There's no denying that The Lord of the Rings: Gollum failed to meet its lofty expectations. A game where players control this heinous creature should ha ve been a fun way to expand on the lore of the series, but poor stealth mechanics and a janky presentation take away from what could have been a great title.
As a result, many fans of stealth games may be disappointed after this experience, unless they happen to be really into The Lord of the Rings and want to experience anything that expands on this legendary fantasy series. Thankfully, there are many other stealth titles that disappointed players can use to wash the bad taste out of their mouths after playing Gollum.
8 Styx: Master Of Shadows
In many ways, the two Styx games are perfect replacements for Gollum, given their focus on stealth and how combat is discouraged. While the title faced its fair share of mixed reception, fans of titles that prioritize stealth over everything else will like what these two games bring to the table.
A huge part of both games is being able to create clones to survey the situation and check out guard patrols without worrying too much about dying. It's a simple yet great way to relieve some of the stress that most people would feel otherwise in a game where getting spotted can have dire consequences.
7 Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor
If players want to check out a game in Tolkien's rich fantasy universe, they can't go wrong with Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. The game came out of nowhere and surprised players with just how fun the title is, even if it does fall into the usual open-world trappings that many games get stuck in.
The game is quite brutal, and stealth is one of the most satisfying parts of the game. Sneaking up on orcs and brutalizing them with Talion's broken blade makes for a great time. What's more, the Nemesis system makes the act of killing powerful orcs feel all the more personalized and exciting.
6 Aragami
Aragami is a game where stealth is imperative to getting through the game's many levels. Players control an undead assassin who revels in the shadows, able to teleport to other dark places and summon help to take out many enemies without being detected.
Players can either kill everyone and everything in sight, or just sneak through levels while sparing their enemies and not being detected. Both options are a blast in their own right and a huge part of what makes Aragami such a fun title to play through.
5 Alien: Isolation
No one expected Alien: Isolation to be so much fun to play. The game combines elements of survival horror and the immersive sim genre to make for a great time. Players comb through the Sevastopol space station while trying to deal with threats and avoid the Xenomorph.
The AI of the alien chasing Amanda Ripley was quite advanced for its time, adapting to player behavior and forcing them to think of a different way to escape this monstrosity time and time again. The sci-fi setting may be completely different from The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, but most people wouldn't care after realizing thatAlien: Isolation's moment-to-moment stealth gameplay is truly in a class of its own.
4 Thief: The Dark Project
Thief: The Dark Project was a landmark title for stealth gaming. Players controlled the beloved thief Garrett as they combed through houses, getting as much loot as possible before moving on to the next stage.
It takes a while for the story to get going, but Thief: The Dark Project is a brilliant title that fans will absolutely adore. The sequel is even better, and the third game has some unique mechanics of its own...even if some people find it inferior to its predecessors.
3 The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is still considered by many to be Naughty Dog's magnum opus. Set during a zombie apocalypse, the game focuses on the perils of humanity and how desperation causes people to act out in the worst way possible.
The game features some intense stealth encounters that put Gollum's disappointing gameplay to shame. While some encounters can be brute-forced, players who don't prioritize stealth in this game will either be gunned down or bitten over and over again.
2 Dishonored
Despite the massive misstep made by Arkane recently with the launch of Redfall, there's no denying that the developer has made several amazing stealth games in the past. One such title is Dishonored, a game that propelled the studio to new heights, with its stealth gameplay being quite riveting.
While the manner in which Dishonored punished players for killing people was quite severe and somewhat unwarranted, the game was still a blast to play through. Corvo is a great protagonist with astonishing powers, and his quest to save Emily takes him through a brutal and bloody journey.
1 Deus Ex
Many fans of immersive sims know everything about the legendary Deus Ex. The game took the world by storm and turned Warren Spector into an industry legend in record time.
The game tells the story of JC Denton as he started out as a UNATCO agent before uncovering a major conspiracy and getting betrayed in the process. The narrative made for a great journey, especially given how imaginative the gameplay was. Even now, the RPG elements of Deus Ex coupled with the multiple ways players could tackle a given objective — including stealth — is truly mind-blowing and makes multiple playthroughs feel unique.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.