Hello everyone. A while back, I got the itch to replay Splinter Chaos Theory. Rather than doing another stealthy playthrough, I had an idea, "what if I played it like a shooter?". A lot of people like to complain that Splinter Cell Blacklist is way more of a shooter than a stealth game and the original Splinter Cell games would never let you use combat to progress and ammo was scarce but how true is that? So for the fun of it, I decided to do a run of the game with the following rules:
-Play on the Expert Difficulty and select the Stealth Loadout for every mission.
-Kill Every NPC I come across with bullets.
-In missions/scenarios where I cannot kill people, I must tag every NPC with a bullet with a body shot and then KO them.
-In missions/scenarios where I cannot fire a gun, I must KO or Knife NPCs and Whistle to get other guards' attention.
-I can't shoot out lights.
As a quick refresher, Chaos Theory has 3 difficulty modes. Normal, where guards don't immediately get suspicious if they catch a glimpse of you or barely hear you. Hard, which makes guards slightly more alert and do more damage. And Expert, where guards instantly become suspicious if they catch a glimpse of you and seem to hear you if you make slightly less sound than the environment when close to them. As well as instantly shred your health to 0.
At the start of almost every mission, Chaos Theory offers you 3 loadout options. The Assault Loadout (which gives you extra lethal bullets and equipment at the expense of non-lethal options), The Stealth Loadout (which gives you 50 bullets max and more non lethal options), and Redding's Recommendation (A sort of middle ground between the 2). The main obstacle I was worried about was the lack of ammo on Stealth Loadouts. In a casual run, 50 bullets + 4 Sticky Shockers, 3 Ring Airfoils, 2 Gas Grenades, 5 Sticky Cameras are enough for every level. Most of your bullets will be spent on shooting out lights to create more hiding spots. Chaos Theory gives you an EMP Jammer called the OCP with unlimited charges that can temporarily disable lights without drawing attention which cuts down on the number of bullets needed. Sticky Shockers and Ring Airfoil rounds can KO a lot of the more troublesome guards. So in a casual run, you usually have enough supplies.
I decided to do this on the PC version as having Quicksaves would make this challenge way less frustrating. As well as using the Mouse Wheel to scroll which makes sneaking a lot easier. I will complain the PC version has a few issues. Widescreen would cut out some info when doing the hacking minigame. The Steam Overlay doesn't seem to work without some Windows Configuration I had no idea how to do as a MacOS and Linux boi. There's no Cloud Saves. There were also said to be some physics and shadow issues if the Framerate ever got too high. There are mods to supposedly both fix that and let you max out the game but I have no idea how to install them. So to be safe, I just maxed out the game's graphics settings and shader models. Without the Steam Overlay, I couldn't confirm what the framerate was but I was confident it hovered between 20-30 FPS (the game seemed to only max out one of my cores, take up around ~500 MB of RAM and around 46% of my GPU. I suspect the poor game is really single threaded).
So I began playing. I noticed a few things. Firstly, The Pistol is relatively quiet (I could get away with shooting it and not immediately alert everyone) but pretty inaccurate. In the classic SC games, the pistol has a bit of bloom/sway even if you are completely still and crouching. In Pandora Tommorow, you can press L1 to toggle a laser view and realize that yes, even when crouching still, the pistol's aim wavers. Personally, I prefer that system. If you didn't want to chance a miss, you would have had to get closer to the thing you were shooting and risk the noise. Or shoot from further back using the laser to more accurately predict the shot and risk people spotting the laser. CT and DA keep the RNG Bloom but took away the laser view. I don't mind the bloom but I'd rather have a way to play with the RNG than have to rely entirely on luck. If I miss with laser view, that's on me for making the choice and messing up and not getting the timing and pattern down.
