Sneak thief game reviews series#

GarrettвЂ™s trusty bow for instance was unlike any other weapon at the time-its feel, its sounds, the thunk of its arrows all carefully and lovingly made to feel both satisfying to use, and a worthy weapon of choice for a master thief. Looking Glass could make even a basic guard feel like part of the world, rather than just another enemy.ДЄgain though, so much of this rested on Thief developer Looking Glass Studios being able to focus on specifics. Now we really got to experience the City firsthand, with guards and other overheard characters now regularly piping up with their stories, and the original gameвЂ™s approach to difficulty-not just additional enemies, but challenges like stealing a certain amount of treasure and the previously mentioned no killing rule-making for incredibly replayable missions. Those maps were were built to be even more non-linear and open than the first game's.

Sneak thief game reviews series#

The sequel's maps took the series to a whole new level, with new tools like a clockwork eye that could be used to scout terrain, and maps designed around concepts rather than story first (the story then largely written around them, not that it mattered).

Thief II: The Metal Age didnвЂ™t remove the fantasy elements entirely, but it did wisely double-down on the other side, with Garrett now facing the steam-powered horrors of a genocidal Mechanist and generally sticking to the civilised parts of the city-raiding a party, robbing a bank, kidnapping and eavesdropping, and sabotaging the villain at every turn. If Thief has a problem, itвЂ™s that occasionally it loses confidence in itself, with fantasy elements like the undead and giant spiders sitting awkwardly next to the more steampunk city up top, and with a plot involving magic and paganism that quickly veers away from the pure satisfaction of breaking and entering. He is, after all, a thief rather than a murderer, and good enough at it never to need such a crutch. On higher difficulty levels, you even face GarrettвЂ™s pride as a bonus challenge-he wonвЂ™t kill, not out of squeamishness, but professionalism. A blackjack to the back of a guardвЂ™s head is a guaranteed takedown, but alert, theyвЂ™ll call in backup and easily take you down. Garrett may be godlike in the shadows, but heвЂ™s a mediocre swordsman. It gives you the tools and experience of a master criminal, but only so long as youвЂ™re willing to play the role. You get the tools to sneak around if you want, but you also get a sack of guns and explosives, super-powers to break the rules of the world, and levels and enemies built to allow you to explore them. Many games, including successors like Deus Ex and Dishonored, are fundamentally built on playing things your way. Plus, because the combat is so lackluster, several of the armor and weapon upgrades become irrelevant simply because you'll want to avoid the boring head-on conflicts at all costs.There had been stealth games before, but little that took things to this degree-to make the shadows your armour and patience your best friend.Дespite all this, if thereвЂ™s one thing that defines Thief, itвЂ™s in the title. When this happens, all you have is a sword-dodging side-step move and a weak-feeling blackjack attack at your disposal, making for some incredibly dull encounters. Yes, Garrett is a master thief, not a warrior, but every once in awhile you might find yourself going toe-to-toe with a guard.

The combat, for instance, is severely lacking. Outside of the stealth elements, Thief feels limited. These locales sound interesting on paper, but in the game you always feel like you are in the same place, in the dark, stealing stuff. You'll move from the dark streets of the City to the dark halls of a mental institution to the dark caves of an ancient underground library. Speaking of, while it makes sense that a Thief would only work at night, the darkness that permeates the entire game doesn't help to create a noticeable mix of settings.