Thick as Thieves

While Thick as Thieves is a short game lacking in many basic features like rebindable controls, it's an easy game to recommend thanks to its compelling gameplay loop, emphasis on replayability, and a co-op mode.

Thick as Thieves raises an interesting question about the worth of games. Because simply measured by the hours you can play and the craftsmanship that’s on display, Thick as Thieves is worth its small asking price. Yet it does not feel like a good deal, because after the first two hours you’ll have seen most of what the game has to offer. The few additional ideas the game hermetically seals behind grinding away at repetitive missions. It’s got the potential to bloom into something interesting, but right now it’s a proof of concept that’s unfortunately marketed to a very saturated co-op gaming market.

Thick as Thieves is a solid stealth steal-em-up that will probably be elevated by finding a few sticky-fingered friends to play with.

I wish Thick as Thieves had more to do overall, but it’s hard to find much fault with what’s here. Its thieves come with cool toys, its two levels are gorgeous and expansive, and there’s a particular joy in playing co-operatively. Even the story is pretty cool, if you can get past the fact that it’s almost all told through text. There are some irritations here – I’ll see you in hell, Hauntstables – but Thick as Thieves was a game I wanted to play, and not just for this review. And when it all comes together and you pull off the perfect heist at the last second? It’s pretty rad. Now if you’ll excuse me, my partner and I need to get back to Elway Manor. Those rich people aren’t going to rob themselves.

I remember seeing a preview of Thick as Thieves when it was a PvPvE-focused game. It feels like the shift to single player/co-op stripped away some intangible but important elements. What remains is a fun but limited stealth action game, with lots of potential and room to grow but disappointingly stingy at launch. There’s an old joke about how a restaurant’s food sucked, and also, there wasn’t enough of it. Thick as Thieves is a reasonably-priced $5 game with a solid foundation, but needs more playable characters, maps, depth, and encouragement for creativity. I look forward to checking in from time to time.

As the content here feels more akin to a very generous demo than a complete package. I really like the idea of Thick as Thieves, but in its current iteration it has found it self stuck between its PvP past and its Co-Op future and try as it might, to me, Thick as Thieves is trying to cater to both audiences and in the end satisfying neither.

It would be unfair to say it doesn’t have its moments as a stealth-action game, but at this early stage it feels more like an enhanced demo than a full-fledged release. Be that as it may, the ultra-low price of just 5 euros at least manages to offer the feeling of an "investment" and the prospect of the game's further expansion in the future.

Thick As Thieves needs a little more time in the oven, but it could become something great in the future.

Thick As Thieves is a charming co-op stealth experience with clear caveats, that despite its flaws leaves you hungry for the bigger, bolder heist it could become.

Thick as Thieves has the bones of a great stealth experience with rewarding exploration, satisfying loot management, and a world that strongly evokes Looking Glass Studios’ legacy. However, leftover extraction-game design, forced contract progression, limited combat options, and locked characters hold it back from fully stepping out of the shadows.

*Thick as Thieves, however, doesn't even attempt to challenge this premise; on the contrary, it offers a truly classic interpretation of this subgenre—one characterized by predetermined, repetitive routes, guards who forget about you after a mere few seconds, and alarm systems that are nowhere to be found. The problem is that the randomized placement of objects does nothing to fundamentally alter the two maps, which—once explored inside out—have very little left to offer.

Thick as Thieves annoyed me more than I wanted it to, because the good parts are easy to see. The atmosphere is strong, some escapes really do get tense, and the idea of learning a location piece by piece fits the thief fantasy well. But the game keeps getting in its own way. Too many objectives are vague, too many systems are left half-explained, and solo runs start to feel like you are wasting time rather than pulling off a clever heist. Co-op might help with that, but it was not available in the review build, so I can only judge what I played. And as a solo stealth game, Thick as Thieves has promise, but not enough direction or variety to make that promise pay off.

If anything, it makes me want to play a fuller version of the game with more maps, deeper stealth mechanics, and more level variety, but given that it feels a little rushed out the door, I’m not sure if OtherSide will have the budget to finish this. In other words, it’s fun for a fiver, but it does feel like a small chunk of something far bigger and more interesting that we may never get to see.

Thick As Thieves' troubled development has unfortunately resulted in a game full of half-baked ideas and limited replayability. While there are a couple of hours of enjoyment to be had, as well as a modest price tag, bugs and a lifeless world are a far cry from what was promised.

With updates, Thick as Thieves has the potential to deliver a more exciting heist simulator, but it won’t do that with just two characters and two maps to choose from. For now, all it provides is mindless repetition and half-baked stealth.

Thick as Thieves feels like a promising idea that never fully materialized. With proper execution, it could have stood among the best in its genre, but its thin content and lack of polish leave it stuck as little more than a concept.

There are parts of Thick as Thieves I enjoyed. The world has a strong stylistic core and some of the background elements in the story piqued my interest, too. It's also quite hard to bomb on a game that does just cost £5. However, it is a drastically disappointing project, too. When we're a decade removed from Dishonored 2 this year, I would have loved for a game, any game, to try and take its place. Good level design is appreciated in Thick as Thieves, but it's hard to really praise when you've only got two levels. But hey, I could just be a grump about this, and for the price Thick as Thieves is at, it may be worth trying, just to see if you enjoy it more.