If you're a fan of the stealth genre and you haven't experienced Thief, shame on you.
The gameplay of Thief revolves around lurking in the shadows and not mindlessly charging at guards. You do have broadhead arrows and a sword for tight situations, but for the most part you’ll be using your blackjack and assortment of unique arrows that serve different purposes such as water arrows which put out torches that can otherwise make you visible to patrolling guards. As you progress through each mission you will also be able to buy unique items (which you can also find in missions) such as potions and flashbombs with the amount of loot that you obtained in the previous mission.
Thief’s level design contains a lot of atmosphere; every area is well crafted and usually fits in with the narrative. Throughout the course of the game you travel to manors, ancient tombs, haunted cathedrals and more in search of loot and important items. The areas are presented in an outdated engine by today’s standards, as are the character models, but they accomplish what they were meant to: draw you into the dark world of Garrett.
The audio in Thief is superb, the weapon sound effects are what you might expect and the game features EAX support which brings the places in Thief to life. Walking down a dark corridor and hearing the echo of your footsteps has never felt more satisfying in a video game than what you experience in Thief. The music in the game isn’t catchy, but it’s ambient. The musical score is there to immerse you in the game world rather than sounding nice or upbeat to fit the action.
Thief: The Dark Project is a game that every gamer should try at least once, and a game that no stealth fan should miss. If you’re looking for a good story; Thief will give you a dark tale of revenge and betrayal, if you want good gameplay Thief will deliver top quality stealth and adventure; if you’re looking for a game to test your latest top of the line PC with... look elsewhere. Thief is a memorable experience crafted by the now defunct Looking Glass Studios, and though it may not have been as popular as other games that came out in 1998; it was one of the best.