History Main / StartsStealthilyEndsLoudly

* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'' has a few missions where a stealth approach is initially offered but inevitably goes violent. The warehouse bombing mission is a prime example: Once you have planted the bomb, it becomes impossible to sneak your way out again. Not only does your character move too slowly while stealthy, but the routes in and out of the warehouse shuffle with some immediately closing off to you. Also, some Sabbat shovelheads (who can see through stealth and Obfuscate) will storm the warehouse, requiring you to fight your way out (or, for a high Celerity character, run like the dickens).

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssel_trope_calvin_and_hobbes.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[SoMuchForStealth Well, so much for trying not to wake your parents up.]]]]

** Counterfeit: Under the guises of Pool Repair men, talk to self-made millionaire golf-coach Mitchell (read: sloppy counterfeiter), then let him show you to the basement for you to "Fix" the broken pipe. Find a crowbar lying around, wait out some timelock hacks, answer some phones made by curious policemen watching the place, then kill them. It goes loud when the police officers don't respond. After than blow open the safe with pressurised water and C4, grab the counterfeiting plates, and leg it. [[TakeAThirdOption Or print money]]

* Most rounds of VideoGame/PlagueInc start like this, with the game encouraging you to stay as hidden as possible as well as infecting as much people as possible (i.e. by avoiding evolving severity and lethality while dumping every DNA gained into infectivity). Once more than half the world is infected or the plague is discovered, that's when the game starts recommending more severity and lethality, causing the real pandemic to begin.

* The mission "Launch" from ''VideoGame/AceCombat/AssaultHorizon'' starts with you (as Major Rehl) weaving through canyons at low altitude with your strategic bomber, avoiding searchlights as you go. Once you get past the early warnings, however, you starts delivering the bomber's payload on several installations through explosions-filled ASM sequences.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' "Roswell That Ends Well" starts with the team trying to fit in in 1947 to avoid changing the past. Then Fry causes his apparent grandfather's death [[InSpiteOfANail without changing anything]], so they decide for a smash and grab.
-->'''Farnsworth:''' Oh! A lesson in not messing up history from '''Mister I'm MyOwnGrandpa'''! Let's just take the damn dish and get out of here! Screw history!\\
''[later]''\\
'''Farnsworth:''' Choke on that, causality!

* In ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' episode "The Twins", South Dakota sneaks into an enemy base to steal information. While downloading the information a guard comically holding two coffee cups finds her. There is a moment of silence before the guard looks at the alarm button. South warns him not to go for it. He looks back and forth between her and the alarm and gets repeated warnings. When he makes a move for the alarm South shoots him, but his momentum carries him forward and he ends up pressing the alarm anyways and all hell breaks loose.

* In ''Film/TrueLies'', the stealth infiltration at the beginning of the film becomes a guns blazing exit after the guards ask for Harry's invitation. Which of course he doesn't have because he came in via scuba gear.
* The four protagonists from ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'' march into the Cyberdyne building as employee Miles Dyson and three guests. After subduing the reception guard, they start planting explosive charges in the main lab. It doesn't take long for alarms to go off, and oodles of police and [=SWAT=] teams to converge on the site. Since this is a ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' movie, almost nothing gets left intact.

--> (Punished "Venom" Leo is going GunsAkimbo on the Soviets) Final Step: Fuck it. Become Franchise/{{Rambo}}.
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Susan's rescue of "Jack" [[https://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/parable-138 starts as a stealth mission]] and ends with the two of them [[https://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/parable-151 on the run]] from all the guards.

* Occasionally Lampshaded in ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'', usually when someone (often Mikey) sets off an alarm midway through a stealthy ninja infiltration, resulting in violence and conflict.

** When the team searching for a hostage held on a derelict radiation scrubbing station turned into a black market town is discovered, they call one of the [[SpiderTank Tachikoma]] for backup, which had been fitted with a [[GatlingGood Vulcan Cannon]]. Which is actually a downgrade from the standard rocket launcher to reduce collateral damage to the rig and bystanders.

* Heist missions in ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'' always start with infiltrating the area containing a handful of guards to reach the target item located deep within the zone. Whether you break open the case and retrieve the item or let the lockdown timer run out, the place goes on high alert and waves and waves swarm of guards will come out to kill you. You'll have to make your way back alive by carving a trail of blood and guts through them.

