Thief is a stealth video game created by Eidos-Montréal and released by Square Enix in February 2014. It was available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. In November 2015, Feral Interactive made the game compatible with OS X. The game is part of the Thief series, which was first introduced in 2009 as Thief 4. However, in 2013, it was announced as a reboot, meaning it would restart the series from the beginning.
The game takes place in "The City," a dark fantasy world inspired by Victorian, Gothic, gaslight, and steampunk styles. Players control Garrett, a skilled thief who completes missions to steal from wealthy individuals. Players can choose between two approaches: a direct, action-focused method that involves disabling or defeating enemies using tools like a Blackjack, a bow, and hand-to-hand combat. Alternatively, players can use stealth to avoid detection by minimizing interactions with enemies and the environment. Each location offers multiple paths for players to reach their goals.
When the game was first released, it received mixed reviews. Critics praised its stealth gameplay and replayability but pointed out issues with level design and the story.
Gameplay
The player controls Garrett, a master thief, as he completes missions that often involve stealing from wealthy individuals. Like earlier games in the series, players must use stealth to solve challenges, and violence is only used when absolutely necessary.
Each level offers multiple paths, allowing players to choose different strategies to complete objectives. Players can use various methods to distract or disable guards, such as lighting oil barrels. Levels include coins and valuable items that Garrett can steal. These items are turned into money to buy equipment and upgrades. Garrett can also steal from guards and other characters. To avoid detection, players can hide in shadows or around corners. They can also peek around edges or through keyholes to watch enemies. If Garrett is seen, guards and other characters will try to catch him. The game's artificial intelligence knows the level design, so guards are aware of hiding spots players might use.
Players can activate a "Focus" mode, which improves Garrett's vision by highlighting climbable objects, such as pipes, or items like candles that can be extinguished to darken areas. Focus also slows time, helping Garrett steal more effectively during pickpocketing. It can be used to push enemies or perform attacks that weaken them. Focus can be upgraded as the game progresses.
Garrett carries a blackjack to knock guards unconscious, a collapsible compound bow for combat or non-lethal tasks like distracting guards, and a claw to climb to higher areas.
An experience point system was originally planned to help Garrett grow stronger in the game. However, this feature was removed after player feedback and because the game's story already portrays Garrett as a highly skilled thief.
Synopsis
The game Thief is set in a dark fantasy world inspired by Victorian, Gothic, and steampunk styles. Garrett, a skilled thief who has been away from his hometown for many years, returns to a place called The City. He finds that the city is ruled by a cruel leader known as the Baron. While the city suffers from a deadly plague, the wealthy live safely and comfortably, while the poor form groups to fight against the authorities. Garrett plans to use the city's unstable situation to his advantage.
This story is a new version of the series, taking place hundreds of years after the original events in the same world. Clues about the past are hidden in documents, letters, and plaques. One important item from the original game, Garrett's mechanical eye, can be found inside a prison complex. Other elements from the original series, such as the Keepers, Hammerites, and Old Gods, are also present. Ruins connected to these groups can be explored in various parts of the city.
During a night of celebration, Garrett is hired by a contact named Basso to steal from the Baron's mansion. He works with Erin, who is young and impulsive. Erin accidentally kills a guard with her grappling claw, causing Garrett to scold her. On the mansion's roof, Garrett and Erin see the Baron performing a magical ritual. Garrett decides to stop the mission, but Erin disagrees. During their struggle, Erin falls through a skylight and absorbs energy from the ritual. Garrett is knocked out after falling into the mansion.
Garrett wakes up a year later to find the city suffering from a mysterious illness called "the Gloom," with parts of the city locked down. Returning to his hideout, Garrett receives a message from Basso, who asks him to steal a ring from a noble's body at a foundry where victims of the Gloom are discarded. Garrett avoids the Baron's top enforcer, the Thief-Taker General, and retrieves the ring. There, he meets Orion, the leader of a group fighting to overthrow the Baron. Garrett agrees to help Orion and searches for a special book in a hidden brothel, visiting Erin's hideout and seeing a vision of her mentioning a place called Moira Asylum. Basso is arrested by the Thief-Taker General, prompting Garrett to rescue him. Garrett breaks into the Baron's vault and finds a piece of a mysterious stone called the Primal, used in the ritual at the Baron's mansion. A vision reveals that Erin is alive and influenced by the stone's power.
Garrett explores Moira Asylum, finding a second piece of the stone but not Erin. He returns to the Baron's mansion to confront him while Orion starts a rebellion in the city. The Baron explains that his ritual aimed to use the stone's power as a new energy source. The ritual's disruption and the stone's breaking caused the Gloom. Orion is revealed to be the Baron's illegitimate brother, Aldous, who seeks the Primal for his own goals. Garrett visits an informant, the Queen of Beggars, who tells him the Primal must be reassembled to stop the Gloom.