Back to Chaos Theory, I also suspect the base Health of guards even without armour is boosted as they take multiple body shots to go down with both the pistol and SC20k and entire clips if they are armoured. With only 20 Pistol rounds and 30 SC20k rounds on the Stealth Loadout, there really isn't enough for me to be careless. Moreover, they shred your health really quick. I will admit it is hard to play it as a straight up "typical aggressive shooter" as you don't have the health for it and enemies react really fast to gunfire. So you have to be a lot smarter with your positioning.
My main strats were to fire a headshot and immediately start shifting away from my position (preferably towards cover). CT uses a "Last Known Position" System and guards can't see you in shadows. Meaning it is possible to shift enough away that they are firing at where they think you are rather than where you actually are. Letting you reposition and fire again. If there 2 or 3 guards in a pack, this would usually let me kill 1, reposition and take out another.
This was surprisingly hard in areas without cover. The Bank Level's courtyard required a lot of retries because after dropping one guard, the others would lock onto me well enough that I'd get shredded. Their senses are good enough to track you if you make even a little bit of sound or get lit up even a little. But thankfully, there are some narrow trees and benches that work as good cover. Flashbangs were partially useful as they stun a group for only a few seconds so you have to move fast if you use them.
Alarms were a mixed bag. At high alarm levels, enemies would crouch or take cover at specific chokepoints and not even move an inch (they don't even have a breathing animation). Which meant it was easier to headshot them especially if they were facing where I was coming from. The main issue was helmets. CT appears to use some amount of "bloom" when firing and hitboxes are a bit questionable. For example, I shot an enemy from behind around the base of the skull where their helmet didn't fully cover it. But it just popped their helmet off rather than go for the headshot. Othertimes, side and front headshots through helmet gaps was more than sufficient. If helmets were a bit more consistent, the challenge would be a whole lot easier. In its current state, it's doable but a bit finicky.
I noted that, outside of lasers and cameras, CT is a bit hesitant to hand out alarms. You need to be actively firing at guards to spook them enough to trigger an alarm safely. But they won't rush to trigger any more. The same laser and camera also won't trigger multiple alarms. In the bank, I ran around the front lobby multiple times. The Camera would make a sound and I'd hear a voice on the intercom say "Intruder in the Lobby" (sidenote but CT seems to have unique dialogue that accurately locates you on cameras) but no reinforcements arrived. Guards will sometimes be drawn to where you trip a laser or camera but only if they are really close (like 1 room over max).
Lighthouse and Bank were the easiest to clear out of the 3 missions I played. They only have 16 enemies total with no reinforcements so I had plenty of ammo left by the end. Funny because Lambert's Bank dialogue warns you not to trigger alarms as you'd have the entire Panamanian army after you. But turns out he was just gaslighting you lol.
Cargo Ship was challenging because there are over 34 guards (of the ones I remember. One of the guards you interrogate says there are 36). I killed 31 in my playthrough with 3 needing to be knifed in the Engine Room. I could have played better but ran out of ammo and also had to knife Lacerda and his 2 men. The Redding's Recommendation and Assault Loadouts would have easily had enough to kill everyone and still have plenty left over. The Stealth loadout only barely has enough for everyone if you play well.
Overall, this does highlight a few gaps in CT's guards and AI. Guards will almost never leave their immediate room/area nor will they be proactive in dealing with you. This meant that during these 3 missions, only like 3 bodies were found according to my stats and that was because I whistled and lured guards over to the bodies. So the game is relatively forgiving regarding detection.
In Metal Gear Solid 2, for example, when you trigger an alert, it will cause armoured guard squads with riot shields to start clearing rooms actively searching for you. They'd also respawn in areas to make sure you weren't safe just because you killed everyone there. Upcoming areas and escape routes would be better protected so you can't just easily escape by leaving the immediate area. Guard you knock out will wake up after a while and other guards will notice some guards are missing. Something like Hitman Blood Money as has levels where the guards can bring in reinforcements as well as move targets to secure areas.
