Thief: The Dark Project

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 456 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 405 out of 456
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 456
  3. Negative: 19 out of 456
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  1. Tegurd
    Mar 1, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You play as the thief Garrett (expertly voiced by Stephen Russell) in a dark medieval setting with some steampunky elements. Garrett is a quite cynical guy who is only out for himself. He has no special abilities (other than maybe good hearing and night vision but that doesn't manifest in being able to look through walls or whatever) and he’s not a fighter so you’re encouraged to sneak as much as possible. The blackjack and darkness will be your primary weapon. Guards hit hard and pretty fast but after some time you are probably OK fighting two of them. Three on you and you might as well quickload.
    The story is presented through some fantastic stylized cutscenes, environmental storytelling, and scrolls/books found in the levels. It fits the tone perfectly and using the Dark Engine for any dialogue would be playing into the engine's weakness.
    Now you might think you will only be breaking into mansions and prisons, but the story takes a turn. The undead is presented in the second level of the game, but it still takes some time to wrap your head around. After the tutorial and first level you are expecting something more grounded, but no. Things get weird. The undead enemies encourage a different playstyle since killing them is harder and knocking them out with the blackjack doesn't work.
    The game has three difficulties. Normal, Hard and Expert. Changing these doesn't affect the enemies' damage or health but their numbers and gives you more objectives and sometimes changes the maps a bit so that new areas are available.
    The immersive sim principles used in making most of the levels are just fantastic. The levels are mostly open and logical which makes you feel like you're robbing a real place. There are rooms that are pointless for the player but exist because they are logical in the world of the game. This really gives you the feeling of exploring a real place that isn't "built for you" if it makes sense. The open-ended design creates loops in how you explore which often gives you a great feeling of discovery ("Oh this leads over here!"). The exploration is enhanced even more by the game's use of maps. You only have access to the maps Garrett was able to get his hands on and they are more often than not incomplete. One of the most memorable moments in the game was finding what I thought was a shortcut but I ended up in a mazelike surreal tunnel system with the distant sound of the horn I was looking for. I wondered where the hell I was and opened the map only to see "Where am I?" scribbled down.
    You often only have a vague knowledge of where to go, like "the scepter is probably in the throne room". That's it. Where's the throne room? Well if it's not on your map you just have to look around. Oh, the door is locked? Well find a key then, where would you put a key? Or look for a hidden passage. Listen to the guards and see what they say. The conversations you can overhear with the guards are hilarious at times, but they could also drop important information. Just be sure to listen because the quest objective will not change and add this information for you. If you miss it you miss it.
    Most levels do overstay their welcome a bit and by the end, you've probably neutralized all threats (except undead enemies you just have to dodge). The last 10-15 minutes of most levels were me bunny-jumping around trying to figure out the side objectives or collecting loot I've missed. It's at this stage where some of the levels can get really infuriating I'm sorry to say (I will never forgive 'Thieves guild' and 'Haunted Cathedral').
    How's the art direction? Superb. The great use of light and shadow makes the locations look dramatic and intimidating. The sense of scale is really good.
    Graphics. Well, they are what they are. The game can be really creepy and I think the dated graphics help make stuff scarier because your mind fills in the blanks in a way that modern realistic graphics don't. What else can I say? It's dated but that didn't bother me.
    Incidentally, this game might have one of the best sound designs I have ever encountered. Not only are the atmospheres great in and of themselves (except the casino in 'Thieves guild') but the sound of footsteps is something else even though they are low quality. I don't know what it is but every sound seems like has a purpose. I'd say an unusually big part of the game's feeling comes from the sound design.
    I loved this game over 20 years ago when I was a kid and now I fell in love again. I love it in that particular way that makes me not really care about its flaws, and there are a lot. The AI is dumb as a rock, limbing is janky, some levels are infuriating (I won't mention them by name) and sometimes the game just feels unfair to me, but I don't care.
    I love it unconditionally because of its uncompromising attitude towards never holding my hand and just its sheer weirdness. It's one of the best (if not THE best) stealth games I've played. And it's just so damn fun!    … Expand
  2. Izoeros
    Jun 28, 2022
    7
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  3. hyrts
    Jun 4, 2022
    10
    The first thiefs were the best.

    This game series is basically 10/10 sneaking and thieving. The factions and characters are more well thought than you'd imagine.
  4. KolesAdlerov
    Feb 15, 2022
    9
    Top notch stealth action. You don't need another setting. Top horror experience cause of the horrifying sounds. You won't be able to play it until you're 100% ready.

