It's...good...
Well, the positives are pretty numerous. Out of the whole trilogy this one is by far the most approachable for a newcomer due to it's more simplified level design and loot hub areas which allow for hoarding resources. I think the city areas were a good idea and give a little bit of variety to the expected gameplay structure.
Quite a few of the levels are very solid and can hold up compared to the best of Thief 1/2. It helps that since Deadly Shadows had a relatively normal development cycle it doesn't suffer from the poor decisions of many of Thief 2's worst missions. If you play this you are in for a relatively consistent experience.
The core gameplay is about as solid as the first two without any significant regressions aside from the loss of rope/vine arrows, but the replacements and choices in level design prevent a sense of the gameplay loop being 'dumbed down' thankfully. Quite a few changes I actually wish were present in the first two games in fact, such as an actual inventory screen, a visible menu for selecting gear, loot glint to make important items clearer, and being able to see Garrett's actual feet and body when traversing. In a good way this reminds me of the tactility of Jurassic Park Trespasser's movement, where you actually feel the weight of how Garrett's actions would realistically be.
Additionally, the story is as excellent as the prior two games and does quite a lot to expand the setting while at the same time wrapping up the trilogy in a fairly nice bow. Garrett remains the best written protagonist in all of video games.
Now for the various...well, let's say quibbles since nitpicks slants too negative in connotation. First, while the amount of cutscenes are fine quite a few were done with in-game graphics which look significantly worse then the stylized, abstract cutscenes that are much more standard for the series. Similarly, the graphics are a step up from the first two games on a fidelity level but lack a certain bit of character present in those ones, possibly due to the lighting slanting more purple then straight black for accessibility reasons. I don't think the game looks bad, but for me the first two games look pretty timeless from an art direction standpoint so it's hard to really top that.
The game can also be quite buggy unpatched with some jank with controls and odd UI choices, although the extent this affects the experience is heavily exaggerated. I've beaten this game both patched and unpatched and can safely say both are perfectly fine.
Overall this is a solid game that I would recommend to people, it's just for me it is lacking in a fairly undefinable sense of specificity the first two games had, which isn't the fairest thing to hold against it but it is how I genuinely feel. If you haven't played a Thief game and feel a bit intimidated by the first two, then start here.
Well, the positives are pretty numerous. Out of the whole trilogy this one is by far the most approachable for a newcomer due to it's more simplified level design and loot hub areas which allow for hoarding resources. I think the city areas were a good idea and give a little bit of variety to the expected gameplay structure.
Quite a few of the levels are very solid and can hold up compared to the best of Thief 1/2. It helps that since Deadly Shadows had a relatively normal development cycle it doesn't suffer from the poor decisions of many of Thief 2's worst missions. If you play this you are in for a relatively consistent experience.
The core gameplay is about as solid as the first two without any significant regressions aside from the loss of rope/vine arrows, but the replacements and choices in level design prevent a sense of the gameplay loop being 'dumbed down' thankfully. Quite a few changes I actually wish were present in the first two games in fact, such as an actual inventory screen, a visible menu for selecting gear, loot glint to make important items clearer, and being able to see Garrett's actual feet and body when traversing. In a good way this reminds me of the tactility of Jurassic Park Trespasser's movement, where you actually feel the weight of how Garrett's actions would realistically be.
Additionally, the story is as excellent as the prior two games and does quite a lot to expand the setting while at the same time wrapping up the trilogy in a fairly nice bow. Garrett remains the best written protagonist in all of video games.
Now for the various...well, let's say quibbles since nitpicks slants too negative in connotation. First, while the amount of cutscenes are fine quite a few were done with in-game graphics which look significantly worse then the stylized, abstract cutscenes that are much more standard for the series. Similarly, the graphics are a step up from the first two games on a fidelity level but lack a certain bit of character present in those ones, possibly due to the lighting slanting more purple then straight black for accessibility reasons. I don't think the game looks bad, but for me the first two games look pretty timeless from an art direction standpoint so it's hard to really top that.
The game can also be quite buggy unpatched with some jank with controls and odd UI choices, although the extent this affects the experience is heavily exaggerated. I've beaten this game both patched and unpatched and can safely say both are perfectly fine.
Overall this is a solid game that I would recommend to people, it's just for me it is lacking in a fairly undefinable sense of specificity the first two games had, which isn't the fairest thing to hold against it but it is how I genuinely feel. If you haven't played a Thief game and feel a bit intimidated by the first two, then start here.