* Heist missions in ''VideoGame/PathOfExile'' always start with infiltrating the area containing a handful of guards
to reach the target objective located deep within the zone. Whether you break open the case and retrieve the item or let the lockdown timer run out, the place goes on high alert and waves and waves swarm of guards will come out to kill you. You'll have to make your way back alive by carving a trail of blood and guts through them.

[[quoteright:350:https:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssel_trope_calvin_and_hobbes.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:SoMuchForStealth]]

[[quoteright:350:https:[[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes //static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssel_trope_calvin_and_hobbes.png]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ssel_trope_calvin_and_hobbes.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:WellSoMuchForStealth]]

* ''De rigeur'' for any kind of stealth mission in ''TabletopGame/{{Dungeons&Dragons}}''. As soon as somebody blows their stealth roll, it's swords out, fireballs flying, and kill anybody and everybody you come across.

* Most of the story assasinations in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' end this way. You're highly encouraged to approach your targets stealthily, but once they die, bells start ringing, the guards swarm you, and all hell breaks loose. {{Lampshaded}} after the first mission in Jerusalem when Altair reports that his target has been killed:
-->'''Malik:''' Oh, I know, I know. In fact, the entire city knows! Have you forgotten the meaning of subtlety?!
* Occurs occasionally in ''VideoGame/WatchDogs'', as some missions start off stealthy, but events during make the escape more action orientated.
* During the prologue section of ''VideoGame/RainbowSix: Vegas 2'', the player and their team sneak into position to protect a negotiator during a hostage situation. Unfortunately, due to events that occurred during the situation, the exit is a heated gun battle.

* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' uses this a few times.
** During the bank mission in the introduction, you're able to sneak in and get the money, but trip an alarm on the way out. The result is a massive shoot-out with police to escape.
** The subtle option for the final heist also starts stealthy, yet ends in a gun battle and car chase.
* ''VideoGame/{{Dubloon}}'' has a StealthBasedMission where [[AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent Riley and Ricky]] must avoid getting caught by Navy guards and reach Bradley's office. On the way back from there, it plays like a normal dungeon and fighting enemies is possible.
* In the mission "Demons of Razgriz" of ''VideoGame/AceCombat5TheUnsungWar'', the Wardog Squadron must approach the giant enemy submarine under the radar to avoid detection. However, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption even if you do everything right]], you get spotted while still a few kilometers away[[note]]realistically, by a patrol boat where someone ''looked up'' and saw four fighter planes traveling at subsonic speed; just because radar doesn't see you doesn't mean that you're invisible to the human eye, and fighter planes are ''loud''[[/note]] and must go loud from there on.
* Used in ''Videogame/FinalFantasyVIII'', when Selphie leads a mission in the Galbadian missile base. There are a few points during the mission where you can mess up, drop your disguise and fight your way through the rest of the mission, though if you keep your cover as long as possible, you are rewarded with a [=SeeD=] rank bonus.
* In the casino heist in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'', you end up having to shoot your way out because Zero's ego wouldn't let him not tip off his rival, and thus security is alerted in the middle of the mission.
* In ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'', the standard mission "Free Prisoners" is supposed to proceed this way. First, you sneak into a city or castle where a prisoner is kept. Then, you dispose of a single guard, break into the prison and free the prisoner (s). Then, you exit the prison and find the entire city/castle guard against you. The final escape can be made less loud if, before the mission, you commit arson in a nearby village, forcing most of the guard to go there and leave the prison with a skeleton crew.