For all its flaws, this is something Blacklist actually improves upon. While levels are still segmented into individual "sections" guards tend to be able to freely move across an entire section. They will buddy up and interact with any other guard they come across rather than the one they happened to spawn with. They also "are drawn to your position" (especially in Charlie's missions) so you can't entirely camp them out. They will also notice missing guards.
Interestingly, it sorta highlighted how, if you play CT using a stealth playstyle, the stealth loadout isn't too constricting. Since you aren't going to be shooting people, you have 50 bullets for lights. How many lights in the game require you to shoot them out entirely vs just use the OCP on them and move past? You also have around 4 Sticky Shockers, 4 Ring Airfoils and 5 Sticky Cams (which can also be used to KO people). Depending on the mission, that's enough to safely KO over half the guards present. So CT is surprisingly generous for stealth players that want to KO guards instead of ghosting past.
Like, if I had a magic wand and could make a "modern remake of CT however I wanted", I'd keep most of the game and its levels the same but add in a higher difficulty that seriously tweaks the AI. Firstly, I'd add the ability for guards to be able to patrol more throughout the level. For example in Lighthouse, I might have a few guards that are capable of traversing from near Morgenholt's room all the way to the Technician's room. Or on the Cargo Ship, a few guards that patrol the entire upper section of the ship and move between floors. I'd also have guards respawn and at least investigate areas where you knocked out guards. Maybe even being ordered something like "hey, x guard hasn't reported in y room. Go take a look and bring z guard with you as backup. If I don't hear from you in q minutes, something is wrong".
Anyway, back to the missions. The next mission is Penthouse and, to my surprise, I actually had a blast. This feels like the first mission that was built for my unorthodox playstyle. Even right from the start, you have giant dumpsters and blind spots to flank enemies. Even though I often need 2 headshots to drop enemies, it’s fun to fire one shot, shuffle around so the guard fires at where I was, then reposition for another headshot to finish the job.
The other highlight section is the kitchen area. You can headshot one guard’s helmet, he and his friends start firing at you which shatters the glass windows and railings, but I can use the vent to enter the kitchen in front of cover, pull off another headshot and reposition. This level was a fun mix of positioning, firing off a headshot, using the OCP to create more zones of darkness to be able to zoom around while guards fire at where they think I am. Even ammo isn’t a problem because the game offers 20 extra SC20K rounds for free as a pickup I didn’t even need. So generous. Finished the level with 28 kills and 7 bodies found. Probably because the National Guards and Displace Guards don't barricade themselves as much and stumbled over the bodies of their comrades.
I don’t think I can legally recommend this fun play style for this level because every Splinter Cell player is going to crucify me for daring to suggest that. I’ll just say that if I ever had to replay levels with this playstyle again, this is the one level I’d really be looking forward to.
Interestingly, this is 1 of only 2 levels that actually sets traps for you for high alarms. Penthouse sets more wall mines in places like the bedroom when you backtrack. I didn’t see these coming so I got the biggest jump scare. Almost fell out of my seat and nearly had a heart attack at the sound lol. The only other level to do this is Bathhouse and it kinda cheats. There's this circular loop between the dry baths, pool and massage area connected by hallways. I was making my way through slowly headshotting when I turned around and was suddenly killed by a turret that had suddenly spawned in behind me in the hallway despite there being nobody that could have set it up. I quick loaded and decided to move forward and got jumpscared by another wall mine death. I quick loaded, avoided all mines and saw there was another turret in the hallway ahead.
So Bathhouse starts spawning in turrets and wall mines in that central area when you get high alarms to catch you out regardless of if you move forward or backwards. Quite a clever and devilish ploy. I wish more levels did this.
Anyway back in chronological order, after Penthouse is Displace. The first proper “No kill level”. Even Lambert knew about my challenge run because in the briefing, he says, “I hate to do this to you but no fatalities”. So for the sake of the challenge, I set it that I must land a body shot on every NPC at least once before going in for the Knockout to satiate my bloodlust while technically not breaking the rules. I feel bad for Lambert and how much paperwork he must fill out every time this Sam goes on missions.
