So I just wanted to say that I think this game is actually pretty damn good. I was delightfully surprised at how much I liked
Thief as I was NOT expecting to this much after hearing all the lacklustre reviews. I played on the Xbox 360, 'Master' difficulty setting. It's not without it's fair share of faults, as the game can be quite buggy (such as audio and graphical hitches, or a frozen console on occasion) and was clearly rushed out in certain aspects (such as overly repeated assets and dialogue, or some NPCs that are lacking in the programmed behaviours department), but I've found these issues related more to the game's presentation rather than its direct gameplay systems, and as such, they're rather minor in the grand scheme of things. While the obvious flaws do unfortunately detract from what could have been a truly top-notch experience, they definitely don't even come close to ruining the fun altogether. Certain other glitch-prone games have still achieved high praise this generation based on the strengths and fun-factor of their core gameplay, and I think
Thief should be similarly considered.
The game has a 'hub' structure, so you aren't simply pulled through level to level like a linear-style game, but it isn't quite like an open-world/sandbox game where everything takes place on the same giant map either. Instead, at any given time you are free to roam rather a large city (aptly named The City), in which you can initiate main chapter levels or optional side-missions, both of which will take you to UNIQUE, isolated locations. New districts of The City (and thus new side-missions) are unlocked/open-up as you progress the story by completing chapters. Some side-missions ARE just simple 'fetch quests' within The City (which actually aren't always so simple and involve some cool secrets to discover), but others (namely 'Client Jobs') are more substantial scenarios that take place in entirely separate maps/areas outside of the typical city hub, like new levels in their own right, so they are absolutely worth seeing and doing (unlike the monotonous mission-types typically found in more 'sandbox' style games). The same can be said of chapters; they are completely separate and unique levels and environments. Chapters are definitely the best parts of the game and will take you through some very awesome (sometimes even spooky) scenarios. Chapters and the more involved side-missions also have mini 'challenge' objectives that you can try to tackle for an extra monetary reward upon completion of the mission, such as 'remain undetected' or 'execute 5 aerial takedowns', and all major missions can be replayed whenever you wish (if, for example, you'd like to earn additional coin, or obtain a collectible you'd missed the first time). Aside from acting as a mission hub, The City is host to a cornucopia of riches and treasures just asking to be deftly thieved by those willing to engage in some well designed 'explorative' gameplay.
Maps, levels, and environments (including The City itself) are very impressively crafted, making exploration a joy. While plenty of loot lies around in the open, the more valuable stuff is tucked away quite cleverly and takes some real ingenuity to discover, so loot-hunting is super fun. There are lots of little tricks and curiosities to uncover, like trap doors and disguised switches, and MANY other clever techniques for concealing things implemented by the developers that I'd LOVE to mention here because they're so cool, but I don't want to spoil for you the reward of discovery. Sometimes it's a puzzle unto itself just trying to figure out how to reach a certain spot, or bypass a deadly obstacle; 'environment traversal puzzle' gameplay which I think can be quite interesting (make sure to always keep a 'rope arrow' or two handy!). Plus, you NEED money to purchase useful items/gadgets, equipment upgrades, and skills, so the loot actually provides a very compelling reason to explore. You can even find certain items that bestow skill points, and of course documents that flesh out the world-lore or reveal clues to the whereabouts of other stashed valuables, like treasure maps (TREASURE MAPS!). Truth be told I was not anticipating such intricacy in the explorative aspect of the game design and frankly this element really kicked the entire thing up a notch for me. If you don't have much patience for exploring, you can always rely on 'waypoint markers' and/or a mini-map, or use your 'focus' vision power to obviously highlight interactive objects, booby-traps, and possible routes. Alternately, if you adore the satisfaction of discovering these things on your own simply by paying close attention to the immersive environment, like me, you can turn these things off (a liberating feature I'll discuss more later on).
An extraordinary amount of unduly harsh criticism has been targeted at
Thief in regards to the numerous 'masked' loading screens found throughout The City, which require you to mash 'X' to open a window or squeeze through a narrow passage while the game loads the area behind it. While this certainly isn't ideal, it was not something that hampered my enjoyment of the game very much, if at all (and the load times ARE mercifully quick). I mean I can understand how people/reviewers would “expect more from a 2014 game” and such, but honestly, I think the issue was vastly overblown, and that's all I have to say about that. Similarly, the main character, Garrett, has taken some guff for “cheesy one-liners” and being uninteresting. Personally, I enjoyed Garrett's dialogue and demeanor throughout the experience. I liked his voice, and he has a smooth, brooding, sharp-witted, mysterious style that I found to be pretty cool. As for the rest of the story, its not going to win any awards, and both the pre-rendered and in-game cutscenes can look pretty bad (due to framerate and audio issues), but it's still interesting as a mystery with different revelations and twists, so I thought it was fine (I'm not a huge 'game story' guy anyways, it's much more about the gameplay and overall game-world to me, both of which I found to be very intriguing and appealing in
Thief).
