The upcoming Thief game will bring back the sort of gameplay we haven’t had in stealth games in a long, long time. Mistakes will cost you your life, and that’s insanely satisfying. A single step out of the shadows will alert guards to your presence and you’ll quickly find yourself loading the game. Your arsenal isn’t vast enough to allow you to tackle dozens of guards and slay your way to your objective. A club and a couple (literally) of arrows is all you’ll be getting, and you’ll have to make tactical on-the go decisions as to how you’ll be using them. Will you shoot an arrow to take out a guard, or will you keep it so you can put out a torch? You will realize that these decisions will severely influence your approach in every mission, and making poor use of your resources early on will result in the inability to complete the mission later.
Thief won’t try to force you into not killing enemies at all. Sure, games like Splinter Cell, Hitman or Dishonored had mechanics that allowed you to go through the levels unseen and clean. But when the combat system of these games was designed in order to stimulate combat and make you want to kill foes in poetic and brutal ways, it was hard to keep the temptation at bay. In Thief, you’ll be allowed to take out enemies, sure. But that’s not what the game is about. Becoming a shadow on a wall is what feels the most rewarding, and the game’s engine makes sure that every step you take is properly taken into account. The simple differences between moonlight and torchlight can alter the way guards see (or don’t see) you.
That’s not to say that you won’t have gadgets and tools at your disposal. After all, Garrett is the best at what he does, so you’ll always have options, from rappelling down walls or creating distractions. But the tools are only a part of the package, the rest comes from your ability as a player and a master thief. Observing guard patrol routines, timing your every move, and carefully planning your route are just as important as the arsenal at your disposal. Of course, if you’re feeling bloodthirsty, you can potentially methodically kill your way to plunders and riches in Thief. But would you really want to?
The game engine manages to look stunning, with light effects playing a crucial role. It’s difficult to constantly focus on your objectives though, as Theif’s artwork and visuals will leave you gazing aimlessly at your surroundings, completely forgetting about the burglary you’re trying to pull off. The HUD is almost non-existent, which allows you to completely immerse yourself in the dark world of Thief. You’ll feel that much more like a burglar when there aren’t any intrusive buttons or indicators obscuring your vision. Objectives aren’t thrown in your face, Thief instead focusing on allowing your own approach to each individual mission. You have the tools, you have the gorgeous architecture and stunning visuals of a dark and macabre world. What you do with them is entirely up to you.
Oh, and if you’re terribly worried about the replacement of Stephen Russel as the voice of Garrett, fear not, it’s not all bad. In fact, the voice acting is quite good, and combined with the motions and interactions between actors, it creates quite the pleasant experience. So prepare to embrace the shadows of Thief once more, as the game releases on the 25th of February, for both past-gen and new-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony, as well as the PC.