Thief
Preview
Hands on, stealthy does it
by William Thompson
previewed on PC
Garrett's abilities
That said, Garrett is not without combat abilities. He carries around a baton-like weapon known as a Blackjack that players of the original will find familiar. It is generously apply to the back side of unsuspecting guards, temporarily knocking them out – a nice quiet way of keeping them silent for long enough to move past them in relative secrecy. He is also adept at using a specially-designed bow that can be used for both violent and non-violent applications, often depending on the type of arrow you choose to employ.
Blunt tip arrows can be used to distract guards by causing a sound in the opposite direction from your position. After hearing the noise, they’ll often go to inspect the cause. Fire arrows can so the same but with a little more... flair as using a fire arrow on flammable materials will definitely get everyone's their attention. They may even attempt, often to their downfall, to put out the flames. Water arrows, as you’d expect do the opposite, but are just as effective. Using the water arrows to put out campfires or torches also causes the sentries to investigate. Cantin mentioned the possibility of using a combination of fire arrows and water arrows to play a game of cat-and-mouse with poor unsuspecting foes. There is also a grapple and rope arrow that Garrett can use to scale walls and reach normally out of reach areas. Of course, Garrett can also use arrows in a more mundane fashion to permanently take care of those lookouts who stand in his way, though it is wise to do so only when there is no-one else lurking nearby. Any gold that Garret collects during his missions can be used to purchase upgrades for his weapons.
Thief uses a HUD that is fairly clear and easy to understand. There is a green bar that indicates Garrett’s health, a blue bar that indicates the amount of focus he has available to him, and a special light indicator that denotes whether Garrett is hidden in the shadows or is bathed in light. It is a simple system that again encourages players to stay in the shadows. The aforementioned focus function works similarly to that of Tomb Raider, whereby entering focus mode highlights environmental objects that can be of use to Garrett, such as switches for turning off lights or ledges that he can jump up to. There are also indicators above the guards displaying their awareness of a presence. And they aren't exactly stupid either. In one instance, I knocked out a guard and dragged him away from his post. One of his friends noticed he wasn't there and went to inspect the shadows, calling out for me to get out of my hiding place, despite not knowing where exactly I was.
Stealth or action
Thief is looking polished, featuring dark brooding visuals and a decent audio soundtrack. I'm really looking forward to seeing the full game at release date to see Garrett's full story. Any fan worried that the reboot of Thief would take on a more action oriented guise rather than the stealthy gameplay they so fondly remember can rest easy. What I saw during the preview event should be indicative of the full game and that was all about stealth. There are definitely some Tomb Raider style action pieces where Garrett must traverse ledges, but this fits in well with the sneaking aspect of the master thief.