    Gameplay:
    combat mechanics 7/10
    stealth 10/10
    atmosphere 10/10
    Gameplay as im.sim: 9/10

    Story 9/10

    Graphics 8/10

    Sounds & music 10/10

    .
    Looking Glass magic * * *
  5. Politicalgamer7
    May 26, 2021
    9
    Thief is one of the best video games ever made, that got lost in the shuffle. Things that make this game so brilliant are pacing and gameplay. The story is immersive as well. But for 1997 this game impacted MANY video games and although it is considered to be a masterpiece today, i think more people should play this game. The game feels a bit outdated but i think that is not an enoughThief is one of the best video games ever made, that got lost in the shuffle. Things that make this game so brilliant are pacing and gameplay. The story is immersive as well. But for 1997 this game impacted MANY video games and although it is considered to be a masterpiece today, i think more people should play this game. The game feels a bit outdated but i think that is not an enough excuse to not experience this great video game.… Expand
  6. CAPS_LOCK
    Mar 18, 2021
    10
    You better go and make sure you've got a set of taffin' headphones, taffer!
  7. BStheBOBI
    Mar 3, 2021
    8
    It was one of the first great stealth FPS games released for the PC. 1998 was the year that 3D gaming really became the standard and the game uses it to its full potential. The game is very story-driven with cutscenes between levels. The AI is a bit broken with sometimes the enemy is oblivious to you and sometimes it knows exactly where you are. The graphics were good for the time, theIt was one of the first great stealth FPS games released for the PC. 1998 was the year that 3D gaming really became the standard and the game uses it to its full potential. The game is very story-driven with cutscenes between levels. The AI is a bit broken with sometimes the enemy is oblivious to you and sometimes it knows exactly where you are. The graphics were good for the time, the sound and music was amazing. It really has a nice atmosphere. The UI is very outdated and the movement is a bit stiff. The maps can get a bit Mazey at times which is a big negative for me. The second half of the game is pretty bad… Expand
  8. gracjanski
    Jun 27, 2020
    7
    Thief didnt age well in my opinion:
    The AI is very bad, sometimes it is even unrealistic and disturbs the immersion.
    The graphics engine is outdated, even with HD mods. The levels are big and complex, so you get lost often, what is frustrating. The map is not very helpful. The controlling is uncomfortable,if you search for an item in your inventory. But...the beginning of the game    Thief didnt age well in my opinion:
    The AI is very bad, sometimes it is even unrealistic and disturbs the immersion.
    The graphics engine is outdated, even with HD mods.
    The levels are big and complex, so you get lost often, what is frustrating. The map is not very helpful.
    The controlling is uncomfortable,if you search for an item in your inventory.

    But...the beginning of the game is great: perfect atmosphere and great setting. It is a great idea to play a thief exceptionally and not a hero again. in addition stealth games are interesting instead of the 38237rz32th shooter. Anyway I prefer Splinter Cell.    … Expand
  9. Yury_Vashurin
    Nov 13, 2019
    10
    My most favorite game of all times! A wonderful combination of stealth, adventure and some horror elements with one of the best, unsurpassed atmospheres. Imho, this game just lack any possible flaws, all its elements are where they should be. The story isn't the main focus point of this game, but nevertheless it's great. I love the fact that even the dialog between two guards that you canMy most favorite game of all times! A wonderful combination of stealth, adventure and some horror elements with one of the best, unsurpassed atmospheres. Imho, this game just lack any possible flaws, all its elements are where they should be. The story isn't the main focus point of this game, but nevertheless it's great. I love the fact that even the dialog between two guards that you can overhear at the beginning of the first mission isn't there just for some funny speech but is connected to the plot. The pure stealth missions are interchanged with ones where you get to do some action, levels set in human environment are interchanged with ones set in some weird places with terrible and dangerous creatures. Thief: the Dark Project is a perfect game by any standards possible. I would recommend it to anyone except, of course, for people that don't like stealth at all.… Expand
  10. StrikerFIN
    Mar 18, 2019
    10
    This and Thief II: The Metal Age are the best stealth games ever made. Other Thief games have nothing on them. Especially not the crappy Thief 4, that totally butchered the brilliant concept of the original games
  11. M3R1D1U5
    Feb 25, 2019
    10
    A masterpiece. A fundamental part of the Golden Age of the Immersive Sim triunvirate (alongside System Shock 2 and Deus Ex).

