Garret returns in this reboot of Thief, Square Enix gave us a preview of their latest build and I came away rather impressed. I really don’t have the patience when it comes to stealth in games such as Metal Gear and Splinter Cell, I’d always go in guns blazing when allowed, Thief felt different it forced me into submission and made me enjoy being a stealthy shadow in the night. Garret possesses a slew of new abilities, one being the most notable is Garret’s focus mode which slows down time and helps you navigate the world in Thief. Focus gives Garret the edge on all his options including hidden traversal points and also helps pick pocketing for those who have a hard time doing it with regular time constraints.
Thief guided me to think a bit more about “What if i get caught, how do i get myself out of this one.”. If you do get caught by guards, get ready for a lovely retry mission screen. The A.I. In Thief are very intelligent, they hear and see things other games let you get away with. Many encounters with guards head on, will lead you to death or barely making it. Garret is equipped with a bow and mace weapon if it ever gets to that point, I felt the areas around me were more beneficial then the weapons. A Square Enix rep mentioned to me that while the game is not open world, the team made them big enough for exploration. More like hub worlds with missions leading off to different places, A great decision in my opinion. It really shows with the way the environments and A.I interact together.One of the missions had me go steal a painting, I had to navigate my way around the town area and try to find a way to get to the window to start my heist. Just pulling something off and escaping gave me this huge adrenaline rush.
Every treasure goes into Garret’s personal den and you can view them anytime you visit your place. Treasures also give you money which can be used to buy upgrades for your weapons and health items. Visually I felt really immersed in the world and Thief ran considerably smooth, i didn’t notice any slowdowns in this build. Thief looks to be shaping up into one of my highly anticipated games for 2014 if they keep at this level of polish,and also if stealth stays as rewarding, Thief will be releasing on Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Stay tuned as we will have more coverage in the coming months.
