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Thursday, June 5, 2014

"Thief" Review


I hadn't played the original Thief games on the PC but I had heard good things, and since I needed more PS4 games to play, I turned my attention towards Thief. I'm a huge fan of stealth games and one where you can jump across rooftops looting guards and then taking them down sounded like a fun, first-person Assassin's Creed. But is this gritty reboot one that will steal the hearts of fans? Or is it a failed mission that will leave you hanging in the gallows? 

Let's find out...

Thief, at it's core, is mainly about a supposed "master" Thief named Garrett who will steal anything that isn't nailed down. One night he's out on a mission with his friend and then some stuff happens and... well that's about all I can remember. Thief does not have a very interesting or compelling story, if anything it's very confusing and jumpy at times. The gist is that some bad stuff happens and some very rich people are involved with some cult and get their hands on a powerful shard that is supposed to control people and instead makes them crazy and Garrett just happens to get mixed up in all of it by doing what he does best: stealing.

Even the game is confused by itself. I won't spoil anything but right around chapter 3 it almost completely changes genres, and while this added a bit of excitement to an otherwise dull experience for me, some more frail-hearted players will probably not enjoy it so much.  

The shoddy voice acting and wooden characters do nothing to help the lack of interest in the narrative whatsoever. The main character shows a lack of emotion as if he's simply nothing more than a robot programmed to steal things and that's about it. 

Story and characters aside though, the gameplay is where Thief is redeemable. While it's nothing to get super excited over, the gameplay was fun enough that it kept me going until I finished it. Especially during the second half of the game where things get more action oriented. But even before that, just roaming the streets, stealing stuff and confusing guards was fun. One of my favorite things to do was douse a fire using a water arrow and then knock them out as they go to relight it. It can also be fun and satisfying to watch an arrow you shot from far away penetrate a guard's jaw line as the camera zooms in Skyrim style. 

The gameplay is pretty fun but the melee combat leaves much to be desired. I understand this is a stealth game but there are some areas where getting caught basically means certain death if you don't run and hide or find a way to kill all the guards chasing you. The guards are so insanely overpowered that fighting them is futile, especially when you're outnumbered. This is especially the case in later chapters when enemies get an insane strength boost. I feel sorry for anyone attempting to do an entire playthough without killing anyone or getting caught. Especially on the highest difficulty. I'd rather rub the skin off my hand with a cheese grater and stick it in a bowl of alcohol and Epson salt.

I don't have much to say about this game therefore this will be a short review. To be honest, it was fun for what it was and the gameplay was enjoyable, if a bit frustrating at times but the sub-par story and crappy acting hold it back and make it less enjoyable. However, Thief is okay in it's own right, and while not a horrible game, it's certainly no Dishonored, which is a much better game in this genre. Thief is at least worth a rental and one playthrough I'd say.

Overall, my rating: 6/10    

    

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