Thief: The Dark Project

The Good
Being sneaky was not generally a priority in early first-person games. The famous "Doomguy" from the Doom games readily mowed down rooms packed with hell monsters with a double-barrelled shotgun and probably did not think much about trying to quietly evade them instead. Good thing, too. Who would want that in Doom? But game designers, somewhere along the way, realized that it could be fun to create a first-person environment in which the player would actually want to avoid direct combat. The result was the "first-person sneaker". And one of the earliest and best games of the genre, one which would influence the whole genre ever since, was Thief: The Dark Project.

When Thief came out, it was different than anything I had ever played. I remember getting it on a demo disc from Eidos. The first time I tried it, I was blown away. It was an experience which opened new possibilities of gaming for me.

Thief casts the player as expert rogue Garrett in a fantasy steam-punk world which resembles in many ways the middle ages. Although the world's mythology was not well fleshed out in The Dark Project, there was certainly enough information to provide distinct character. Whether reading a secret letter from a noble or listening in on a guard conversation laced with fantasy slang terms, there is a good sense of place in the game.

As a "sneaker", Thief is appropriately centered around stealth. The action is by no means fast. Rather, being slow and careful with bursts of speed at key moments tends to pay off. Garrett is not very good at direct combat, despite carrying a sword in case it should be required. If you do need to remove someone, a carefully aimed arrow or a swift smack with a blackjack is a far better way. Then quickly drag the body away before someone notices. Vanish into the shadows once again, using the interface's light indicator to show you how visible you are, to return to your business.

Atmosphere is heavy in Thief. The constant threat of being caught keeps things interesting. While observing guard routes carefully can put you ahead, longer or more complex patrols can be more difficult to predict. As a result, the game is constantly tense. Even when traversing ground already travelled, the player thinks twice about leaving the shadows.

Environments in Thief are rich and detailed, especially for their time. Exploration itself is a pleasure. The most impressive levels, perhaps, were the noble's castle with its grand decor and the magician's home with its insane design. In both cases, the player feels driven forward by the desire to see more.

A good thief will use sound to his advantage, whether by silencing himself or listening to his enemy's movements. The sound in Thief is great for its time. Certainly, it serves the purpose wonderfully.

Garrett carries a variety of tools with him to slant things to his advantage. Gadgets such as water arrows to douse lights and moss arrows to soften footsteps enhance gameplay options. There is definitely a variety of ways to achieve objectives and this keeps the game fresh throughout.

The Bad
One thing that can kill any "sneaker" game is thrusting the player into direct combat. Later in Thief, missions involving areas full of undead were frustrating and an unwelcome break in the otherwise brilliant gameplay.

Additionally, some objectives or puzzles are obscure and frustrating. This is common of older games. Nonetheless, it is a pain.

The Bottom Line
Even now, Thief is a fantastic first-person sneaker. It set forth many ideas which would become standards of the genre.

The Good
The concept of stealth over firepower works beautifully in this game. If you try to apply your Quake tactics here, you will never have a chance. Thief forces you to think differently, and think up smart approaches to challenging situations. The feeling of robbing the wealthy blind and slipping away without detection is a rush. The environment enhances the gameplay more than you would believe. Thief sports excellent level design, an engaging storyline, sharp voice acting, awesome artwork, and haunting sound effects, which are crucial to playing the game. The detail put into the levels is absolutely dumbfounding, and easily makes up for thier slightly limited number. Dark, gothic artwork enhances the levels, making them truly atmospheric. They also have a lot of variety. You'll be breaking into mansions, gravedigging in mosuleums (littered with the undead, of course), and entering other worlds of evil and mystery. The levels last really long, but there's always something to do, and threats to worry about. And perhaps some of Thief's best elements are it's intimidating threats, including a variety of guards, zombies, monsters, ghosts, and traps. All throughout the game you feel like you're on the bottom of the food chain. This chilling feeling will haunt you until the game's end, and the sounds of you enemies stalking you in the dark gives Thief a real adrenaline-rush factor not commonly found in games. This game will get your blood pumping like no other. You have to play it to believe it.

The Bad
As excellent as it is, Thief has it's share of problems. Most of them are very minor, and don't affect the gameplay, but they are Unfortunately, dispite the great art, the actual graphics engine is slightly below average, with lots of jagged edges. For example, the people and creatures at times look too pointy. They lack the curves that bodies should have. Also there are some textures like dirt and stone that leave a lot to be desired when viewed at lower resolutions. There are some quirky bugs here and there, and the AI, while usually smart, sometimes doesn't put enough effort into finding you. Thief is challenging by today's standards, which is good, but there are times when the game gets painfully difficult, even on the lowest difficulty. This tends to occur on levels that deal with the undead. While they're are a blast to play against, all too often there seems too be too many of them, and not enough ways to defeat them.

The Bottom Line
I can't recommend this game enough. You simply must play it! There has never been such a perfect combination of inspired design, and brilliant execution in a game, on any platform. I have played a TON of games in my life, and this one is undoubtedly the most memorable. It's focus on stealth over strength may not be for everyone, but Thief is easily my favorite game of all time. I can't wait to play the sequel!

The Good
Thief puts you the shoes (though you can never see them) of Garrett. He's a cynical guy, and all he wants to do is earn enough to keep himself alive... and well off. Set in an industrially developing world, there is this medievel meets modernization atmosphere. It makes for some very interesting sneaking. And sneak you will. Garret isn't exactly built to be in GQ (Guardsmen's Quatrerly). You DO have a sword, in case you get caught, but you will seldom survive two such encounters. Thus you rely on your trusty blackjack and bow. The blackjack comes in very handily for getting rid of that guard that keeps roaming the halls. One shot to the back of the head is all it takes. Of course you have to get behind him without giving yourself away. Should you want to dispatch them from a distance, the bow is very useful. Or, should you not want to kill anyone (which is mandatory in the harder settings), you can shoot an arrow into the corner over there. The guard will investigate the sound, leaving you to sneak past him. You can also get several useful arrows that have nothing to do with killing. The moss arrow can carpet a noisy floor so you can cross unheard. The noisemaker arrow does a better job of distracting your enemies than a simple broadhead. The rope arrow can get you to higher ground. And water arrows can extinguish those pesky torches.
Sound plays an important part in this game, as it can (and usually does) save your life. You can hear guards walking the halls so you can avoid them, or even pick up bits of information if you catch some of a conversation. This is the thinking man's Quake.

The Bad
Thief can be very difficult, even on the easiest setting. Charging into a room blindly makes for a lot of reloads. Even if you are careful, there are many mistakes that can be made.

The Bottom Line
If you are tired of running around shooting at anything that moves, you should try this game. You will still be afraid of things moving in the shadows (though most of the time it will be you), and now you have to be afraid of things you hear in the shadows as well, but this gives the game the appropriate atmosphere. Happy Filching.