Thief

A nail-biting experience needing a few more coats of polish to stand out. [April 2014, p76]

This is a good and fun stealth game that could be so much more, if its rough edges, optimization and level design were polished. Nevertheless, Thief does no dishonour to The Thief.

I'm disappointed in its lack of cohesiveness in terms of story, its lack of stability and solidarity in terms of technical stuff, and the missed opportunities. At the same time, I never seem to tire of looting the most difficult-to-approach treasure caches, and Garrett is a suitably entertaining character.

It’s a lot of fun being a thief in the newest Thief. It’s not so much fun avoiding pesky enemies, navigating a claustrophobic city or bearing with the poor plot, but in the end the game manages to pull through nicely.

Thief is no treason, but it's not a brilliant reboot either. It's an honest game, without a doubt, but it never becomes awesome. Surprisingly, we've been more interested in the side missions than the main story, which lacks intensity. With more charismatic characters, more freedom, and a better artistic direction, Thief could have been significantly better.

It all feels like a brilliant framework held back by a few unsavoury elements. The hub-based world and other problems would’ve been less apparent if there was actually a decent narrative to prop the game up, but instead we’re left with a half-baked tale that feels shallow and dissatisfying by the time you reach the end. Still, there is still plenty to be happy about here, with a wealth of great gameplay flares and a strong aesthetic.

Thief is worth it for the setting and hardcore stealth, but it’s marred by some poor AI and passive gameplay.

Despite my disappointment with Thief’s setting and story, I did enjoy my time with it. Sneaking about, pickpocketing guards, picking locks, and finding new ways to infiltrate a building are as satisfying as ever, and the game looks and sounds great (despite some janky audio mixing).

Thief is a game, that despite all its good intentions, will alienate long-time fans. And the cookie-cutter generic gameplay won’t do much to attract new fans either, as this franchise once again slips into the forgotten darkness of the night.

Between the hit-or-miss missions is an extremely annoying city hub map and a weak story full of bland characters, and Garrett himself isn’t as sure-footed as a master thief ought to be.

If you look at Thief like it's a series of sneaking puzzles, it works just fine. You really do feel like a master thief when sneaking from shadow to shadow unseen and relieve every area of its valuable contents. It fails in almost every other way though.

The return of the master thief Garrett is a mixed bag. Thief builds on its series proud heritage of tactile stealth, focusing on realism but loses some of the way to modern design trends. Thief has some unnecessary padding that smooth out the gameplay as well as some cinematic ambitions that do not reach all the way. Above all, it is plagued by qualitative valleys that appear to be a result of a stressed launch. Nevertheless, Thief gets a weak recommendation because the basic formula is still fun and somewhat unique.

In spite of the preconceived notions and occasionally frustrating execution, Thief provides an intriguing and occasionally exciting foray into the shadows. It’s an experience that ranges from exceptional to entertaining — despite being as closeted as it is, and there’s enough to justify delving in if you can ignore a majority of its elements in favor of its superb stealth.

Thief was one of most expected games for early 2014. It promised a lot but failed to meet expectations. Sometime it's tiring to play it, but other times it gives some willingness to complete it. In the end, it’s a game worthy for its straight-line story and for those that like to go through all the rooms finding gold in drawers and safes.

Sadly, Thief is an experience best summed up as “uneven”. It’s charismatic, gorgeous and well-designed, but for every thing it gets rights, there are another two that go wrong, such as the bad dialogue, the unstable framerate, the lack of a jump button and the all too linear campaign. These issues keep pulling the player out of what could otherwise have been a very immersive experience.

Thief feels unwieldy at times, although it's not the travesty some reviewers are making it out to be. It's a beautiful stealth game that's fun to play in bursts, but it's hard to recommend it without reservations.

Thief is a mess. It's disappointing that there's a genuinely good game hidden under a lot of mediocrity.

It’s the game world’s attention to detail that makes Thief’s frequent immersion-shattering moments that much more jarring, from A.I. characters who zone out or repeat the same dialogue over and over (yes, guy on the street, you’ve mentioned your favourite whorehouse literally 20 times now) to the fact Garrett can pocket dozens of golden candelabras but can’t carry more than one empty bottle.

Thief will almost certainly frustrate fans of the older trilogy, but it suffers shortcomings on a more objective level as well. Though solidly made, it never challenges the well-worn conventions of stealth action. In short, it lacks a certain spark of inspiration. It's good, yet it falls short of "future classic" status.

Whether you are new to the series or cut your teeth on Thief's particular brand of stealth when it was still novel, I'd wager your feelings will waver as often as mine did. The Thief-franchise-inspired Dishonored waves the stealth flag far more confidently than this reboot does. Garrett is not yet on his way out, but he's been shown the door.

This reboot is not a new but a soulless misinterpretation. It undoubtedly has its moments but they are outweighed by its petty mechanics and superficial treatment of the Thief heritage.

Thief may be a throwback to the early days of stealth games, but this reboot really feels aged and dated. While there is some fun to be had, you will have to sift through a mess of problems to find it.

There are glimpses of wonder but this is the top layer of gold only. The bulk of the game is a frustrating, irritating, random mess. In itself this is frustrating, as what could have been great struggles to be merely average.

Poorly executed and having no true relation with the original Thief games, the latest effort from the guys that gave us the superb Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a missed opportunity that will disappoint fans of the old games and newcomers alike.

Thief is a too-derived infiltration game that cannot surpass Dishonored or the original Thief. A very disappointing comeback for Garrett.