    Redefines what immersion in a game should be.
  12. kingsmen
    Oct 16, 2018
    9
    this is my childhood! spend endless days and nights with it back in the days.
  13. aralath
    Aug 7, 2018
    9
    Amazing game. It's 2018 and they have not made a game competes with Thief yet.
  14. BeepBoopMan
    Jul 25, 2018
    10
    Thief 1 is a MUST if you like stealth games. The game (although it has 12 missions) can take hours and hours of time to go through. the levels are realistic, the story is great, the graphics are good even though this game is old and the sound design is on point. This game has absolutely now flaws.
  15. Claytality
    May 16, 2018
    8
    Thief Gold has great stealth mechanics and good level design. For its time some of the concepts were revolutionary and many of them still hold up today.

    Fun features include hiding in shadows, different amounts of noise generated by walking/crouching on different surfaces, and ascending vertically through use of rope arrows. Stealth attacks do more damage, which can be rewarding,    Thief Gold has great stealth mechanics and good level design. For its time some of the concepts were revolutionary and many of them still hold up today.

    Fun features include hiding in shadows, different amounts of noise generated by walking/crouching on different surfaces, and ascending vertically through use of rope arrows. Stealth attacks do more damage, which can be rewarding, though occasionally they would not work and instead do normal damage. Ability to save anytime is very useful to create your own "checkpoints".

    Combat can feel clunky, blocking is actually less effective than walking backwards or jumping to dodge attacks. Most levels are well-designed and fun to explore and find secrets/loot, however a few levels are maze-like and can be frustrating. The map has no player-marker, it just highlights the area where you are. Some mission maps are very difficult to comprehend. Cash and items are not cumulative but vary from mission to mission, so looting everything doesn't have much benefit.

    Bought for $1, played 26 hours (replayed some missions), great stealth game, highly recommended.    … Expand
  16. Termin8ter
    Aug 6, 2017
    8
    Thief: The Dark Project is not only one of the greatest stealth game ever conceived, it is also undoubtedly one of the best games ever made. Excellent and authentic sound design, emotive voice acting, with level design handled by Ken Levine, the director of SystemShock and BioShock. And his work on the game definitely shows, because the level design is great. Sure, the graphics areThief: The Dark Project is not only one of the greatest stealth game ever conceived, it is also undoubtedly one of the best games ever made. Excellent and authentic sound design, emotive voice acting, with level design handled by Ken Levine, the director of SystemShock and BioShock. And his work on the game definitely shows, because the level design is great. Sure, the graphics are admittedly abysmal by today's standards, so this game is therefore not for everyone, but if you like stealth games or games that execute good tension, give this game a shot.… Expand
  17. ChrissyBoy6661
    Jul 18, 2017
    9
    Any time spent playing Thief is time well spent. Other games put through the test of time fail, but Thief stays at the top with one of the best atmospheres in gaming & the amount of different playstyles you can play with. Sure, it's graphics & models may be outdated, but you can fix that relatively easily with a simple mod or two. If you're going to play this game, good luck, you're in forAny time spent playing Thief is time well spent. Other games put through the test of time fail, but Thief stays at the top with one of the best atmospheres in gaming & the amount of different playstyles you can play with. Sure, it's graphics & models may be outdated, but you can fix that relatively easily with a simple mod or two. If you're going to play this game, good luck, you're in for a masterpiece.… Expand
  18. jsizzle
    Dec 10, 2016
    10
    Thief along with Metal Gear shaped the stealth genre and to this day still nothing can rival this first person stealth game... You are placed in huge mission areas and its up to you to use your wits and problem solving skills to over come each and every obstacle Garrett(MasterThief) faces. Thief Gold has an incredible amount of depth partly because the man who is behind Bioshock had a bigThief along with Metal Gear shaped the stealth genre and to this day still nothing can rival this first person stealth game... You are placed in huge mission areas and its up to you to use your wits and problem solving skills to over come each and every obstacle Garrett(MasterThief) faces. Thief Gold has an incredible amount of depth partly because the man who is behind Bioshock had a big influence on this game.

    On a side note the visuals in this game can be somewhat bland but in my opinion that is no reason to bring the score down since there are so many amazing modders that keep this game running with the big boys even today.

