Filcher is an impressive homage to the gameplay of the classic Thief games that is bursting at the seams with indie charm. It takes some big risks to mixed effect, and the low budget does hold Filcher back from being a true masterpiece in the genre, but this solo-dev labor of love is largely a blast to play through.
Most of the gameplay mechanics from Thief make a return: you will be sneaking through progressively more secure locations to steal as much loot as possible, and loud gameplay is even more disincentivized than Garrett's already-limited options by removing lethal weapons. You still get analogues for several of the classic tools from Thief: moss spores, a noisemaker toy, and dart gun work similarly to moss, noisemaker, and gas arrows, albeit with much more limited range. There's no mantling this time around, but Sporey, the protagonist, can slide quietly across floors as long as she gets enough of a running start. I do miss mantling dearly, but the sliding mechanic is wonderful, and mastering it allows you to confidently breeze through sections by sliding past guards at the right moment. Though it's not exactly the same as its inspirations, the moment-to-moment gameplay in Filcher is rock-solid, with tons of tension added by the most divisive feature.
If you've looked at the store page or reviews for the game, you're certain to have seen the many complaints about Filcher's lack of saving. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this decision. The missions are designed with the lack of saving in mind, all being completable within about 20 minutes — none of them stretch anywhere near as long as missions like Thieves' Guild from Thief: Gold. This limitation makes the levels incredibly tense, which I love, though the novelty wears a bit thin on the final two which are dramatically more difficult and complex than the rest of the levels before them. I still completed the last levels without too much issue, but I got about halfway through replaying the campaign to get the ghost rank achievement before I decided to shelve the game for now. Getting a ghost rank on a level requires you to play it absolutely perfectly: get all the loot and secrets, don't knock anybody out, and naturally, don't get caught. I enjoyed the tension brought on by the lack of saves in an organic first playthrough where I was ok with making mistakes, but on replays, it wasn't terribly fun to completely restart a relatively long mission after any given screwup. Skill issue, optional achievements, yadda yadda yadda, I know, I just think that the lack of saves does hamper successive playthroughs of the game even though I enjoyed the tension the first time through.
Another gameplay mechanic I did miss from classic Thief games is a store to purchase items and information. It doesn't fit in with Filcher as it's currently designed — the levels can be replayed at any time, and as mentioned above, Sporey's arsenal is more limited than Garrett's — but having an actual gameplay incentive to bag as much loot as possible would have been a nice addition.
Filcher's presentation is pretty great, especially for a solo developer. The art style of the levels and the intro cutscenes draws heavily from noir comics, giving the whole experience a distinct style. The music is simple and mostly driven by a plucky bass, but it fits right in with the atmosphere. I don't mind the 2.5D renderings of the enemies, but I will say that the lack of voice acting for the guards is sorely missed and makes the levels feel more lifeless than they would otherwise. If we are ever blessed with a high-budget Filcher 2, that would be my number one request; it doesn't even need to be as goofy or varied as Thief, just a little something to characterize the goons we're robbing blind. The same goes for the comic panel cutscenes: I love the style, but I wish the characters were voice acted even if animated cutscenes are too big of a stretch for an indie project like this.
Overall, Filcher is a great time, and one of the best stealth games released in the past few years. Though it has a few shortcomings related to its budget and some hotly-debated design decisions, you owe it to yourself to play through this game if you're a fan of Thief or stealth games at large. It's a hardcore but rewarding experience with a true appreciation for the titans of the genre while still putting its own spin on the gameplay and presentation.
Most of the gameplay mechanics from Thief make a return: you will be sneaking through progressively more secure locations to steal as much loot as possible, and loud gameplay is even more disincentivized than Garrett's already-limited options by removing lethal weapons. You still get analogues for several of the classic tools from Thief: moss spores, a noisemaker toy, and dart gun work similarly to moss, noisemaker, and gas arrows, albeit with much more limited range. There's no mantling this time around, but Sporey, the protagonist, can slide quietly across floors as long as she gets enough of a running start. I do miss mantling dearly, but the sliding mechanic is wonderful, and mastering it allows you to confidently breeze through sections by sliding past guards at the right moment. Though it's not exactly the same as its inspirations, the moment-to-moment gameplay in Filcher is rock-solid, with tons of tension added by the most divisive feature.
If you've looked at the store page or reviews for the game, you're certain to have seen the many complaints about Filcher's lack of saving. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this decision. The missions are designed with the lack of saving in mind, all being completable within about 20 minutes — none of them stretch anywhere near as long as missions like Thieves' Guild from Thief: Gold. This limitation makes the levels incredibly tense, which I love, though the novelty wears a bit thin on the final two which are dramatically more difficult and complex than the rest of the levels before them. I still completed the last levels without too much issue, but I got about halfway through replaying the campaign to get the ghost rank achievement before I decided to shelve the game for now. Getting a ghost rank on a level requires you to play it absolutely perfectly: get all the loot and secrets, don't knock anybody out, and naturally, don't get caught. I enjoyed the tension brought on by the lack of saves in an organic first playthrough where I was ok with making mistakes, but on replays, it wasn't terribly fun to completely restart a relatively long mission after any given screwup. Skill issue, optional achievements, yadda yadda yadda, I know, I just think that the lack of saves does hamper successive playthroughs of the game even though I enjoyed the tension the first time through.
Another gameplay mechanic I did miss from classic Thief games is a store to purchase items and information. It doesn't fit in with Filcher as it's currently designed — the levels can be replayed at any time, and as mentioned above, Sporey's arsenal is more limited than Garrett's — but having an actual gameplay incentive to bag as much loot as possible would have been a nice addition.
Filcher's presentation is pretty great, especially for a solo developer. The art style of the levels and the intro cutscenes draws heavily from noir comics, giving the whole experience a distinct style. The music is simple and mostly driven by a plucky bass, but it fits right in with the atmosphere. I don't mind the 2.5D renderings of the enemies, but I will say that the lack of voice acting for the guards is sorely missed and makes the levels feel more lifeless than they would otherwise. If we are ever blessed with a high-budget Filcher 2, that would be my number one request; it doesn't even need to be as goofy or varied as Thief, just a little something to characterize the goons we're robbing blind. The same goes for the comic panel cutscenes: I love the style, but I wish the characters were voice acted even if animated cutscenes are too big of a stretch for an indie project like this.
Overall, Filcher is a great time, and one of the best stealth games released in the past few years. Though it has a few shortcomings related to its budget and some hotly-debated design decisions, you owe it to yourself to play through this game if you're a fan of Thief or stealth games at large. It's a hardcore but rewarding experience with a true appreciation for the titans of the genre while still putting its own spin on the gameplay and presentation.
2 Comments
@NovaNiles thank you, I appreciate it!
NovaNiles
18 days ago