The Thief series is recommended as a touchstone for this series and as it’s looking like I’ll be running for a crew of shadows I’m looking to give at least one of them a try. Can anyone recommend which one(s) are most relevant to BITD or which one I should start with? I look forward to hearing your recommendations!
The Thief series is recommended as a touchstone for this series and as it’s looking like I’ll be running for a crew…
The Thief series is recommended as a touchstone for this series and as it’s looking like I’ll be running for a crew…
I’d say Thief 2. It’s available on GOG for a few bucks.
I’d personally say Thief 2 and Thief: The Dark Shadows (3). The latter especially if you want to embrace the horror of BitD to some extent and tangle with the unnatural. The Shalebridge Cradle level is a horrorshow.
The latest thief I don’t recommend.
Not many people recommending the first Thief game, I guess the original isn’t always the best π
If I understood the genesis of the original Thief game well, the original idea had been to make an action game with a very complex fencing system, in which you could attack and defend in different directions. They never managed to get it responsive and fluid enough to work, so they turned the game around and turned the main character in someone who really DIDN’T fight well and had reasons not to. So they hit upon the idea of playing a thief, but they didn’t believe they had a winning concept and a lot of assets left over from their original action game. So you have bits in the game that just don’t really work…The second one, they saw what a hit the original had been and polished it, fully embracing the idea. It’s better for it. I also like the story more.
I like all the Thief games (yes, even the latest)
The latest is good for BitD visuals. You can take (or find) some really atmospheric screenshots for visual aids.
Thief: The Dark Project was a great game at the time, but it has NOT aged well. Thief II has fared only slightly better. That said, one thing I will always love about them is the art direction for the cutscenes. Deadly Shadows still looks good even today, and yes, Shalebridge Cradle is still one of the creepiest level designs I’ve ever seen. The new Thief is very pretty, but I wish it was a proper sequel instead of a reboot.
Benjamin herderββ I recommend the first. It’s still a better game than the third and demonstrated a forgotten God. The third is just pretty but from there on the series starts to lose its soul.
I loved the first three Thief games and the fourth in visuals only. Might I derail this a bit and suggest Dishonored 1 and 2? While not Thief, it REALLY captures Blades very, very well. Better, I feel. If you’re looking for the appropriate tone and flavor in a video game, look no further.
I’ve played Dishonored 1 like 5 times, love it to bits. I know that it got its roots in Thief and I want more varied material to use for inspiration. I’ve just jumped into Thief (1) and I’m loving the rope arrow, of all things π
The rope arrow is awesome. I’m tossing around the idea of a moss arrow for Blades, however instead of magical moss it’s an electroplasmic miasma that eats sound. Or moss. That’s cool enough. π