Thief (series)

Thief is a series of stealth video games in which the player takes the role of Garrett, a master thief in a fantasy/steampunk world resembling a cross between the Late Middle Ages and the Victorian era, with more advanced technologies interspersed.^[1]

The series consists of Thief: The Dark Project (1998), Thief II: The Metal Age (2000), Thief: Deadly Shadows (2004) and Thief(2014). An expanded version of Thief: The Dark Project, titled Thief Gold, was released in 1999 and features three extra maps and several bug fixes. Looking Glass Studios developed both The Dark Project and The Metal Age. After the studio had gone out of business in 2000, many former employees moved to Ion Storm Austin and began developing the third part of the series, Deadly Shadows, long anticipated by fans of the series. Eidos Montreal was subsequently given the reins for Thief.

The main tactic of Thief is to avoid fights and instead sneak around the enemies. Thief is sometimes described as either a "first-person sneaker", "sneak-em-up" or a "first-person looter" to emphasize this difference. Classification of the game has been slow coming, as three-dimensional stealth games, such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed, only became more common years after the first Thief. Another innovation introduced by Thief is the careful use of sound effects as an integral part of gameplay. Sound cues not only tell the player of other characters in the vicinity, but also indicate how much noise Garrett makes when moving about an area. Too much noise can alert nearby guards, who will grow suspicious and come looking for intruders. There are a variety of tactics to avoid being heard, however, such as walking gently, steering clear of noisy pavement, or using moss arrows to create a carpet that muffles the sound of footsteps. In a similar vein, using light and dark became one of the most important strategies. A gauge at the bottom of the screen (called the 'Light Gem') indicates how visible the protagonist is. Entering deeper shadows or ducking makes the character less likely to be noticed. Walking about increases the risk of being spotted, and having a sword or bow drawn makes him very conspicuous in the game. The astute player is constantly keeping an eye on areas of light or shadow, guard patrol routes, and the type of terrain they are walking on, in case a hiding place is needed in a hurry. A light source, such as a torch or gas lamp, can be doused with a Water Arrow, creating an area of darkness in which the player may hide. Electrically powered lights, in all games, may simply be shut off by using a nearby switch or button; however, if no light switch is available, the electrical light will not turn off by simply shooting a Water Arrow at it. In Thief: Deadly Shadows, the player can simply 'pinch out' a lit candle by pressing the use button on it. A guard or any civilian may notice if a light source has been put out, likewise if something valuable has been stolen.

Another large component of game play in "Thief", along with the stealth, is exploration. In most missions, especially in the first two "Thief" games, players can freely explore the game environment without much hindrance. Players are also free to experiment with how they approach the AI, as one may choose to take out all the AI either by blackjack, sword, or arrow, or one may choose to avoid any confrontation with the AI. "Ghosting" is a play style by which one tries to leave no trace behind them as they explore and complete the objectives in each mission.

Thief: The Dark Project (1998)[edit]

Main article: Thief: The Dark Project

Released by Looking Glass Studios in 1998, and powered by their own in-house developed Dark Engine, Thief: The Dark Project was in many ways a revolutionary title. Perhaps foremost is that the title is arguably the first major release fantasy-themed video game which presents a morally ambiguous universe, as one might expect from its title. Cast in the role of The Thief, Garrett, the player can forgo all morality, or choose to exercise restraint. This represented a departure for a genre of video gaming which previously had presented almost entirely Manichaen, 'black and white' settings and objectives. Another groundbreaking facet of the game was that although it utilized a first person perspective, it was not an action-oriented shooter like almost all other first person games. Instead, the emphasis was on stealth: The character is unusually agile, but is not a particularly skilled fighter, and much of the gameplay involves using shadows to avoid enemies. However, for those who desire action, there are weapons available that allow direct confrontation. A skilled player can often break cover and go head-to-head with the enemies. An even more skilled player can stay in cover and never let the enemies know that he was there. The game's original gameplay quickly developed a cult following. A re-release of Thief: The Dark Project entitled Thief Gold fixed various bugs and added three new levels (mostly derived from, but not identical to, content which was planned for the original game but cut for budget or time constraints) which contributed significantly to the existing plot. The package also contains bonus content such as the DromEd Dark Engine editor, a behind-the-scenes "making of" video, and a desktop theme designed for Windows 98. Looking Glass was working on a similar re-release of Thief II: The Metal Age, provisionally entitled "Thief II Gold", at the time they went out of business in 2000.^[20]

