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. 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    The graphics engine is outdated, even with HD mods.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    The graphics engine is outdated, even with HD mods.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
  2. MichalW.
    Aug 9, 2006
    10
    A timeless masterpiece. Still thrilling in 2006!
  3. Samtam90
    Apr 19, 2007
    9
    Absolutely great, even if most people weren't smart enough to understand that it wasn't the doom-like moronic FPS where you have to kill everything you see, and so it got snobbed. Timeless masterpiece.
  4. PichonCalavera
    Apr 9, 2005
    10
    Even after all this years, this game is one of my favorites... the story, the gameplay, the sound... everything comes together to make an incredible atmosphere. Playing the level "Return to Cathedral" was one of the scariest moments of my life!
  5. TezzH.
    Feb 24, 2004
    10
    This game is the Best Game I have Ever Played yet. I have Played Lots of Games But this Beats the Lot . I Really Got Hooked on it.
  6. ChrisB.
    Jan 16, 2008
    10
    Great atmosphere with a great story and great characters. Vote for great !!
  7. 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
  8. AnalogueB.
    Aug 18, 2005
    10
    As perfect now (2005) as the day it was released. A timeless classic if ever I saw one. I honestly cannot recommend this game enough. One thing I will say: do yourself a favour and get the Gold release instead of the regular Dark Project - you won't regret it, taffer.
  9. Mesmermojo
    Aug 8, 2011
    10
    My first love affair with a computer game. Thief is a masterpiece on every level, Warren Spector has crafted a chilling yet humble experience that overflows with charm and unique atmosphere unlike any other.
  10. jonnyohio
    Jan 12, 2011
    9
    One of my favorite games of all time, along with the sequels. Thief brought a breath of fresh air to 1st person 'shooters'. It has to be the best stealth game series I have played to date. You sneak around and hide in shadows and either knock people out or put an arrow in them. Your missions are almost always to get into someplace and steal something. And the storyline is justOne of my favorite games of all time, along with the sequels. Thief brought a breath of fresh air to 1st person 'shooters'. It has to be the best stealth game series I have played to date. You sneak around and hide in shadows and either knock people out or put an arrow in them. Your missions are almost always to get into someplace and steal something. And the storyline is just awesome. It's way better then that joke of a game "Assassin's Creed"-- which I discovered was nothing close to what Thief was. I have yet to find any game that matches Thief in style. I found a website where a group has made an open source game that is like Thief (but it is buggy yet and relies on fan-made mission). Recently I read that Thief 4 is being worked on, but so far no release date! I only had one part of the game that I didn't like, and that was where they put zombies in the game. It wasn't that bad, but I like going up against people that seemed to have some intelligence not some mindless walking goon that made a noise when it saw or heard me-- but thankfully it was only in one part of the game so I can't really complain that much about it. Overall the entire series is just fun to play, and I recommend it to anyone that is tired of mindless shoot 'em ups that have weak or no story lines.… Expand
  11. mjwilliams84
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    Pure stealth was relatively untouched before Thief came out, and it's a testament to how good it is that it's now almost a genre of its own. Incredible atmosphere, ambience and suspense make this one of or even the greatest game I've ever played. It encourages you to remain a sigh on the wind, a flicker of darkness in peripheral vision, an anonymous, undetected shadow. Combine the lowPure stealth was relatively untouched before Thief came out, and it's a testament to how good it is that it's now almost a genre of its own. Incredible atmosphere, ambience and suspense make this one of or even the greatest game I've ever played. It encourages you to remain a sigh on the wind, a flicker of darkness in peripheral vision, an anonymous, undetected shadow. Combine the low fantasy, pseudo-mechanical medieval backdrop with the tense, nail-biting gameplay, and the result is an utter masterpiece. Play it properly and they'll never even know you were there.… Expand
  12. 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.
  13. ZachM.
    Mar 9, 2007
    10
    I loved it, it fits my sneaky style in real life. Also, it's realistic in the sense of shadows, sound, and all that stuff an actual thief loves and hates. Return to the Cathedral was scary though, I also hate the rat guys.
  14. kokobollo
    Aug 21, 2011
    10
    what a perfect game!
    i love all the Thief series!
    atmosphere, story plot, game play... everything is perfect!
    even though i started Thief 2 first in 2010, it was great
  15. 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
  16. Speedster09
    Sep 8, 2011
    10
    I whole-heartedly join the chours: a timeless classic; THE most immersive game I have ever played (besides perhaps System Shock 1/2 and a little less Deus Ex 1); if you have never played it you are missing out on an incredibly stunning style of play; as another reviewer mentions, if you do want to remedy such a short-coming (as serious an offense as this is :) get the Gold version on ebayI whole-heartedly join the chours: a timeless classic; THE most immersive game I have ever played (besides perhaps System Shock 1/2 and a little less Deus Ex 1); if you have never played it you are missing out on an incredibly stunning style of play; as another reviewer mentions, if you do want to remedy such a short-coming (as serious an offense as this is :) get the Gold version on ebay - it is exactly like the original just with a few excellent missions added; if you want to read more, go find my Thief 2 review i just wrote; what i do want to mention here though are some of the things that make this game so outstanding: (1) the immersiveness of its atmosphere and the Thief universe - sure, crysis is eye-candy, but this is the real immersion deal! because of the setting (sneaking and looting combined with the player's weak offensive abilities) and the excellent programming, you will use your senses much more than in any other game - you need to pay constant attention to lighting, visual cues, and sounds made by you and others in order to stay hidden and avoid trouble; and the fresh story with its twists and turns (including a betrayal that costs you dearly and your attempt at revenge) makes this a novel and great experience; what's more, the sequel - Thief 2 - IMO greatly expands on this by making the Thief universe even more bizarre with its mechanist enemies and setting (2) (may not apply to all) the outstanding localization work - i own the german version and the voice acting and translations are unbelievably good - the exclamations made by guards chasing you are sometimes outright funny and if i didn't know any better i would have thought that the game developer was a german company (3) the outstanding fan community - humdreds of fan-made missions were made and are still (mostly) available - some even surpass the original missions in quality while others give the game an entirely new twist (and satisfy any cravings for just running around and slaying foes) (4) where Deus Ex offers (often simplistic) alternative ways of getting to the same goal, this game offers entirely different styles of playing the game - ranging from weapons-first approaches to ultimate sneaking (ghosting, Lytha's way), this game can be replayed in many different ways; (5) one of the very few games that i have ever played that really make me miss my experience of playing it for the first time - i remember the nerve-wracking atmosphere of trying to stay hidden; and then all of a sudden there are the moaning zombies! and later the spine-tingling rattle of the haunts and their infernal 'join us, joins us now!' if you've ever played Thief, and you're still not on ebay right now, then i don't know how to help you ;)… Expand
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. ORANGEoCLOCK
    Jan 18, 2012
    9
    Be aware of the walls, thief. They see everything.
  20. 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.
  21. 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
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. kingsmen
    Oct 16, 2018
    9
    this is my childhood! spend endless days and nights with it back in the days.
  29. aralath
    Aug 7, 2018
    9
    Amazing game. It's 2018 and they have not made a game competes with Thief yet.
  30. Izoeros
    Jun 28, 2022
    7
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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 »