* This is a highly plausible result of missions in ''VideoGame/InvisibleInc'', thanks to the rising security level. Everyone will be totally unaware of your presence at the beginning, but by the end, if you stay around too long or screw up too much (but not enough to lose), you can wind up escaping with sirens blaring and half or more of the guards chasing after you.
* ''VideoGame/MegaManZero4'': Around 1/3 into the story, you'll have to go save the kidnapped Neige. Zero enters the prison site from the air ducts, without many mooks in his way, before you finally reach Neige and teleport her to your home base. But just as Zero is about to go out as well, the security system [[RedAlert goes on alert]] and jams all outside frequencies, as well as summoning lots of mooks to hound you. You have to cut your way through the enemies and obstacles before you find yourself outside the building so you can teleport away.
* In the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series most of the stealth missions tend to end with the protagonists escaping while under heavy gunfire. The duo of "All Ghillied Up" and "One Shot, One Kill" from ''[[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Call of Duty 4]]'' is the most elaborate instance, with one whole mission dedicated to the slow, stealthy entrance, and the other to the loud, flashy exit.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'', the opening titular mission requires you to use an explosive on a large door, and then book it. Averted if the player decides not to use stealth.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** The first trek through the Forsaken Fortress in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' requires Link to sneak past monsters and spotlights because he dropped his sword when he was catapulted into the place. The stealth ends when he finds his sword in front of a strong Bokoblin he must then fight.
** The Yiga Clan Hideout in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' is like this unless you choose to forgo stealth entirely and fight the Yiga Clan enemies in regular combat. If you take the intended route of avoiding the guards and sneaking to the hiding place of the Thunder Helm, you'll then have to fight [[TheDragon Master Kohga]] in a traditional boss encounter.
* ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' missions tend to go this way, as for most of them the players' squad starts off in a "Concealment" state (indicating that they are undetected by the enemy), and most of the time when one soldier is detected the entire squad will lose Concealment, with no way to re-enter it save for a few exceptions: certain events in the game can allow a soldier (or the entire squad) to re-enter Concealment, there is a Ranger ability that prevents them from losing Concealment if another team member gets detected; one of the [[EleventhHourSuperpower second-to-last mission exclusive perks]] is Individual Concealment, which means that when a soldier on that mission is detected, only ''they'' lose Concealment. The main damper on stealth is that once you complete an objective (such as pick up a captive ally or hack a mission-critical device), Concealment is broken (save for the exceptions above) anyway.

* In ''VideoGame/Battlefield3'''s co-op level "Drop 'Em Like Liquid", Snake 6-6 infiltrates a section of Paris to get the drop on PLR patrols. However, the other PLR forces after another patrol spots them taking out a couple of sentries, even if it's done via knife takedown/suppressed weapons if and when they see your team. This forces you to go in loud.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'': ''Retribution'' event depicts a Blackwatch mission that fits this trope. After stealthily reaching their objective, Reyes proceeds to execute the target instead of apprehending them as ordered. This causes the targets' guards to become alerted, resulting in the playable section where the team has to escape the area while under heavy fire.
* Quite common in ''VideoGame/PhantomDoctrine'', a turn based strategy game in the vein of ''XCOM'' with Cold war spies. Most missions begin in infiltration mode where enemies have limited range of vision and will not react unless the player's team is seen doing something suspicious. If an alarm is triggered the mission becomes a more standard combat based affair with realistic line of sight.[[note]]While many missions can be completed without breaking stealth, some story missions occasionally have an unavoidable alarm triggered as part of the plot ("alarm triggered by Force Majeure"), forcing combat regardless. These moments are always justified as points where the player's conspiracy has been OutGambitted by the conspiracy the player is trying to stop[[/note]] Because combat is ''always'' a bad proposition for the player[[note]]Agents in stealth have to be lightly armed and armored or they'll be easy to spot, while the enemy has literally infinite reinforcements, as well as the ability to call in gunships to deliver overwhelming firepower that the player cannot counter[[/note]], these moments are very unwelcome.
* ''VideoGame/MutantYearZeroRoadToEden:'' In most areas you will quietly pick off an outer ring of lone static and patrolling enemies, ending up with a hard core who have to be assaulted head-on.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda:'' The infiltration of [[BigBad the Archon's]] ship begins with Ryder and their team trying to sneak in... which lasts right up until they leave the airlock, and walk right into a squad of kett, setting off all the alarms.

-->'''Han''': ''(shoots the microphone)'' It was a boring conversation anyways. '''[[RedAlert LUKE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE COMPANY!]]'''

* In ''Fanfic/IsseiTheGamingGear'', Issei stealthily makes his way to the room where the prisoners are and gets them all out with a teleportation circle. Once they are out of the way, he pulls out all the stops and fights every one of the Purifiers he can find in order to bring them down for the many horrible things they have been doing (and plan to do).