Thief II: The Metal Age (2000)[edit]

Main article: Thief II: The Metal Age

Looking Glass Studios released the sequel to Thief in 2000. Utilizing the same Dark Engine that powered the original Thief, Thief II had an almost identical look and feel, with at some points differences in architecture and technology caused by the events of the first game, and only minor graphic and programming improvements, such as colored lighting. The basic gameplay was also fundamentally similar to the original Thief, but many new elements had been added, including technological gadgets such as a remote eye camera. Other changes include an increase in the number of AI behaviors. Responding to criticism of the original Thief that more time was spent on combat than actually living up to the title of the game, the missions in Thief II were designed much more around typical thief-like behavior, and much of the game is spent robbing the rich denizens of the City rather than battling monsters. In fact, the player encounters almost none of the monsters from the original Thief except for burrick (dinosaur-like creatures) heads mounted as trophies in some of the mansions, and a few zombies, undead and ghostly apparitions. The designers stated that, unlike the original Thief, where levels were developed to suit the plot, inThief II levels were designed first and making the plot work with them was somewhat of a retrofit. A re-release of Thief II: The Metal Age entitled Thief II Gold was a game in development by Looking Glass Studios before the company closed down in 2000.^[20] It is believed to have been an expansion to Thief II similar to Thief Gold. It is still incorrectly available for preorder on some sites.^[21]

Thief: Deadly Shadows (2004)[edit]

Main article: Thief: Deadly Shadows

A major departure from the first two games in the series, Thief: Deadly Shadows was developed by Ion Storm rather than Looking Glass Studios (albeit with many of the same people). The game was powered by the Unreal-based Deus Ex: Invisible War engine. Unlike the original two titles, the third Thief game was developed simultaneously for Windowsand the Xbox. Because of all these factors, Thief: Deadly Shadows was different (and vastly updated) from the first two games in the series in both appearance and gameplay. One of the game's major new features was the ability to explore the City. While previous games sent Garrett straight from mission to mission, Thief: Deadly Shadows allows him to walk the City streets between missions where he can steal from passersby, spy on the townspeople's daily lives, and search for sidequests in addition to major story missions. Unlike sandbox games such as Grand Theft Auto III, the city is not one large continuous map, but rather several small neighborhood maps connected by load zones (similar toPostal 2). The game also introduced an ability to switch between first and third person views, and to flatten against walls. In addition, the lighting engine was updated to accommodate moving shadows and light sources, which dynamically affected where the player could hide, an innovation originally precluded by the more technically limited Dark Engine. Smaller improvements were made to A.I. behavior, allowing for guards who noted when items went missing from their field of view or when doors were left open, along with an overhauled sound propagation mechanic.

Thief (2014)[edit]

Main article: Thief (video game)

Thief is the fourth title in the Thief series, developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix. Since early 2008, several rumors had been circulating regarding a fourthThief game, which was allegedly under development. Eidos Montreal's General Manager Stéphane D'Astous commented in an interview for Deus Ex: Human Revolution that confirmation of the company's second "AAA title," which its website states "begins with the letter 'T'," would occur "over the next year" or so.^[22] The game was officially unveiled on May 11, 2009, originally titled as Thief 4^[23]

The story is set several hundreds of years after the events of the original series in the same universe (clues to the backstory are hidden among documents, plaques, and letters). The original master thief Garrett's (known as the legendary master Sneak Thief) iconic Mechanical Eye is one of the hidden Unique Loots in the game (and can be found inside of a prison complex he apparently failed to escape).^[24] Other iconic factions such as the Keepers and Hammerites and other old gods have been outlawed, and now lie in ruins throughout the city and beneath.^[25]