Displace was also fun despite my updated rules. Lots of corners, blind spots and cover meant it was easy to land a shot and slink away then come in for the KO. CT AI never adapt or realizes they are shooting at a corner I'd have long since moved away from. I feel this level would also be fun even if I could kill them. Plenty of ammo for all guards. Around 18 KOs and 4 injured and 3 bodies found.
Hokaiddo was fine. While there is an alarm system, it's oddly hard to trigger them since it's all up to the guards to do it. One section that highlights how inconsistent this is with Nedich. I wanted to kill him and his goons in his meeting room rather than waiting until the end when they'd all be in the open. It took a lot of attempts but I got it down. Foregrip sniper head shot on Neditch followed by a Foregrip Sniper Head shot on the guard close to me as when he turns around, he "sprays and prays" so I can survive his onslaught for a few seconds. Then back up to the right to have the 2 remaining guards fire at where they think I was. Then, just improvise what happens. Around 30% of the time, they'd hit the alarm that is literally right outside the door. But even then, there's so few guards and alarm panels are scattered that by the time you hit 3-4 alarms, most of the level is finished. Hokkaido's level design generally works fine for this challenge but isn't as varied as Penthouse or Displace. Still, there's plenty of ammo for everyone. 26 killed and 3 bodies found. Hokkaido Guards rarely patrol outside their area.
Battery was kinda annoying. It's a lot more open with fewer cover and blind spots. But at this point, I had gotten good enough with Foregrip Sniper headshots that I could usually 2 tap even helmeted guards if they approached from certain angles. My favourite part was up after the elevator. When I opened the door, about 4 guards were rushing in. It took a lot of attempts but I was able to essentially get a 4 kill streak. I guess this is what Mouse and Keyboard Players were talking about when they said Mouse Aiming was OP. Still, it generally felt like I was fighting uphill in this level. 26 kills and 4 bodies found.
Seoul's encounters were more of a coin flip whether they'd go well or be finicky. This was the first level where I really wished I had the Sniper or Shotgun attachments as they would have made my life so much easier or was allowed to use Sticky Shockers. Some encounters like the mobile command center or long drop were fine as there was plenty of cover to hide behind even when enemies were firing at me. Others like the plane wreckage and building drop were rough because there was only really one angle to shoot from and if the enemies ever rushed me together, I'd be toast. Granted, Seoul isn't even the best level casually so at least it's fitting. At least there's extra ammo pickups so the challenge is doable. 23 kills, 1 injured and 7 bodies found. I am unsure how that even is lol. Maybe the UAVs picked them up?
I was dreading Bathhouse. The first part of the mission went swimmingly. The hallways and multiple angles and hiding spots meant I never felt like I was fighting uphill. This was also one of those levels where enemy pathfinding was also limited. Like, even though I kept headshotting guards in the Dry Bath Room from the Massage Room literally next door, guards would never cross over to investigate the Massage Room. Meaning the hardest part that kept killing me were the surprise spawning Wall Mines and Turrets the game would spawn behind me as it were karmic punishment for my playstyle. I did get a nice setup where 5 ISDF soldiers walked into a hallway to investigate bodies and I kept landing pistol headhots on them to have 5 of them right next to each other.
The final part of Bathhouse was absolutely brutal. On Expert Difficulty, Displace Guards have Thermal vision and can spot you instantly if they have line of sight on you even in the dark. This shot my main strategy because I usually relied on getting 1 free headshot which would knock off their helmets and make them do a flinch animation giving me just enough time to follow up with another headshot or move away and follow up later. This wasn't viable anymore because even scooting a bit out of cover would have them see me and start firing at perfect accuracy and shred me before I could even get 1 headshot off.
