Summary
- Many video games cater to power fantasies, with rogues offering a beloved shadowy manipulation dynamic.
- Open-world games like Far Cry, Oblivion, and Elden Ring enhance power fantasies with stealth tactics and subterfuge.
- Games like Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed, and Star Wars Outlaws offer diverse rogue experiences in distinct settings.
A lot of fans play video games to indulge in power fantasies. From majestic wizards who can level a battlefield with a word to brutal warriors who can cleave through armies like wheat, there are a lot of different ways for a video game character to feel overpowered. One appealing power fantasy for many gamers is that of the rogue, a shadowy figure who manipulates their foes like puppets while striking surgically from the shadows.
This power fantasy is an especially good fit for the open-world genre, which often allows players to approach combat situations in myriad different ways. With a robust suite of stealth options and some advanced gadgets, fans can feel like an untouchable shadow, striking fear and blades alike into the hearts of their foes.
9
Far Cry 3
By Any Means Necessary
Often considered the high point of Ubisoft’s long-running Far Cry series, Far Cry 3 strands protagonist Jason Brody on the remote Rook Islands, where he must survive against a band of ruthless pirates. The enemy outposts scattered around the game’s map offer a wealth of different approaches. Players can go in guns blazing if they wish, but they’ll often be at a steep numbers disadvantage.
Stealth and subterfuge are excellent ways to gain the upper hand. Silenced pistols and sniper rifles allow players to thin the herd without putting themselves at risk. If players go in quietly, they can often find things to use to their advantage, such as caged beasts to free and explosives to set off. By embracing these guerrilla tactics, fans can feel like the ominous shadow haunting these pirates in their bid for control.
Theft And Murder
The Elder Scrolls franchise is famous for diversity in player builds, and Oblivion is no different. The game offers extensive options, from heavily armored brutes to more stealthy rogues. Players can sneak through most dungeons, looking for opportune moments to strike from the shadows and take down their foes. They can also brew a variety of potions to give them an unwholesome edge.
Players who are particularly devoted to skulduggery can join the Thieves’ Guild and the Dark Brotherhood. These shadowy organizations each boast a hefty library of quests that will allow players to truly flex their stealthy skills. High-stakes heists and major political assassinations await any fan who wants to stay out of sight.
7
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Sabotaging Sauron
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor presents a particularly bleak vision of the iconic Lord of the Rings setting, chronicling Sauron’s rise to power over the orcs. As a resurrected ranger named Talion, players must cut a swath of revenge and destruction across the dark lord’s domain.
The orcish forces are overwhelmingly strong. Players are all but required to rely on stealth and subterfuge, thinning the ranks of Sauron’s army with careful strikes. The game’s beloved Nemesis system allows key orcish figures to remember past conflicts with the hero and grow in power as rivals. Players have to earn the title of Shadow of Mordor, but when they do, they’ll be able to bring the orcish army to its knees.
6
Elden Ring
Assassin of Gods
FromSoftware’s first open-world Soulsborne game made a lot of changes to the formula. One particularly prominent example is the introduction of a dedicated stealth system, letting players approach enemy camps with a bit more finesse. The game’s robust crafting system is also a boon. If fans want to try a roguish build, they have numerous options to fight dirty with bombs and throwing knives.
The game’s iconic boss fights are often difficult to approach through stealth, but players who have committed to skulduggery will still have plenty of options to turn the tide. They can inflict their foes with status conditions like poison and Scarlet Rot to bring even the most powerful godly foes to their knees.
5
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
The Way of the Ninja
As the name suggests, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has always been an ideal setup for players who want to embody a silent, unstoppable dealer of death. Assassin’s Creed Shadows combines this general fantasy with one of the most iconic kinds of assassin in history: the ninja. In Shadows, players can take the role of Naoe, a deadly ninja who excels at silently infiltrating strongholds and taking out anyone who gets in her way.
While players can switch to the samurai Yasuke if they want to take a more direct approach, Naoe excels in all the skills and tools players would expect from a shinobi. She comes equipped with an arsenal of bladed weapons for lethal takedowns, as well as throwable tools that can silently eliminate enemies or create distractions.
4
Horizon Forbidden West
A Strange and Stealthy World
The heroic Aloy doesn’t fit many of the character traits that are often associated with rogues, but in terms of gameplay, she borrows a lot of hallmarks. In the dangerous new world Aloy must explore, stealth is key to surviving encounters with deadly machines and hostile warriors alike. Aloy’s huge arsenal of craftable tools and weapons gives her ample opportunities to take down her foes from the shadows.
When it comes to a straight fight, the odds are often stacked against Aloy. Players who lean into using traps and special weapons to exploit weaknesses and pull off stealth takedowns will be able to turn the tides, turning Aloy into the legendary fighter she needs to be to save the world.
3
Star Wars Outlaws
Roguish Charm
While the idea of a rogue is generally considered an archetype of high fantasy, the term applies just as well to the many scoundrels and smugglers of the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars Outlaws gives fans a chance to live that lifestyle for themselves, with all the danger and excitement it brings.
While protagonist Kay Vess starts the game relatively weak as a small-time criminal, by the end of the game, players will be able to bring down whole Imperial facilities without being spotted. All the rogue hallmarks are there: Kay can pickpocket, hack facilities, pull off daring heists, and make and break alliances with a variety of powerful crime syndicates. Star Wars Outlaws excels at simulating the seediest parts of the iconic sci-fi franchise.
The Sins of the Unworthy
The overwhelmingly popular Skyrim earned wide acclaim for streamlining and refining the franchise’s open-world traditions and varied gameplay styles. Fans who want to play a stealthy rogue in Skyrim have a lot of improvements to aid them. They can dual-wield daggers or shortswords for an edge in combat, and brew debilitating poisons with which to bring down foes. There’s even a variety of spells and dragon shouts that fans can use to augment their stealth with magic.
The Thieves’ Guild and the Dark Brotherhood both have substantial questlines on offer for rogues and assassins. Players can embroil themselves in organized crime or commit assassinations that will change the course of the civil war plaguing the region. And they can do it all without ever being seen.
1
Ghost of Tsushima
Walking The Line
While the protagonist of Ghost of Tsushima is an honorable young samurai, the brutal Mongol invasion of his homeland forces him to dabble in more treacherous tactics in order to save the island. Fans who embrace this side of Jin’s inner turmoil will be granted a variety of potent tools to manipulate and confuse foes, before silencing them forever.
Jin has access to several potent stealth weapons, like throwing knives, smoke grenades, and even throwable wind chimes to distract foes. Later in the game, players can even unlock potent poisons to bring low the strongest Mongols, or turn them against their allies entirely. The consequences of trying these sinister methods can be steep, but becoming the legendary Ghost of Tsushima is well worth it.
