"Not like I had a whole lot of choice, really...the rent is due...and my landlord's even tougher than the Hammers."
Groundbreaking, unique, artistically ambitious, questionably designed, and honestly a bit clunky (as all the best games are), Thief is a game I can't help but loving despite it's clear shortcomings, as it helped pave the way for many future stealth and RPG games yet remains distinct from the wave of works it led.
Now Thief is far from the first stealth game of course. Metal Gear was already a decade old when it debuted with Castle Wolfenstein even older, however it manages to distinguish itself through its unique design choices. Thief was described at the time as an FPS however not in the traditional sense, an (uncredited) Looking Glass Studios employee coined it as a 'First Person Sneaker' to both compare and distinguish it from the wildly popular First-Person shooters of the era you're certainly familiar with.
Thief is quite notable for being the first stealth game to use visibility, varying floor surfaces, and simulated light occlusion as mechanics which lends the stealth a responsive and tactile feel, building the illusion that you're exploring a real three-dimensional space. Stealth games can often have bad tendencies to create waiting simulators where you simply go between clearly marked safe spots waiting for clearly marked openings, which can lead to boring and repetitive gameplay, this however is where the gameplay excels the most. Considered a keystone title in the Immersive Sim subgenre Thief is built around gameplay emergence and the unique interactions between gameplay systems. Perhaps best expressed through the varying arrow types available, water arrows to extinguish torches (or harm fire enemies) , moss arrows to create silent walking paths (or break short falls), rope arrows to scale up buildings (or back down to escape them). Each arrow type has multiple uses in ways the player can discover as they play for unique and interesting interactions, it truly makes the levels feel like real places you're really try to sneak through. This is actually quite impressive because... somehow... Thief was originally intended to not be a stealth game at all?
Earlier versions of the game were actually intended as sword-fighting simulators (which explains the strangely detailed sword mechanics) and deep into development was when the game was actually retooled into a stealth experience, this is at first glance kind of mindblowing. Like one of the most iconic stealth games was only barely a stealth game at all? woah.... However this becomes more obvious when looking at the most clear shortcoming of the game, the level design.
I'm not exactly breaking new ground here to say that the level design in Thief can leave a lot to be hoped for. The levels feel unoptimized for stealth and often far over wear their welcome or are too obtuse to navigate. Ultimately I feel there are only 2 or 3 levels I don't have significant problems with, but I will defend that these levels as not completely irredeemable or without merit. Even largely bad levels like Down in the Bonehoard are not devoid of interesting ideas and can still bring something to the game as a whole with how it contrasts the more traditional levels. While it's still not great every level has at least something to be brought out of it and appreciate despite the rough edges. It is however far easier to appreciate what these levels do excel at, in conveying a sense of mood and atmosphere.
Thief's just.... vibe is so incredible. A unique setting blurring the lines between late Medieval and Victorian, with fantastical elements bleeding through to the surface but not overpowering to the overall setting. The world is in perpetual shadow and hardship with people scraping through life against uncaring rulers, one of the most interesting elements of Thief's story is the protagonist Garret himself. Unlike most other stealth games Garret is not an assassin, a special operative, a ninja, or the greatest secret agent who ever lived. Garret is simply a thief trying to make ends meet by robbing those so rich they would hardly notice it missing, and this provides an excellent alternative to the more traditional power fantasy elements of other stealth games.
Compared to say, Hitman, Garret is not some unstoppable force that will effortlessly take out opponents but rather one that must go great lengths to analyze situations through notes and sound cues to engineer a victory out of certain failure. As the game progress things take a more and more explicitly supernatural path it places Garret further and further out of his element. Sneaking past not guards but zombies, ghosts, and the absolutely terrifying haunts who whisper sweet nothings about burning flesh as they walk past. I especially love how the maps you use to navigate reflects the location itself, hand drawn from inside sources, floorplans, rough sketches from limited information, metaphorical markings of otherworldly locations, even ancient maps of a lost city marked by hieroglyphics all work to add an extra layer of world-building to each level and help you comprehend the spaces you explore.
Thief provides a unique narrative-aesthetic experience that remains interesting long after it's release with engaging stealth gameplay and a palpable atmosphere that remains vivid in my mind. It's the kind of game that leaves such an impression it's all you can think about until you finally watch the credits roll, there's not many games that engage me so deeply that even while making lunch the next day it keeps my full attention like this game did.
I just can't help but love this game despite (or maybe because of) the many rough edges, and I'm certainly excited to try the sequel
"The Trickster is dead, beware the dawn of the Metal Age."
