THIEF: Definitive Edition

This is not trying to be exactly the same as the trilogy and so should not be judged as such. I do think some of the changes go a little too far. I've seen some compare this Garrett to the Crow and there's definitely some truth to that it's just a bit too emo and or goth. I don't think Erin is necessarily a terrible idea but we do end up with the character who spends a lot of time talking about her pain. I think it would work a lot better if there was at least a little bit more depth there. Though I do respect that there probably is a number of sad teenage girls who vibe with this franchise. I really appreciate that this does not get completely taken over by the grappling hook and such. I was a little concerned about that when it first popped up. Also I know some people really don't like that tapping space twice and then moving in a direction allows you to move fairly fast and yet fairly quiet regardless of what material you're on. Please keep in mind the game never actually forces you to use this. It's there to open it up to people who are not yet ready to meet the, let's be honest, at times fairly intense challenge of the trilogy even on easy difficulty settings. I like most of the additions. Looking for hidden panels, breaking into a safe, that sort of thing. The story is quite engaging. I really appreciate that this doesn't undo any of the trilogy. It also doesn't expect players to know. Like, there's a couple of little tidbits for us long time fans but this could easily be the first you play. I don't think that a sequel to the trilogy, one that was very directly tied to those, is particularly likely. I just don't see how you follow up the perfect ending of Deadly Shadows other than this sort of soft reboot thing. This honestly might be the one that does the best job of finding a way to drag Garrett kicking and screaming into contact with the plot without it feeling ridiculously contrived. Let's be honest, that's always been a bit of an issue for this series.

Design in general is bad, a lot of frustrating instances, atmosphere is very monotonous with almost no sense of dread. On the other hand, the graphics and sound quality is quite good. Dialogue and content are vulgar for the sake of being vulgar, not really achieving anything. All in all it has a lot of potential, but falls short on most points.

This game is fair, not great. If you get it on sale for a few dollars, like me, it's worth it. I enjoy the sneaking around and the atmosphere. I've been skipping the story for the most part and just enjoying it for what it is...a mediocre stealth game I bought for a few bucks.

... especially given the circumstances the devs had to face during planning and production. Most reviews are highly subjective. This one as well. I enjoyed the game. The art was really good, the atmosphere was consistent, gritty, dark, dipping into creepy, backed strongly by the music. I had no gripe with gameplay/mechanics, though some elements felt less rewarding/focused - but overall it was a solid story and adventure with enough great elements to keep the game engaging, cohesive, interesting and well paced - certainly enjoyable. I would have appreciated a more established storyline for the relationship between Erin and Garrett - which is a focus in the game, driving quest and outcome - as well as for the mystery of the city and the "power" material. (There is a comic titled "Thief - Tales from the City" giving a bit more context - you can find a decent read on Youtube.) The side characters were neat - I even would have welcomed more interactions between e.g. Garrett and Basso or the Queen of Beggars, learning a bit about their turfs and ways. The City itself.also deserves mention as a character. My only real gripe is the tiresome traversing of the city, usually from one far end to the other and back. I enjoyed the sneaking, and would not have resorted to fighting in a stealth game, if the following was done right: The city is a big, higly patrolled, segmented maze, with not all showing up on the map. Challenge for wayfinding is truly fun (at first), but once found - with such scale and frequent back&forth tracking (esp. with side quests) - indicating crucial segment passages would have meant a lot less slog for me, and better chance of replay. That said, main missions each have their own huge one-time maps, so there's plenty exploration. All in all, I found this a good game on it's own terms. And if there will ever be a next Thief game, I hope it will be an even better one.

The developers were smart not to make this part of the original continuity, but found a balance by setting it far in the future from the those games. There are many good features to like in Thief, but they can't quite come together to replicate the feeling of the original games. They tried to add a more immersive, tactile feel to the game with the lock picking and breaking into windows, but the latter becomes repetitive and annoying as the game drags on. The voice actor for Garrett does a fair approximation of the original actor, who is still missed. If more time was spent in perfecting the game, it could have been a tremendous hit. Instead, the future of the series is still in doubt ten years after its release. Hopefully someone takes up the mantle and returns the series to its former glory.