By Maia Jern
Last year saw a wide variety of games released and we never got around to reviewing all of them. The year before however, back in 2013, Square Enix enjoyed a huge success in the launch of their reboot to the Tomb Raider franchise. It was a success they were hoping to repeat the following February with their reboot of Thief, which hadn't seen a new game released in about a decade. Incidentally, the game's plot is set hundreds of years after that of the original series - giving it the chance to begin afresh.
Last year saw a wide variety of games released and we never got around to reviewing all of them. The year before however, back in 2013, Square Enix enjoyed a huge success in the launch of their reboot to the Tomb Raider franchise. It was a success they were hoping to repeat the following February with their reboot of Thief, which hadn't seen a new game released in about a decade. Incidentally, the game's plot is set hundreds of years after that of the original series - giving it the chance to begin afresh.
The latest installment of the Thief series of games was developed by Eidos Montreal and released back in February by Square Enix. Following the formula of its predecessors, Thief: The Dark Project (1998), Thief II: The Metal Age (2000), and Thief: Deadly Shadows (2004), Thief is a so-called “first-person sneaker” and focuses on stealth over combat.
I saw a trailer on Steam earlier this year and was intrigued, as I love playing sneaky types in other games, and it looked very pretty, but because of reasons I didn’t get it until quite recently, when a friend gifted it to me over Steam by way of an early Christmas present. Over all, I found the game enjoyable. I never played the older games, so I can’t make any comparisons, but I found the sneaking about fun and challenging, even at the easier setting. There are many different ways to complete each map, with different routes that can be taken and lots of loot to find along the way. Thief is set in a dark fantasy world of the Victorian, Gothic steampunk variety. You play as Garrett, the Master Thief (inexplicably, you have the same name and attributes as the protagonist of the original series). After the first mission of the game goes horribly wrong, you wake up a year later to find your home town, simply known as The City, is ravaged by a plague known as The Gloom, and ruled by the iron fist of the one known as The Baron. The first-person view of the game is highly immersive, with detailed audio that allows you to listen for guards and civilians, and to hear how much noise you’re making yourself. If you’re discovered, you can try to fight your way out, or attempt to escape, but the best thing you can do is not to get noticed in the first place.
You can sneak up on guards and incapacitate them, but if the body is discovered, suspicion and alertness levels will be raised on all other guards. There is often an alternate path, through a house, beneath the street or across roofs, balconies or other pathways above, that allows you to avoid guards. The cutscenes are cinematic and nicely made, though I did experience some lag issues in the video and subtitles, which is a bit annoying and ruins the immersion somewhat. The voice acting is alright, although Garrett’s internal monologue feels somewhat clichéd at times and gets tedious after a while.
As I am new to the Thief universe, I enjoyed this game but older fans of the series seemed to be largely disappointed. Saying that, it lacks the versatility of previous games with a more linear story, levels that make for less exploratory gameplay and alternate choices, and a bland protagonist which you're stuck with from the get-go. It is far from the best game I played last year, but nor is it the worst. I doubt I would have liked it quite as much if I’d paid full price for it, but it’s still a fun game and worth a look!
I saw a trailer on Steam earlier this year and was intrigued, as I love playing sneaky types in other games, and it looked very pretty, but because of reasons I didn’t get it until quite recently, when a friend gifted it to me over Steam by way of an early Christmas present. Over all, I found the game enjoyable. I never played the older games, so I can’t make any comparisons, but I found the sneaking about fun and challenging, even at the easier setting. There are many different ways to complete each map, with different routes that can be taken and lots of loot to find along the way. Thief is set in a dark fantasy world of the Victorian, Gothic steampunk variety. You play as Garrett, the Master Thief (inexplicably, you have the same name and attributes as the protagonist of the original series). After the first mission of the game goes horribly wrong, you wake up a year later to find your home town, simply known as The City, is ravaged by a plague known as The Gloom, and ruled by the iron fist of the one known as The Baron. The first-person view of the game is highly immersive, with detailed audio that allows you to listen for guards and civilians, and to hear how much noise you’re making yourself. If you’re discovered, you can try to fight your way out, or attempt to escape, but the best thing you can do is not to get noticed in the first place.
You can sneak up on guards and incapacitate them, but if the body is discovered, suspicion and alertness levels will be raised on all other guards. There is often an alternate path, through a house, beneath the street or across roofs, balconies or other pathways above, that allows you to avoid guards. The cutscenes are cinematic and nicely made, though I did experience some lag issues in the video and subtitles, which is a bit annoying and ruins the immersion somewhat. The voice acting is alright, although Garrett’s internal monologue feels somewhat clichéd at times and gets tedious after a while.
As I am new to the Thief universe, I enjoyed this game but older fans of the series seemed to be largely disappointed. Saying that, it lacks the versatility of previous games with a more linear story, levels that make for less exploratory gameplay and alternate choices, and a bland protagonist which you're stuck with from the get-go. It is far from the best game I played last year, but nor is it the worst. I doubt I would have liked it quite as much if I’d paid full price for it, but it’s still a fun game and worth a look!
'What's yours is mine.'
This article was written by singer, songwriter, piano player and aspiring author Maia Jern. If you would like to know more about Maia you can check out her official website right here. Did you agree with Maia's take on Thief? Did you love or hate it? What would you do differently in a sequel? Or should Square Enix close up the series for good this time?
Let us know in the comments below, or come find us on Facebook or Twitter!
Let us know in the comments below, or come find us on Facebook or Twitter!
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