April Edition Live Magazine - April 2014 Issue. | Page 70

lar spot and fails to look nearby or
beyond that area. Whilst looting a
house, I clumsily knocked over a
glass and shattered it. Guard ran to
the area, and while I was only hiding on the opposite side of the table,
they were transfixed on the remnants of the glass, and did not once
look up or even bother to peer into
the shadows with their lanterns. I
must have been a metre away, and
had managed to completely elude
the guards.
Stealing is similar to getting around
the levels, as the press of a single
button usually opens a container
and snatches the loot within. If there
is no loot, Garrett closes the container and moves on. If there is loot,
Garrett automatically pockets it and
then moves on. It makes for quick
and easy gold, as well as keeps the
stealing aspect of the game from becoming annoying or boring (imagine
having to look for a container, then
it’s lock or handle, and then finding
the contents within, and then having
to close that container). Some gamers may find that Garrett’s initial skill
makes simple tasks feel rather easy,
but he is a master thief. Hell, he is
the best thief that there has ever
been in a video game.
Just as Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell)
can now mark and execute multiple
enemies and bust caps in their col-

deadly rogue, stealthily and brutally
besting even the toughest of guards.
Or (as I often did) he can simply play
each situation by ear, and use his instincts to guide him. He is also able
to purchase a variety of skills and
equipment to aid him throughout the
game, and while the environments
may seem stale at times, there is a
huge amount of ways you can infiltrate certain buildings or complete
your missions. There is loot to be
found in the darkest corners of some
buildings, or even in secret stashes
that require exploration keen observation, as well as challenges that reward experience and initiative such
as “steal all the loot” or “lockpick
every lock” in a level/chapter.
Movement-wise, Garrett traverses
buildings, fences, ropes and other
obstacles with fluid grace, and while
the simple use of the left trigger as a
run/vault/slide/whatever-maneuveryou-need button initially felt cheap, it
did help illustrate Garrett as the nimble master thief he is. It also makes
for some really cool running sequences that are almost on par with
the brilliant Mirror’s Edge (in terms of
style).
Should Garrett inadvertently draw
the attention of guards, he can hide
in the shadows or attempt to escape
the situation. Far too often though,
the A.I. hones in on one particu-

lective heads in half a second, Garrett can steal an entire room’s worth
of loot in a minute or so. He’s just
that damn good.
If one does find the game difficult at
times, they are able to make use of
the upgradeable “focus” skill, which
highlights various routes, loot, enemies and also enables different skill
moves, such as quicker lockpicking
or more skillful combat maneuvers.
Use of the focus skill is limited, but
the focus gauge can be refilled by
potions or by eating special flowers
which can be found throughout the
game or bought from vendors.
If at any time players wish to take a
break from the main story, they can
compete in various challenge levels against other players for a spot
on the levels’ leaderboards. Some
of these offer a unique experience
from the story while utilising the
same mechanics.
Ultimately, Thief is a good stealth
game with solid mechanics that last
for the length of the game’s story
and beyond. While it lacks some
of the excitement of other Square
Enix-published stealth games, it is
quite possibly the most accessible
currently available, and well worth
checking out (particularly on the
PS4, PC and Xbox One) despite the
slight lack of a polished narrative.

Written by Nick Getley

www.stickytriggerentertainment.com

PROS
•

•

7/10

Accessible

Rewarding gameplay

CONS
•

Boring story and characters

•

Some textures are slow to
load, lip sync during some cut
scenes is off.

•

‘C lumsy’ A.I. (at times)