-Retrospective-
What can I say about Thief? Probably the most respected and loved of the Immersive Sims, part of the sudden, simultaneous discovery of stealth in videogames (this released close to both the first Metal Gear Solid, and Tenchu. Amazing!)
I adore this game, it's blocky environments that feel part of somewhere you could really see someone live on, the architecture and design of each mansion being absolutely filled with love and care; mixing actual house design with level design, unseen for the decade.
The most impressive thing the game has, though, is it's audio design, with some trickery you can get some very good 3D Audio which for 1990s is goddamn CRAZY. But also the sound effects and interface sounds are all perfectly fitting and have a nice little feeling that makes you want to pick up more treasure or tools.
-Nitpicks-
Sadly, doesn't stick to it's grimm medieval-punk aesthetic too long as it slowly throws you into missions covering the supernatural (to which this re-release has a few more missions, which are insufferable imo.) Until you end up beating the literal devil. Fun times, but definitely leaves you thirsty for more house robbing fun.
-Gameplay-
As an Immersive sim, it managed to really captivate me with it's clunky yet robust movement system, vaulting is extremely fun and rewarding, you can jump around enemies in a manner where you feel it'd be realistic.
As for the other gameplay mechanics, this game is so polished it's scary. Different sword swings based on your movement spot (like Morrowind!) charging up yout attacks to deal devastating head splitting hits or just non lethal takedowns. The game genuinely bothers with non-speak explaining to the player that from the back? it's a one shot. Always.
The tool/inventory system is the best I have seen ever, period. Lock picking doors is tense when you hear footsteps, but stealthing about and stealing 47 keys from the guards (all the same key sometimes btw!) is also rewarding, fun and tense. The game keeps up this anxiety of being found in a very tasteful manner very little stealth games actually have.
-Enemies-
The game is littered with magical creatures as your biggest enemy counts sadly, as said on my nitpick section it gets very annoying to deal with undead or ghosts or animals after robbing a simple house. Still, the enemy design is very neat and simple, bearing a more "get smacked" approach as you initiating combat with a stronger enemy (like the skeleton men) will surely leave you semi dead begging to god you can finish the level soon.
-Levels-
The game's levels are all works of art like I said in the retrospective section, but also even in the normal difficulty they can be absolutely gut wrenchingly hard or anxiety giving. Some of these levels last a LONG, LOOONG time, think it peaked at 30 minutes of recorded playtime (death's don't count! on the timer!) with all levels leaving me on the 40 minute to an hour to figure out.
The extra levels released on here though, are what I can consider simply annoying. Very stressful and annoying, sometimes not even fitting the actual story; recommend skipping these genuinely.
-Story-
The story in Thief has always been more of an excuse to show you a cool mansion or a cool tomb, but this game managed to have clever twists and turns I didn't expect, plus the final set pieces of the game being some of my favorite in all of gaming.
-TLDR-
Good game. Too little actually robbing mansions. Play it. 4/5

Masterpiece of the Genre.
Absolutely neglected by Square and torn apart by several less than stellar ports.
-PORT REVIEW-
this one is actually the best. Pixel Art accommodated to LCD screens, the new Opera scene, the remastered OST.. all beautiful and done with love and care; it is so seamless too, as if everything just lands and feels as if it should be there (specially the music!)
-GAME REVIEW-
This game made me feel things when I emulated it on the SNES years and years ago.
And it once more does it with this rendition.
The love, care and thought put into every character is precious and beautiful, by the end it's as if they are all your little children, specially Terra and Celes.
Spoilers Start Now~
The World of Ruin is one of the, if not itself the, most risky and well managed things I've ever seen in a game from this era.
It goes from a hyper lineal, mostly tongue in cheek game with it's dramatic moments to an absolute heart breaking drama that doesn't end or take a single stop-- enhanced further by it's open ended nature. The way every character struggles, suffers and has to find a way to cope with it in a healthy manner is great. But it's also great to have it be in a non specific order! in fact I almost soft locked myself by reaching Terra with only Sabin this time; it was painful.
The game is also, very very generous regarding leveling-- by Level 50 the last zone and last bossfights will be particularly medium difficulty. If you grind up to mid 50s and 60, the game is basically over before Kefka can even cast Heartless. Oh and ofc, Kefka. What a villain, a genuine twisted motherfucker.
There's tons and tons more I'd love to hyperfixate on about this game and how it fundamentally ruined JRPGs for me growing up because it was a peak nothing surfaced.
Please give it a 3D remake, Square. Plenty of scenes would make people bawl their eyes out if you did.
- frxn