Groundbreaking, unique, artistically ambitious, questionably designed, and honestly a bit clunky (as all the best games are), Thief is a game I can't help but loving despite it's clear shortcomings, as it helped pave the way for many future stealth and RPG games yet remains distinct from the wave of works it led.
Now Thief is far from the first stealth game of course. Metal Gear was already a decade old when it debuted with Castle Wolfenstein even older, however it manages to distinguish itself through its unique design choices. Thief was described at the time as an FPS however not in the traditional sense, an (uncredited) Looking Glass Studios employee coined it as a 'First Person Sneaker' to both compare and distinguish it from the wildly popular First-Person shooters of the era you're certainly familiar with.
Thief is quite notable for being the first stealth game to use visibility, varying floor surfaces, and simulated light occlusion as mechanics which lends the stealth a responsive and tactile feel, building the illusion that you're exploring a real three-dimensional space. Stealth games can often have bad tendencies to create waiting simulators where you simply go between clearly marked safe spots waiting for clearly marked openings, which can lead to boring and repetitive gameplay, this however is where the gameplay excels the most. Considered a keystone title in the Immersive Sim subgenre Thief is built around gameplay emergence and the unique interactions between gameplay systems. Perhaps best expressed through the varying arrow types available, water arrows to extinguish torches (or harm fire enemies) , moss arrows to create silent walking paths (or break short falls), rope arrows to scale up buildings (or back down to escape them). Each arrow type has multiple uses in ways the player can discover as they play for unique and interesting interactions, it truly makes the levels feel like real places you're really try to sneak through. This is actually quite impressive because... somehow... Thief was originally intended to not be a stealth game at all?
Earlier versions of the game were actually intended as sword-fighting simulators (which explains the strangely detailed sword mechanics) and deep into development was when the game was actually retooled into a stealth experience, this is at first glance kind of mindblowing. Like one of the most iconic stealth games was only barely a stealth game at all? woah.... However this becomes more obvious when looking at the most clear shortcoming of the game, the level design.
I'm not exactly breaking new ground here to say that the level design in Thief can leave a lot to be hoped for. The levels feel unoptimized for stealth and often far over wear their welcome or are too obtuse to navigate. Ultimately I feel there are only 2 or 3 levels I don't have significant problems with, but I will defend that these levels as not completely irredeemable or without merit. Even largely bad levels like Down in the Bonehoard are not devoid of interesting ideas and can still bring something to the game as a whole with how it contrasts the more traditional levels. While it's still not great every level has at least something to be brought out of it and appreciate despite the rough edges. It is however far easier to appreciate what these levels do excel at, in conveying a sense of mood and atmosphere.
Thief's just.... vibe is so incredible. A unique setting blurring the lines between late Medieval and Victorian, with fantastical elements bleeding through to the surface but not overpowering to the overall setting. The world is in perpetual shadow and hardship with people scraping through life against uncaring rulers, one of the most interesting elements of Thief's story is the protagonist Garret himself. Unlike most other stealth games Garret is not an assassin, a special operative, a ninja, or the greatest secret agent who ever lived. Garret is simply a thief trying to make ends meet by robbing those so rich they would hardly notice it missing, and this provides an excellent alternative to the more traditional power fantasy elements of other stealth games.
Compared to say, Hitman, Garret is not some unstoppable force that will effortlessly take out opponents but rather one that must go great lengths to analyze situations through notes and sound cues to engineer a victory out of certain failure. As the game progress things take a more and more explicitly supernatural path it places Garret further and further out of his element. Sneaking past not guards but zombies, ghosts, and the absolutely terrifying haunts who whisper sweet nothings about burning flesh as they walk past. I especially love how the maps you use to navigate reflects the location itself, hand drawn from inside sources, floorplans, rough sketches from limited information, metaphorical markings of otherworldly locations, even ancient maps of a lost city marked by hieroglyphics all work to add an extra layer of world-building to each level and help you comprehend the spaces you explore.
Thief provides a unique narrative-aesthetic experience that remains interesting long after it's release with engaging stealth gameplay and a palpable atmosphere that remains vivid in my mind. It's the kind of game that leaves such an impression it's all you can think about until you finally watch the credits roll, there's not many games that engage me so deeply that even while making lunch the next day it keeps my full attention like this game did.
I just can't help but love this game despite (or maybe because of) the many rough edges, and I'm certainly excited to try the sequel
"The Trickster is dead, beware the dawn of the Metal Age."