The most action-focused Splinter Cell. Multiple playstyle approaches work well together. Strong Spies vs Mercs cooperative mode. A solid entry despite some franchise fatigue at the time of its release.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player18+
Description
Stealth action by Ubisoft Toronto, Blacklist entry of Splinter Cell franchise. Published by Ubisoft, released in August 2013 in Europe, Japan, Asia, Russia and North America. Sam Fisher leading new 4th Echelon hunting Engineers terrorists threatening United States with imminent Blacklist countdown of attacks, over fifteen missions crossing Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Chad and Mexico, third-person stealth action gameplay mixing silent infiltration, close combat and shooting with signature night vision goggles, Mark and Execute mechanic to mark multiple targets and eliminate them in chain and Killing in Motion in movement, signature Spies vs Mercs online mode in teams, full online cooperative mode for entire campaign with Briggs, English voice-over with Eric Johnson as Sam Fisher.
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Blacklist review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
Worked-over darkness, chiselled light sources and shifting shadows: the game makes light the very heart of its stealth aesthetic. The realism of the environments and the permanent chiaroscuro compose a constant visual tension. This art direction, dark and precise, elevates infiltration to the rank of graphic art.
Taut and insidious, the music weaves an atmosphere of assassination where anxiety-inducing pads and hushed percussion rise with the hunt. Each contract bathes in a muffled tension that reacts to the slightest misstep. This sonic identity, polished and oppressive, elevates the cold elegance of Agent 47.
The Russian run of Splinter Cell Blacklist, released on a market with a particular physical distribution, noticeably rarer than the Western European and American editions. This localized release interests collectors of the thinly documented Russian outings of a worldwide stealth license. Its desirability rests mainly on this regional scarcity.
Is Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Blacklist still worth playing in 2026?
Splinter Cell Blacklist is the most action-oriented entry in the saga, managing to reconcile the approaches without imposing a single style. The player can favour ghost infiltration, silent elimination or frontal assault, each path being viable and rewarded, which makes it a title of fine flexibility. The mark-and-execute system, fluid and exhilarating, energises the action. The asymmetric, tense Spies vs Mercs co-op mode remains its most singular asset. Released at a time of fatigue for the franchise, the game nonetheless remains a solid and polished conclusion, to be discovered for the fan of modern stealth.