Garrett enters an old cathedral and finds Aldous using Erin to help sick citizens, with items stolen by Garrett. The Thief-Taker General arrives as Aldous flees with Erin. Garrett kills the General and pursues Aldous to a ship. Erin unleashes the Primal's power, killing Aldous, then attacks Garrett. Garrett reassembles the stone, restoring Erin but unleashing a force that knocks her overboard. Garrett throws her grappling claw to save her and falls unconscious. He awakens to find the claw stuck in a post next to wet footprints, suggesting Erin survived as dawn breaks.
Development
Thief was first announced in 2009 with the working title Thief 4 (also written as Thi4f), following rumors about its development. The game was created by Eidos-Montréal, a different team from the one that developed Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The team started small, and the game remained in the early planning stage for a long time. During this period, many experimental design ideas were considered, such as using a third-person perspective, introducing a new main character, or adding climbing mechanics similar to the Assassin's Creed series. Stephane D'Astous, the studio's general manager, said, "We are in the early development stages for Thief 4. This is a very challenging and exciting project. We are focused on hiring top talent to help create what we believe will be one of the most exciting games on the market." Later, rumors spread that some key members of Eidos-Montréal had left their jobs. D'Astous responded, "We hope to share more details later this year. Right now, Thief is our top priority, and we are working hard to ensure its success." In January 2013, NeoGAF discovered LinkedIn files showing that network programmers were working on the game. In 2010, Eidos-Montréal added a separate team for multiplayer development. When asked if they would work on Thief 4, the multiplayer producer, Joe Khoury, neither confirmed nor denied it. Steam users who pre-ordered the game received Team Fortress 2 items for the sniper class (cosmetics based on the character Garrett’s clothing and a modified version of the huntsman weapon styled after the bow used in the game) and/or Dota 2 items inspired by the game.
Randy Smith, a designer on the original Thief trilogy, suggested creating a new character instead of using Garrett: "Why don’t you make your own character? If you want to expand the franchise, show us someone else in the world who is similar to Garrett but has their own unique traits. Just give him a different name. That would have been interesting to explore more of the world."
Initially, the game was expected for seventh-generation consoles, but it was later changed to eighth-generation consoles. This was confirmed in March 2013 when the game was revealed in an issue of Game Informer and announced for PC, PlayStation 4, and "other next-gen consoles." Thief is a reboot of the series, meaning it starts over with new stories and characters. Based on early press photos, Phil Savage of PC Gamer compared Thief to Dishonored, noting, "It looks a bit like Dishonored, which makes sense because Dishonored also looked a bit like Thief."
Eidos announced that veteran voice actor Stephen Russell was replaced by Romano Orzari for the role of Garrett, the main character. Eidos explained their decision: "We used a full performance capture technique, which records an actor’s voice and movements at the same time. The actor playing Garrett needed to perform his own stunts, as Garrett is very athletic. We could have used Stephen’s voice over someone else’s movements, but that would not look natural." Some fans were upset by this change and started an online petition to bring back Stephen Russell as the lead voice actor.
Thief supports Mantle and AMD TrueAudio technologies. A version for Mac computers was released on November 24, 2015.
Reception
The video game Thief received "mixed or average" reviews from Metacritic, a website that collects and summarizes game reviews. Many reviewers liked the game's stealthy gameplay, level design, graphics, and replay value. However, they criticized the map layout, technical problems, and the story.
GameZone's Mike Splechta gave the PlayStation 4 version a score of 6.5 out of 10. He said some players might enjoy the game's strong points despite its flaws, but longtime fans of the Thief series might feel disappointed. IGN's Dan Stapleton scored the game 6.8 out of 10. He criticized the choice to replace the original voice actor for the main character, Garrett, with Romano Orzari, saying the new actor made Garrett seem "flat" and "poorly lip-synced." He also pointed out weak artificial intelligence, limited weapon variety, a confusing map layout, and a "bland" story. However, he praised the option to adjust the game's difficulty and appreciated Garrett's new sprinting mechanics.
The Telegraph's Tim Martin gave the game 2 out of 5 stars. He criticized the repetitive level design, which forced players to follow a single path with little freedom or challenge. He also said increasing the difficulty did not make the game feel more dangerous or unpredictable. He called the game a "half-hearted disaster."
Eurogamer Italy gave the game a score of 9 out of 10, calling it "one of the best action-stealth titles in years" and a "serious contender" for "2014 Game of the Year." Digital Spy gave a positive review, noting that while the game has flaws—especially when Garrett is spotted—it excels as a stealth-focused game that becomes more enjoyable as players improve their skills.
Future
At a press event organized by Official Xbox Magazine one week before the game's release, Nick Cantin from Eidos-Montréal suggested that a sequel to Thief might be possible, based on how people receive the game. He stated, "Nothing has been officially announced yet, but we are very interested in seeing how players respond to the game. We have created a large world around the first game, and there are many different parts to it—the world is very complex. This means there are many chances to explore more in the future."