On February 25, Thief was released to a chorus of crappy reviews. At best, it has been called entertaining but flawed. At worst, it's been called an abomination.
I am not saying the game is perfect. Sometimes the sound cuts out, which is irritating. The in-game map is unhelpful and finding your way around can be a pain (although things get easier once you've spent time exploring The City). The half-baked supernatural plot line is unimpressive.
But none of these things is a death knell. Skyrim was buggy as hell, had repetitive dialogue (arrow in the knee, anyone?), and included some rather silly plot threads. We still loved it to death.
The truth is, I've been having a blast playing Thief. A lot of love went into creating this game's world. While a dark, oppressive atmosphere is consistent throughout, Thief's level design has enough nuance to keep things interesting. The warm red tones of a brothel, the dark mystery of ruins under The City, a house full of secret passages, and a terrifying abandoned asylum all held my attention. Propaganda posters are pasted to the walls throughout The City, and there are hundreds of collectible documents that give you further insight into Garrett's world (as well as tip you off to some good looting opportunities). Most of the game's collectables are intricately designed and have stories and meanings behind them. The paintings that you collect are just awful enough to convince you that they are high art. I love them.
In addition to its visual richness, Thief immerses you in sound. Although the audio does cut out sometimes, the game sounds amazing—Garret softly pads along various surfaces, opens and closes drawers and cabinets, and deploys his thieving tools with sound effects that immersed me in his world. And for all of the nostalgia for Garrett's old voice, I love the voice actor in the reboot. Garrett is a man of few words, but the words he does say are expressive and believable. During the prologue, he shows tremendous frustration with Erin while also showing tremendous restraint. When speaking to Basso, he remains laconic but is still somehow affectionate. He speaks to employers like Ector, Orion, and Vittori professionally and without asking too many questions—as a professional thief should. Basso, too, is extremely likable, and I wanted to see a lot more of him. Not only does he provide some much-needed levity in a dark and serious game, but he also brings out the best in Garrett.
Thief's actual gameplay is also hugely enjoyable. I have not had any issues with the controls, and I generally feel one with Garrett as I guide him through the game world. The swoop move never gets old, and close calls while robbing unsuspecting people blind have not yet ceased to thrill me. The AI is a lot smarter than the reviews led me to believe, and several of the game's scenarios presented me with real challenges. I love that I can adjust the difficulty or re-attempt missions using different playstyles, and these options add a lot of replay value.
If you ask me, Thief is a tremendously enjoyable game, and one that is well worth your time if you're into stealth. So why do my own feelings seem to be in opposition to those of the rest of the internet?
I think Thief was crippled by the huge expectations that were placed on it by fans of the original trilogy, and by Eidos Montreal's desire to rise to those expectations. The demand for the original voice actor, the hate for new game features that are completely normal in other current games, and the obsession with whether the game would be hard enough ultimately guaranteed that no one was going to be satisfied. Because Thief is the only Thief game I have ever played, I don't come to it with the same perspective. It may not be like the good old days, but I'm guessing it probably never was. Still, if you want to roll like they did in 1998, Steam is probably having a sale right now.
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