    R.I.P Looking Glass Studios    … Expand
  19. iseeall
    Jan 12, 2016
    10
    It's a "pure stealth" action game in medieval fantasy setting. Usually you can't kill even 2 enemies in an open fight, if they attack you at once. So, you need to sneak from behind, stay in the shadows, extinguish lights and so on. The stealth genre basically started with this masterpiece.
  20. ThePCGamer101
    Jun 24, 2015
    9
    One of the greatest and classical masterpieces of all time! Thief: The Dark Project or Thief: Gold, developed from the now defunct company Looking Glass Studios puts you in the Steampunk Victorian times, with creepy music, great atmosphere (believe me this game scares me to bits!), great story line and great voice acting! The only problems I encountered with the game is that its tooOne of the greatest and classical masterpieces of all time! Thief: The Dark Project or Thief: Gold, developed from the now defunct company Looking Glass Studios puts you in the Steampunk Victorian times, with creepy music, great atmosphere (believe me this game scares me to bits!), great story line and great voice acting! The only problems I encountered with the game is that its too confusing to get to somewhere, and also the first time I got it, it was poorly optimized, so I highly recommend if you are using an up-to-date PC, to download an unofficial patch which fixes some of the problems like cut scenes not working, bad resolutions and poor quality. But set aside all these problems, and you have a perfect stealth masterpiece.

