Blacklist is the last released title in the iconic Splinter Cell series. Albeit the game being released back in 2013, it still holds up quite well in 2025. If you're a fan of stealth, this game is definitely going to scratch that itch for you.

• Time played: 64 hours
  
• Difficulty played on (Easy, Normal, Realistic, Perfectionist): Completed the campaign and all side missions on Realistic, then replayed the campaign on Perfectionist for its achievement, twice.
  
• Achievements unlocked: 28 / 28

• There are three playstyles you can adopt in your approach to completing each mission: Ghost, Panther, and Assault. Ghost is the staple approach for the series. Even that can be taken a notch higher by not only playing non-lethal and not raising the alarm, but also leaving hostiles completely undisturbed; a true Ghost. With Panther, you stalk and kill enemies silently. With Assault, you play loud and kill tangos in open combat.
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3596699451
  
  
• The campaign is fleshed out and of average length. It offers a lot without overstaying its welcome. The game's antagonist is a hidden gem in the world of villains; his genius is reminsiscent of Hans Gruber of Die Hard.
  
  
• There are three types of side missions: Grim's, Charlie's and Cobin's. Three missions from each NPC make a total of nine. Add the 12 missions in the campaign (including the introduction) and you have plenty of content to keep you busy. The different playstyles make replaying the campaign and side missions fun, adding replayability value.
  
  
• There's upgrades for your HQ and a shop to purchase and customize weapons, operational suits and gadgets. There are exclusive suits that are made available only after you complete the side missions at least once. The game rewards your efforts well.

• Superb quality even by 2025 standards.
  
• Voice acting is AAA. Ubisoft does that bit well at least. It's not easy portraying an iconic character such as Sam Fisher. The new-at-the-time talent nailed it though. Notable mention goes to Kobin's voice actor as well.
  
• Background music goes hand in hand with your playstyle: almost silent with Ghost, suspensful with Panther, and crecsendos with Assault. It's very tastefully done.
  
• The short cutscenes are action-packed and almost cinematic level.
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3594368449
  The screenshots don't do the game justice.

• The whole game (except for the choice of targeted enemy and the cons below) can be listed in this section.
  
• The enemy AI is not a dummy and will aggressively search for you once the alarm is raised. If spotted, you'll be targeted, flanked and neutralized in less than a minute unless you relocate and hide. It's done so well that it reminds me of another smart enemy AI: F.E.A.R. The only issue I have with this AI is that although you've been exposed, the enemy will lose interest in you in about 2 minutes if you're last spotted in an unreachable place. That's just lazy code-writing.

1. Ubisoft being Ubisoft removed the co-op components of the game for no valid reason whatsoever. That's an issue because there was a whole mode called Spies vs Mercs , which is no longer available unless you're ready to tinker with mods (I'm not). Another set of side missions from NPC Briggs were co-op only, so those are unavailable as well.

2. The game still has a DRM that forces it to shut every 30 minutes. Although it's turned into a completely single player game, it still has this so-called protection which Ubisoft in its eternal wisdom has not addressed.

3. The Deluxe Edition (including the Homeland DLC) is no longer available on the Steam store for some unexplained reason. This denies us players from two side missions: Dead Coast & Billionaire's Yacht (the fourth mission from Grimm and Briggs, respectively) and locks up a weapon, some suits and gadgets.

4. The somewhat elite suits and weapons tied to the defunct uPlay Points are locked and cannot be obtained, even though if you check the Blacklist page in your Ubisoft launcher, they appear as unlocked.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3596826344

Yes. I already had Blacklist on the Ubisoft launcher from years ago, had completed it there at least three times (including the now defunct missions), and still got it here on Steam when I happened to see it on deep sale. There's no other game that comes even close to how masterful stealth is done in Splinter Cell.

The graphics, voice acting, sound effects, background music and most importantly gameplay are all top notch. This is by far the most polished and versatile Splinter Cell title to date.

• Total: 28
  
• All the co-op only achievements have been removed, so 100% the game is still doable. I did it on Steam today.
  
• Most achievements are straightforward and none are missable.
  
• You might need to play the campaign twice, once on Realistic difficulty, then on Perfectionist. Each has its own achievement.
  
• Note that you need to reset the story from the ingame menu after you're done with the campaign on Realistic, then choose Perfectionist and start another playthrough. Changing the difficulty to Perfectionist without resetting the campaign won't pop the achievemnt for completion even when you're done. All progress, unlocks and the campaign must be reset first. I learned that the hard way!
  
• +1 Perfect Game? Yes

Recommended.

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Although not said outright, this game presents throughout its campaign a certain religious group as the enemy. Sadly the underlying bigotry is there in Blacklist no matter how shown but not said it's done.

The game went as far as to portray a person of that religion who is a British citizen and works for MI6 -with security clearance- as untrustworthy and a double agent whose loyalty is with the enemy. The message being even the 'good ones' aren't to be trusted.

Traditionally, it used to be the Soviet Union that was the big bad wolf in games then the focus shifted. First it was the Nazis, then Communists, then for a brief stint Charlie (Vietcong), then the War on Drugs (so anyone in Latin America), then Islam (so anyone in the Middle East), then China.

This appaling hatred towards others might make more sense when you remember that America always needs an enemy to project its populations fears onto. How else could they possibly justify the wars and the killings?

I know this is a game review and I've done that part. I also realize that games affect us subconsciously the same way books we read and films we watch do, so it's worthy warning against underlying messages of hate. The world has enough of that already. I had to put that thought to rest to be able to buy and complete this game.

If you feel this is untrue, then ask yourself why aren't there any games about Gaza or Palestine in general? It's been happening since the 1920s. The recent war/genocide has been going on for two years already and nothing has changed even after the ceasefire. [31.Oct.2025]. More food for thought: What's the last game you played about what happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s? Srebrenica, to be exact? Your mind just drew a blank because there's no such game. Why?

All I'm saying is don't fall for the veiled hatred some games push with their narratives.

Hollow Knight Silksong is a gorgeous open-world, excellent soulslike-lite, non-linear platformer, metroidvania and narrative-rich gem of a game. It's well optimized and runs on older computers flawlessly. It's quite difficult though, even compared to Hollow Knight. All in all, well done, TeamCherry. The wait was well worth it. Detailed review with gampelay videos, screenshots and cons/suggestions below.
UPDATE: I'm in complete awe of this game. Not even halfway through and it's already one of the best gaming experiences of my life.

• Time played: 40 hours and counting
  
• Progress so far: 10 areas, 7 bosses, 2 mini, several gauntlets.
  
• Achievements unlocked: 10 / 52

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3562270361

• Enjoyable as can be.
  
• The controls are responsive, smooth and exact.
  
  
• The open-world design is top notch. Exploring is fun, especially when every here and there you discover a hidden room with goodies or a sign that reveals some of the lore (in cryptic fashion as is tradition!)
  It's vast but still very well connected and self contained.
  
  
• There's a lot of new abilities/tools to unlock and use. They've proven useful for me in my playthrough and not added just for padding.
  Worthy to mention, there's a mini crafting system now and it's smooth and hassle-free.
  
  
• There's now side quests to pick up from the village bulletin board, Witcher 3 style. They're quick and reward you relatively well.
  
  
• The intuitiveness or shall I say managed expectations of Silksong is a pleasure to behold. As I was playing, I sometimes think to myself, 'Hmm I wish they would've done this or that.' For example, adding legend to the map, then as soon as I unlock/purchase something, it's there.
  
  
• I saw some players complaining about the difficulty. I mean, that's part of what makes Silksong great. That you beat it even with how difficult it is. Also, I'm no gaming god and I still manage to keep on going. The beauty about HK and now Silksong is that if one path isn't working for you, you explore a bit and find another. The game is non-linear like that.
  
  
• Silksong is standlone. You don't need to have played Hollow Knight to follow what's going on here.
  
• The characters are adorable as expected from a TeamCherry title.
  
  
• Little trivia I personally noticed and made me chuckle: The opening sequence of Silksong pays homage to a certain cult classic and massive hit. Here's a hint: "I used to be a warrior but then I took an arrow to the knee!"

• I mean, it's gorgeous. Very beautiful and visually pleasing.
  
• There's a rich variety in the different areas. Each has its own character and the game's graphics showcase this effortlessly.
  
  
• The sound effects and audio design are some of the best you'll ever encounter in gaming. Every little sound is a tell, especially in boss fights. For example here in this first one, the deep Haaaa sound tells you the next attack will be a jumping one across the room, so you prepare yourself.
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3562356775
  
• If you've played Hollow Knight, you're already familiar with the adorable way characters talk. Same here with voice being added to the protagonist this time.

• Smooth, enjoyable gameplay
  Even if you're not into metroidvanias and platformers, there's no better way to dip your toes into the genre than SIlksong or Hollow Knight.
  
  
• Well optimized
  So much so it runs flawlessly on older systems as well as modern rigs. I say this from personal experience.
  In case you're curious, here's a snippet of the recommended specifications:
  Win10, Intel Core i5-3470, 8 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1050 (2GB), Radeon R9 380 (2GB), 8 GB available space, DirectX: 10
  
  
• Very challenging
  Every mob is a fight for your life. The smallest mob is smarter and vicious.
  
  
• Deeply immersive
  The game genuinely takes you away from whatever is on your mind and gently includes you in its world.
  
  
• Updated mechanics from Hollow Knight
  Two major updates and very welcome changes (not that I'm complaining about HK!):
  1. You can heal anytime/anywhere and you start your game with it. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3562270920
  2. Remember when you died in HK, then on your way to your fallen shade, you made one mindless mistake and lost all your precious geo? This isn't the case anymore. From very early on in Silksong, you have the ability to freeze your rosaries (the new currency) for a smallish fee. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3562375252
  
  
• Affordable
  The devs have made a conscious choice to sell their game (which they've toiled to make and perfect for years without unnecessary fanfare or marketing gimmicks) as affordable as possibly can be. I hope publishers and other developers take notice.
  
  
• Bug-free so far
  The game does require some fine-tuning though. See below.

• The enemy mob names aren't made clear to the player, so when you get a quest (called 'wish' ingame) to kill abc for materal xyz, you need to kill all enemies in that area until the required material drops. I'm sure there's a better way of identifying enemy mobs than making them 100% obscure.
  
  
• When your Mask Shards are full, your silk shouldn't be consumed if you hit B by accident.
  
  
• The description of some tools seem fine but on closer inspection after equipping and playing with them, it's clear that these descriptions are generic and don't adequately describe the function. They need to be precisely descriptive. e.g. the Warding Bell.

Dear TeamCherry,
Not that you'll read this but here goes. Your creativity, integrity and empathy to gamers (not to mention incredible work ethic) are noted and very much appreciated. Please continue to breathe life into the industry and thank you for everything.

• The custom markers we can place on the map are always a little too big for comfort imho. If they can be scaled down to two-thirds or even half their size, they'd still fulfil their function with the added bonus of making the map way more cleaner so to speak and also not obscure any details.
  
  
• I wish the Hunter's Journal included two facts about each mob: How many hits it takes to die + how many rosaries/shards it drops on death. It would be much more useful.
  
  
• Upgrading a crest should be universal, not only for that specific crest.
  
  
• How to use the second equipped offensive tool should be made clear in the Options>Controller menu (i.e. down+RB)