I was forced to rely on gadgets for the first time this run. Using a combination of the Sticky Cameras, Smoke grenades and Flashbangs to lure them out and stun them for a precious few seconds to take them down. I was elated when I accomplished this. Even casually, I dread this part and usually rely on Sticky Camera KOs to get past this.
The bomb defusal was the final stop, and it too was brutal. On Expert Difficulty, the whole room might well not even have a light meter. Just assume you are at 100% light anyway. My first series of attempts resulted in me getting softlocked after the 3rd bomb because there was no way to escape without getting shot to death. Fortunately, I had a manual save from just before I could use to retry. The strat I came up with was the following: break the entrance lock then go in and disable the first bomb. This spawns the first guard who will investigate the broken lock then climb the stairs. You can move in quickly and 2 tap him from the side before he can see you. Leave his body there and go disarm the second bomb then climb the pipe to your left to the spot overlooking the entrance. Disarming the second bomb spawns 2 enemies that will at first be delayed by the broken lock and the body of the guard you killed earlier on the stairs. This gives you a chance to snipe the very tips of their heads before they see you and is just barely possible. Then disarm the 3rd bomb and position myself such that when the final guard spawns, I can snipe him from the side.
Yeah, Bathouse went from really fun in the first part to a chore in the final part. Which, to be fair, is accurate to the real thing. At least there are ammo pickups so you have enough to headshot everyone. 37 kills and 10 bodies found. Likely because Bathhouse actually spawns in new guards in some of the areas where you encounter others which brings up the count. That and I used corpse piles to draw in more enemies.
Kokubo Sosho is the final mission. I played the first part of this mission using my Displace Rules and intentionally let myself get caught and interrogated for the meme. But even still, this mission was absolutely brutal. Sosho is a lot of open areas and hallways with minimal cover you are expected to either sneak alongside enemies or KO them silently. It does not lend itself well to even a regular assault playthrough. Never mind my weird one with the Stealth Loadout.
The final part of the mission removes the no kill rule but introduces a new type of guards that also countered my strat. Gas Mask enemies. These guys wear gas masks that completely block their front and sides from headshots and never come off no matter how many headshots you land. If you want to headshot them, it has to be from the behind. But good luck given how lit up this area is and the 3 minute time limit. Even I had to cut my losses and leave 2 alive in the elevator room and run in order to make the time limit. The missile defuse room is thankfully much easier. There's 4 gas mask guards pointing their guns all facing the same direction. Once I defused the missile, I could exploit their formation by sneaking behind them and headshotting them with the SC Pistol. It's quiet enough and the room is naturally loud enough that they didn't hear this. Finished the mission with a score of 54%, 19 KOs, 2 injuries, 5 killed and 1 body found.
All in all, if I had to rank the experience:
S Tier levels: Penthouse was the easy highlight and most fun level to play. It truly felt like the only level that was built around this playstyle despite the no kill "Rule" with proper cover, flanking routes, blind spots and places to exploit the AI.
A Tier: I'd put Displace here. Despite the no kill Rule, the level was fun to play with enemies actively hunting me. The first part of Bathouse could also fit here. These are the levels/sections I'd consider replaying if I ever did this challenge again.
B Tier: Lighthouse, Bank, Hokkaido. Generally solid but with some problem spots for this playstyle. I was hoping for more cover and options than what was there.
C Tier: Cargo Ship for being the only level where there are enough enemies that you might not have enough ammo for everyone. The layout also leaves a lot of exposed areas. I'd also put Battery Here.
D tier: Seoul. Doable but more of a chore than fun with few bright spots.
F Tier: Final part of Bathouse and Kokubo Sosho. Those levels were brutal and made me wish I wasn't doing this challenge.
But yeah, in closing, it was overall fun revisiting the game for this challenge. I do feel this challenge might be more fun on Hard or Normal difficulty since you have more wiggle room with shadows, sound and enemies being slower to lock in on you. Having extra health would help in making more consistent pushes and not being as dependent on cover to help.
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