The presentation as a whole is extremely immersive and atmospheric, which adds very much to the appeal. I think the gameplay graphics are quite impressive on the 360, and I've found the framerate to be very smooth and steady (apart from the pre-rendered cutscenes, but they aren't plentiful and it's not that big a deal).
The game FEELS really good and fun to control. Movement and actions have a really nice weight and speed to them. The 'swoop' quick-dash maneuver is especially satisfying when you use it smartly to dart in and out of shadows, or towards an enemy for an intense, rush-inducing pickpocket attempt and back away again. Aiming the camera/reticule is equally smooth and precise. Coupled with convincingly immersive visual cues (especially all the 'using your hands' animations), it feels very much like you're inhabiting the body of an adept and agile master thief (although the melee combat is clumsy, but this effectively encourages you to play stealthily, so I can see why they designed it as such. There ARE skills and upgrades that will greatly increase your character's effectiveness in melee combat though, should you choose to invest in them).
The stealth mechanics don't introduce much of anything new to the genre, but what's here is executed solidly. A classic 'light indicator' display informs you of how well you're hidden, but even more convenient, I found, was the border around the screen that turns dark and wispy when concealed (much like the visual cue used for the stealth mode in
The Chronicles of Riddick), and turns white with a noticeable flash when you've stepped into too much light. Additionally, enemies have clear indicators, both visual and audible, that do a great job of teaching and expressing the stealth mechanics to the player. Of particular note, the sound designers made excellent use of a foreboding audible tone that increases intensity as enemies are beginning to 'see' you, so its of great help to the player's interpretation of enemy awareness, even when the enemy isn't on screen.
There's a bit of a learning curve that folks might find frustrating at first as it takes some trial and error to figure out exactly what you can and can't get away with (this is inherent to most stealth games, actually), but just try experimenting a bit (which is easy thanks to the ability to quick-save at any time) and you'll soon feel incredibly empowered and clever as you sneak around getting the best of everyone. The level-design once again excels here as the environments always provide a number of different paths or ways to solve the 'stealth puzzle' scenarios and it's a lot of fun to discover and toy with all the different approaches. The 'Master' difficulty enemy A.I. has been fine in my opinion. Sure, you may scoff at it a few times, like when they don't see you a mere 5 feet away as long as you're in shadow, or they forget about your existence in half a minute, but realize these tropes are inherent to the stealth genre; if the A.I. was realistically intelligent or capable, it would eliminate much of the gameplay fun. Granted, there are times when you'll notice straight-up A.I. glitches, but these don't happen too often and the A.I. does a fine job when it's working correctly (which is the vast majority of the time).
I understand that stealth games simply aren't for everyone as they do require a degree of patience and subtlety (and
Thief certainly demands extra patience of the player insofar as navigating The City/hub map, sometimes). Personally, I love the feeling of methodically stalking about, thoroughly scanning the environment, outsmarting the obstacles, and slowly soaking in all the wonderful atmosphere of
Thief. If you pace yourself and get the most out of the game like I did, you're looking at a 25+ hour adventure. Essentially, if you dig stealth games, you'll dig what's on show here, and if you don't, this game isn't going to change your mind.
One possible caveat to that is due in thanks to the sheer amount of choice the game offers players. The options menu allows for numerous tweaks of gameplay settings, allowing everyone from the veteran stealth gamer to a novice gamer of casual interest the chance for some fun. Feel like just leisurely breezing through the game? Go ahead and choose the easiest difficulty, turn on waypoints, utilize all your focus powers, and go on a sniping spree with your bow and multitude of offensive arrow-types. Want a deeply challenging, hardcore experience? Try Master difficulty with waypoint markers turned off and other 'Custom' difficulty options like 'no focus powers', 'no kills/takedowns', and 'game over when spotted' turned on. Or, you know, try any combination of the multitude options that fit your liking (there are plenty more I haven't mentioned here). Plus, like many other modern stealth games, you're ranked at the end of each chapter based on your 'ghost', 'predator' or 'somewhere in the middle' approach to it, so you can always shoot for a 'pure ghost' or 'pure lethal' playstyle if it tickles your fancy. You can even turn off basic HUD elements if you feel they get too much in the way. It's applaudable that Eidos Montreal has built so much customizability into the game, and I'd be surprised if you weren't able to find a setting that works for you.
While it's undoubtedly lacking polish in some areas and it's clear to see where things could be improved, overall
Thief is still very fun and compelling. I found it hard to put the controller down as I just wanted to keep exploring and seeing what the game had to throw at me next, and was continually impressed throughout the adventure by the things I was seeing and doing. Definitely check this one out if the idea of an immersive, atmospheric, stealth-oriented game with alluring exploration and engaging design turns you on (and you aren't too picky about perfect polish). I'd give it at least an 8 out of 10, maybe even an 8.5. I thought it was dope!
Have you guys played through it yet? If so, share your thoughts! To those who haven't yet played, feel free to ask any questions!
Wow, thanks man, I really appreciate it!
