T is for... Thief

Platform: Steam

Genre: First Person/Stealth

Completed: 11/04/2024

One more game is completed! Hurrah!

But first, a little confession.

I probably could have finished this title a lot sooner. But I recently got Helldivers 2 and... well... I suppose it doesn't need any further explanation than that. But I got there in the end, and I can chalk another game off the list.

Overall I enjoyed the game, and I am disappointed in myself that I hadn't finished it sooner; or the first time I tried playing it. Though I know why I stopped, which I will get into soon enough.

Sneaking/Stealth games have always been a favorite of mine. When the game permits, a lot of my play style will focus on this approach. Hiding in the shadows; Grabbing items right from beneath their noses; Pouncing from above or below. I absolutely love it. This game had all of that and more. Thief encouraged exploration to find all the hidden loot; or to find alternate passages. Most times, I didn't have to take out a threat (I only did so to make sure I didn't have to deal with them again later). Even a boss fight in the chapter before last gave you the option to take him out, or simply avoid him and sneak away unseen.

Because of the freedom of exploration and how you would tackle areas/missions, I had a strong feeling that something was missing. I realized later that it felt like the game should have had RPG elements, like how the Deus Ex franchise rewards you for taking unconventional routes or lockpicking and other things. Thief had the potential to do something similar.

One thing that I am ashamed to admit, it took me a while to factor in an important element - especially when you consider I had only just finished playing Styx - and that is to think "upwards". The number of times I would simply forget to look for paths/ledges above me was shockingly plentiful! I'd have to consciously remind myself about it and then curse because upon discovering it I would find an easier path compared to the one I was struggling with.

Now with exploration comes the joy (and curse) of locating collectibles. And this is where I first stopped playing. During my first play-through, where I only reached the start of chapter 4, I got frustrated because I kept missing all the level collectibles. Even though I would search and explore to the best of my abilities. Even in this play-through, when I thought I had scoured EVERYWHERE, I was stunned to see the level results say I had only collected 80% of the loot. Now the loot I wasn't too bothered about getting all of it, but I was making an effort at least to find the collectibles in the missions and chapter levels. But if I missed one, it took a lot of willpower to ignore it and simply keep going to enjoy the rest of the game.

I don't like that sometimes I get caught up in trying to obtain all the collectibles - or worse achievements. Or challenges that force me to play in a certain way (for example: knock out 10 enemies). I don't mind the one-off, but the moment they start turning the game into a chore or restricting my play style into something I don't like, I need to learn to ignore it. In fact, I was already feeling the effects with Styx because I was aiming for a no-kill/no-detection play. There were some levels I simply said "screw it" and broke away from that rigidity. Before, I used to quit the game and not pick it up again, which is not the right approach. At least now with this challenge, I am learning to focus on what I like and therefore can complete the game.

Now there were some things about Thief that I didn't like. Some were little things. For instance, it was a shame that I could not jot down notes on the in-game map. Like, mark where paths were; or if I overheard the location of a collectible, mark its rough location on the map. I still managed to navigate my way through the areas - especially the main hub - but it would have made things a lot better. Another nuisance was that it wasn't made immediately clear who the merchant/person to upgrade your gear and replenish your arrows was. I must have moved passed him a couple of times before I noticed he was interactable.

Some other things I encountered however were a lot more annoying. The first was how the quicksave and autosave worked. I don't know why, but it felt bothersome. The number of times I would have thought I quicksaved (pressed the shortcut) but it wouldn't have registered. Or you would think it autosaved, but then it would take you a lot further back than expected. Or you go to load an autosave, but you accidentally use the quickload shortcut so it takes you to your earlier quicksave, but then you cannot then load the autosave because it's now been overwritten with your quickload load. Jesus, I hope that made sense.

Another thing that really started to get under my skin was the lack of a jump option. Oh, Garret could jump but it would only work if you were in the correct trigger spot. For example, if you are trying to cross a gap, you would need to be near the edge. Be a little too far back and you "swoop" forward often falling to your death. Press forward before jumping, and you then leap down from the ledge you're on... often falling to your death... It reached a point where if I saw there were multiple gaps I needed to cross, I would save beforehand because I was certain I was going to mess up one of them.

I also felt the game was lacking the right atmosphere. Thief gives you the idea that there is gloom and misery, but you don't feel it around the world you travel in. Sure there were homeless people about and several empty houses, but they all felt like a bland backdrop.

And it's not like they couldn't build the right atmosphere. When it came to Chapter 5 which takes place in the Moira Asylum, bloody hell they ramped things up. The place is made to feel creepy and haunted and they did an amazing job of it. And the funny thing is, a lot of the tropes they used I expected/predicted (face peaking back through the peephole; mannequins changing position when not looking; disembodied voices; figures walking off-screen in the dark or the distance), and yet they still got me!

But... while the build-up was great, I felt the climax to that level was, unfortunately, a letdown. The whole level felt like they were building up to something. Maybe the whole asylum being overrun by creatures and you needing to sneak past them. While the game does introduce a supernatural creature in the level, it was in a small area and they were easily circumvented. It felt like the grand reveal ended with a miserable pop and a fizzle.

I wonder if it was things like this that resulted in Thief not being that popular. It also happened to come out a couple of years after Dishonored and maybe that didn't help either. But, whatever the reason, I can now happily say, it's off my backlog.

Next up will be - UberSoldier