When many heard that the Thief series was being rebooted, there was a great deal of interest shown from lots of gamers and industry people (mostly people who were previously familiar with its PC predecessor from 1999).  The prospect of having a new console IP which might be able to add some flair to the somewhat flagging next-gen stealth genre was also seen as being very desirable.  Well, now “Thief” has descended upon us, but the question is – was it successful in its mission to update the series for console gamers?

You assume the role of master thief, Garrett, a man with essentially the same credo as Robin Hood (steal from the rich and give to the poor).  The enduring aspect of this title is its stealth mechanics of course, and if you’re playing this and expecting to encounter a world full of choices you are probably going to be dissatisfied.  “Thief” (2014) is an excellent stealth game though, and features its own unique style of somewhat-open world gameplay that offers you multiple pathways toward completing objectives.

Visuals

Simply put, this game seems to reside in a space which may or may not make sense to a lot of gamers who are used to more mainstream titles.  Think of it as a sort of 3D FPS blended together with a point-and-click-ish adventure of sorts.  Most confrontational scenarios involve timing and patience, which of course gives you time to bask in Thief’s rustic environment.  While the graphics are certainly acceptable, the game world feels dark and somewhat somber, which perfectly suits its Victorian-era style.

Gameplay

The real point of Thief is its gameplay, which is essentially an attempt to put a spin on FPS action, in a way.  Rather than seeking to always (by default) brutally take down enemies and guards, you’re supposed to artfully find ways to get around them so that certain valuables or items can be retrieved.  In other words, you’re like some sort of burglar of antiquity and each time you encounter a patrolling sentry you’re essentially looking at a puzzle to solve, of sorts.  If this sounds like it might be interesting to you then Thief might just tickle your fancy, after all; if not, then perhaps you might want to stay away.  Quite simply, this game seems to be angled more toward casual gamers who might not find traditional shooters to be all that appealing.  One might characterize thief’s overall feel as being akin to splinter cell from the first-person perspective but in some unnamed “Ye Olde European city”.

Verdict

Stealth aficionados are going to be fairly pleased with “Thief” (2014) as it does all the stuff you expect a game of its type to do, perhaps even a few new things.  On the other hand, the gamer that’s used to titles which inundate their senses with near-constant bombastic action will probably be left scratching their heads.  All things aside, Thief is a solid PS4 game which provides a wholly unique style of stealth-based FPS gameplay and is definitely worth a playthrough or two.

Rating – 8.2