    Stick to the shadows at all costs!    … Expand
  21. Master_Taffer
    Aug 13, 2014
    9
    The first and easily the best of the Thief games, The Dark Project follows the snide yet consummate professional thief Garrett as he engages in a heist with the payday of the lifetime. It's a simple and well told tale of someone biting off more than they can chew. Garrett's ultimate heist takes him to a variety of locations in the City ranging from mansions, prisons, tombs, and theThe first and easily the best of the Thief games, The Dark Project follows the snide yet consummate professional thief Garrett as he engages in a heist with the payday of the lifetime. It's a simple and well told tale of someone biting off more than they can chew. Garrett's ultimate heist takes him to a variety of locations in the City ranging from mansions, prisons, tombs, and the churches of religious fanatics. The experience never seems to get stale as you sneak through dark corridors, avoiding detection from your enemies while stripping the place of valuables. There are a few missions that don't hit their target as effectively as they should, otherwise this is probably one of the best and influential stealth games in history. A must play for fans of the stealth genre.… Expand
  22. Batfan
    Nov 30, 2013
    10
    The first game of the groundbreaking Thief series. Dark and haunting and full of the undead. Scary and engaging. The missions are hard but rewarding. This is a must play and own.
  23. FFStudios
    Jul 4, 2013
    10
    For its time and even now, Thief the Dark Project is a masterpiece in stealth games. Despite the obviously aged game engine, the game is very immersive and atmospheric with some exceptional writing. The stealth is obviously Thief's main strength: finishing a level undetected without killing anyone is immensely satisfying. Thief does have it's gripes: the game burdens itself with too muchFor its time and even now, Thief the Dark Project is a masterpiece in stealth games. Despite the obviously aged game engine, the game is very immersive and atmospheric with some exceptional writing. The stealth is obviously Thief's main strength: finishing a level undetected without killing anyone is immensely satisfying. Thief does have it's gripes: the game burdens itself with too much zombie and burrick-killing which did little more than make the game punishing at times. The Dark Engine also comes with a couple of annoying quirks; namely slippery movement and fiddly inventory management. These issues however, do little to make Thief any less of a classic.… Expand
  24. FrostyTibbs
    Jun 17, 2013
    10
    This game is one of the greatest classics I ever played fun, great and funny voice acting. The game engine is perfect for a thief game, great level designs and characters.
  25. Nerung
    Nov 22, 2012
    10
    Outstanding game with a new way of playing for action-based titles. The hide and sneak way of achieving one's goals are really adding to the great ambiance of this world and demands something completely new from the player. The story begins in what seems like an authentic historical setting and as the story unfolds, things take a turn for the weird. This game combines so many fascinatingOutstanding game with a new way of playing for action-based titles. The hide and sneak way of achieving one's goals are really adding to the great ambiance of this world and demands something completely new from the player. The story begins in what seems like an authentic historical setting and as the story unfolds, things take a turn for the weird. This game combines so many fascinating ideas and manages to tell its story flawlessly.… Expand
  26. oliver1h
    Nov 15, 2012
    10
    I was lucky enough to play this game when it was released. Still one of the best game out there. This game had everything: charismatic main protagonist and villains (Garrett, Viktoria, the Trickster etc.), a great new engine (Dark Engine which featured new alpha blending, texture filtering and lighting techniques... all quiet revolutionary back than). Great game and level design (It wasI was lucky enough to play this game when it was released. Still one of the best game out there. This game had everything: charismatic main protagonist and villains (Garrett, Viktoria, the Trickster etc.), a great new engine (Dark Engine which featured new alpha blending, texture filtering and lighting techniques... all quiet revolutionary back than). Great game and level design (It was designed to be largely unscripted; events, instead of being pre-defined by designers, occur naturally.) Great gameplay (Thief focused on stealth and evasion from a first-person perspective, and not full frontal action.) Atmosphere (The game takes place in a metropolis called "the City" which has been noted to contain elements of fantasy, the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution.) Cutscenes (They were partly animated, partly made with live actors and motion capture technology). Even today the Thief series is the ultimate stealth game in gaming history. The stealth system was very new when the game was released. The player had to rely on the environment to avoid being detected. Shadows could be used to avoid notice; a monitor on the heads-up display (HUD) indicated the player character's visibility level. The player could lean, crouch, climb, swim and run, among other actions. Surfaces caused varying amounts of noise; for example, carpet is quiet and ceramic tiles are very loud. Enemies were reacting to these factors, and players could manipulate these element of gameplay to distract NPCs etc. Go play Thief:TDS than go and play the rest of the series.… Expand
  27. stvartak
    Sep 13, 2012
    10
    It should tell you something that, 14 years after its release, Thief: The Dark Project still inspires awe and devotion in its fans. Story, voice acting, and level design don't age; if they're great at release, they're great forever, and so it is with Thief. All that remains to review is the technology, and this is where this game and its sequel, Thief II: The Metal Age, really shine. EvenIt should tell you something that, 14 years after its release, Thief: The Dark Project still inspires awe and devotion in its fans. Story, voice acting, and level design don't age; if they're great at release, they're great forever, and so it is with Thief. All that remains to review is the technology, and this is where this game and its sequel, Thief II: The Metal Age, really shine. Even the best-conceived and -executed games of the late '90s put their advancing age on full display, with the exception of Thief, and here are the reasons: (1) After all this time, no game has made better use of sound. With headphones or surround-sound, you can literally close your eyes and know where every conversation, grunt, footstep, dripping fountain, and crackling torch are located and how far away they are. The sound design of Thief remains simply astonishing, and it's a critical part of the gameplay; you navigate through the sprawling levels and enthralling missions as much by sound as by sight. (2) Similarly, the use of light and shadows remains unsurpassed. (3) The NPCs have superior AI compared to most games, then and now. Their actions and reactions are varied, complex, and extremely sensitive to how visible you are, how much noise you make, how far away you are, whether you have a weapon drawn, how long you've been in hiding after once being spotted, and so on. And they talk like real human beings! I'm not sure there was a single line of repeating dialogue in the entire game. (4) Finally, the graphics, though limited by the technology of the day, remain surprisingly fresh because of the Dark Engine's unique, angular building blocks. Characters and environments are constructed from skewed polygons that make up for a lack of resolution with a slightly weird distortion, as though you're looking through a kaleidoscope, or perhaps on an extremely low dose of acid. That's not a perfect description, but suffice it to say that Thief looks quite like no other game. Thief IS like no other game. You can buy it cheap these days, and if you love gaming and are open to an experience that challenges your mind more than your twitch reflexes, it is absolutely worth the price.… Expand
  28. OttoKill
    May 28, 2012
    10
    The whole Thief trilogy are classic games. I recommend that you buy all three in a bundle. I don't think these games will ever wear out. The graphics are good, sound is very good and re-playability is very good.
    I'll never forget when I first heard the 2 ole guards talking about going to the bearfest and the underslung cheek spikes. I had to just stop and laugh. These are truly the Best    The whole Thief trilogy are classic games. I recommend that you buy all three in a bundle. I don't think these games will ever wear out. The graphics are good, sound is very good and re-playability is very good.
    I'll never forget when I first heard the 2 ole guards talking about going to the bearfest and the underslung cheek spikes. I had to just stop and laugh. These are truly the Best sneaking, blackjacking games that have ever been produced or for that matter ever will be . The entertainment value of these games is much more than you can imagine. I hope these 3 never go away.    … Expand
  29. whitespider999
    Feb 21, 2012
    8
    What an incredible series. Thief was so different in it's time. And even now games are still catching up. With a sound system built into the entire that rivals modern games, an intriguing and dark story, and tense gameplay that changes the way you play games - thief is a hallmark of excellence.
  30. ORANGEoCLOCK
    Jan 18, 2012
    9
    Be aware of the walls, thief. They see everything.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PC Game of 1998
6
#6 Most Discussed PC Game of 1998
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 1998

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. IGN
    89
    One of the most exciting first-person games to come out in years.
    Read full review
  2. PC Gamer
    90
    A completely original, utterly captivating riff on the first-person action game. [Apr 1999, p.114]
  3. Just Adventure
    100
    It's hard to find any fault when you have a fantastic story, unique gameplay, and good graphics and sound to back it up. It's difficult to even categorize it in any known genre.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »