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. MichalW.
    Aug 9, 2006
    10
    A timeless masterpiece. Still thrilling in 2006!
  2. AnonymousMC
    May 28, 2009
    10
    This is my all time favorite game. I have stacks and stacks of next gen games, yet Thief seems to always unbury itself and find its way into my computer. It's 2009 and I still like to play it. This was the only game that ever made me jump out of my chair.
  3. AnonymousMC
    Aug 27, 2009
    10
    Even in 2009 Thief has managed to steal my heart and still stands head and shoulders above other games in terms of story and atmsphere and frankly beats Splinter Cell or Metal Gear solid in stealth terms because no either game truly captures the tension involved in sneaking up on someone or hiding from guards.
  4. DJ
    Oct 21, 2003
    10
    Awesome game. Scary as hell!
  5. [Anonymous]
    Mar 14, 2003
    10
    It was really good and intruiging the graphics rocked.
  6. VinayN.
    Dec 26, 2004
    10
    Even in the era of Half Life 2,Doom3,Far Cry this game holds its own in terms of sheer brilliance in gameplay.
  7. Crusty
    Feb 11, 2004
    10
    The best i've ever played.
  8. 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!
  9. 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.
  10. AnonymousMC
    Apr 29, 2008
    10
    It's 2008 and still no other other game has ever been made quite like Thief. I still play it all the way through about once a year and have so much fun. Even the graphics have held up well because, even though they're a bit angular by today's standards, the design was so incredibly good, I almost don't notice. Probably the best 1st person game and best thinkingIt's 2008 and still no other other game has ever been made quite like Thief. I still play it all the way through about once a year and have so much fun. Even the graphics have held up well because, even though they're a bit angular by today's standards, the design was so incredibly good, I almost don't notice. Probably the best 1st person game and best thinking man's game ever.… Expand
  11. AnonymousMC
    Mar 15, 2009
    10
    if there´s a game which I would prefer among any other to bring with me to a desert island, that game is thief; after 10 years this is still my favorite game. This game is infinite, the situations vary every time you play it, besides, a very active fan community gives tons of fan missions to continue the adventure. 10 years has past, and any game has reach the high level of realismif there´s a game which I would prefer among any other to bring with me to a desert island, that game is thief; after 10 years this is still my favorite game. This game is infinite, the situations vary every time you play it, besides, a very active fan community gives tons of fan missions to continue the adventure. 10 years has past, and any game has reach the high level of realism of the sounds and atmosphere of thief, and another important thing:for me (and this is very personal opinion) the dark engine is the most realistic engine ever created, I mean, in any other game you don´t FEEL the walls are really there, the floor, the roof, this is also pushed by the sound quality, but there´s something else, with dark engine you dont need high res graphics to FEEL a phisic 3d world, that´s something I´ve never felt again in any other game...ahhhh Ooops, there´s thief gold and thief II… Expand
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. ChrisB.
    Jan 16, 2008
    10
    Great atmosphere with a great story and great characters. Vote for great !!
  15. 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.
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. 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
  24. 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.
  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. 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.
  27. 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.
  28. 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.
  29. 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
  30. 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
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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

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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 »