deeply into the game’s lore and helps set up events for future games — this is especially true forMetal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. However, players can expect this to be one ofthe harder titles made by Kojima.
Even thoughPeace Walker was released5 years prior toMetal Gear Solid 5, fans that playThe Phantom Painfirst might feel that the gameplay ofPeace Walker is trying to be a handheld version ofMGS5. One of the best features of the game is its co-op mode, which lets players play through the entirety of the game as a group of 4 — or play through some extra content tailored specifically for co-op play.
