Thief – reviews of cult stealth steampunk game reboot

What you need to know

A reboot of the cult stealth video game Thief is being released in the UK this week. The game from Eidos (creators of Deus Ex) and Square Enix, will be released for Windows, PlayStation 3 and 4 and Xbox.

Thief is set in a dark world known as the City, ruled over by a tyrant called the Baron. As in the classic video games, players take on the role of Garrett, a master thief in a fantasy steampunk world combining elements of the Victorian era and the middle ages with modern technology.

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Players must use stealth in order to track guards, and occasionally subdue them, in order to steal precious items from the rich.

What the critics like

Imagine you're deftly dashing and creeping amongst the shadows, picking locks in darkness under the noses of unsuspecting guards before snatching your prize and slipping unnoticed out of an open window, says Paul Walker on Now Gamer. "That not only sounds brilliant, but is exactly what you'd expect from a Thief game."

This atmospheric game takes place in a beautifully designed steampunk environment, it's also "blessed with interesting characters and an intriguing story", says Liam Martin on Digital Spy. And in a first-person genre with kill counts that often reach triple figures, there's something refreshing about sneaking past guards without their knowledge.

Thief is Robin Hood by way of Batman, a gothic marriage of para-medieval grotesquerie and '90s-era steampunk with perfect sequences of evasion, says Chris Thursten on PC Gamer. And when it all comes together Thief feels dextrous, physical and fluid to play.

What they don't like

This reboot has "some strong stealth mechanics going for it, but doesn't always put that to good use", says Dan Stapleton on IGN. There are the hit-or-miss missions and an extremely annoying city map, but cherry-picking the best side missions is the best way to approach it.