Thief 2: The Metal Age

During a Steam Sale last year, I noticed a particular game that was discounted heavily. The interesting part about this game was the amount of accolades it got during and after the release of said game. After reading enough online reviews and watching a few videos praising the game, I bought the game but left it as part of my backlog.

With my current course having odd intervals of free time, I installed the game and downloaded a few unofficial fixes to fix the resolution and glitches in the original release version on Steam.

That’s how I was introduced to Thief 2: The Metal Age. 

(Source of picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Thief_II_-_The_Metal_Age_Coverart.png and Wikipedia)

[Full disclosure: I have not played Thief 1 or Thief: Deadly Shadows yet while the reboot is being looked at slowly. I will attempt to buy them if the next Steam sale provides a good discount.]

Thief 2: The Metal Age (for PC and by the defunct Looking Glass Studios) continues the story of Garrett and his exploits in the City. As a result of events from the previous game, a new faction has emerged after breaking off from the original faction. The former are known as the Mechanists who have started a steam-punk revolution of sorts in the City by introducing new technology. A sinister plan begins to take form which revolves around the Mechanists and as per Garrett's bad luck, he winds up being involuntarily involved while dealing with his own problems of paying rent and avoiding the corrupt hand of the law.

What makes it?:

In the genre of true stealth, nothing comes close to The Metal Age (at least in my opinion). Before this game, I have played only a couple of stealth-based games with the best among them being Hitman: Blood Money and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. While both games are good in terms of replay potential, Thief 2 has just as much if not superior stealth gameplay. The main modes of detection is done using visibility in conjunction with light sources whereby a light gem is used to indicate visibility. While basic, the game also takes in additional factors that determines one’s visibility such as weapons equipped, the position of the player and footsteps on certain surfaces. This usually means that the player will be using the blackjack (a wooden club) to take out opponents while moving slowly in the shadows. The lack of a pre-animated takedown means that full-player input is required to knock-out the angry guard before they turn around which is something I really miss since most games nowadays enjoy pre-animated takedowns. Guards (and non-hostile NPCs) in the game have decent AI and even when the player is shrouded in darkness, they can still spot the player if the player happens to be too close. They also pay attention to odd noises even when it is from a floor above so the tactic of running around after clearing an area may not apply as well when it causes the guard from downstairs to rush upstairs to investigate. As a result, real tension is created and maintained whenever guards are close by especially when you and a guard are in the same narrow corridor together. As for the darkness used in the game, there is no night-vision ability to help the player see through the shroud it makes. Instead, the darkness is both a useful tool and obstacle for the player that creates a dilemma for players; should they darken a room to make it easier to see but risk being unable to see switches and loot tucked aside. Combine all of the above with large levels that encourage exploration and you have a stealth game with a lot of replayability and challenge.

Another aspect I like from Thief 2 is the character of Garrett. (It is difficult to find an actual image of Garrett's face in-game and I forgot to take scree caps of the cutscenes so here is a silhouette from the intro cinematic) From the start, his narration in the cutscenes, along with the quips he makes in-game, highlight aspects of his character. The first important aspect is that his life as a thief is a career-oriented one rather than some form of vigilante protest seeing as one cutscene even mentions how his thieving endeavours are mostly to pay rent for his apartment. This creates a distinction in his character as he does not fall into the typical Robin Hood archetype for a rogue and winds up being distinct rogue. The remarks Garrett frequently makes are often filled with witty sarcasm and snark as he teases or insults the nobles, certain frustrating obstacles and even enemies that are out of earshot. As a result, I wound up liking the character more since he felt like a real individual rather than some vigilante archetype and in addition, I can relate to making sarcastic comments about people around me. Another aspect of Garrett is his neutrality whereby he actively attempts to remain out of the schemes of the factions around him though aside from his thieving skills, one of his talents is his ability to be dragged into these events unwillingly. As a result, his eventual involvement to defeat the game's antagonists are a result of attacks against himself and genuine mortification at the atrocities of the antagonists (which is evident in one level which I will not spoil). I have not played any of the other main Thief games yet but my liking for the character of Garrett is encouraging me to get them so that I can follow the story of the master thief better. The other characters are pretty good too but Garrett was the best for me by a long shot.

Another aspect of Thief 2 I mentioned at the start of this post is the size of the levels. The first level alone is amazing in size with plenty of rooms and secrets to explore for loot. A Later levels match the size of this first level and some even surpass it with entire city districts open for exploration and looting. The reason it has taken me 4 whole weeks to finish this game is the time needed to even finish exploring levels. The mansion in the first level feels large just from the sheer number of rooms and corridors to thoroughly explore while keeping the patrolling guards in mind. Some levels are not even mapped out unlike the three images above so the player is encouraged to explore and peek around every corner. I would also like to emphasize on the number of secrets hidden in these vast levels whereby a seemingly empty room might have a hidden switch under a desk that opens a hidden space containing loot or tools for use. Secret passages, also hidden by switches, can be found throughout some of these vast levels as well. The common element shared by the secrets I mention above is how difficult it is to find them due to the large size of the levels which require a keen eye on the player's part. Most games nowadays enjoy using markers or UI aids to point out these secrets but not Thief. Here, the player works for these secrets as they explore this large living world with most levels having large spaces that are justifiable in existing (though note how I said some). As a result of this, the size ends up encouraging exploration and makes the player feel like an actual thief robbing an actual building or area of fine treasures.

In addition, the game is challenging in the good sense. Aside from the tight stealth mechanics, the game is minimal in its hand-holding, meaning that the player must figure out most of the means to fulfill objectives (or use a walkthrough like the Keepers' Chapel: http://www.thief-thecircle.com/guides/keeperchapel/). Levels require the use of stealth and punishes players who think otherwise by making actual combat cumbersome, giving guards more health and allowing guards to swarm the player as alerted non-combatants along with alerted guards can bring your presence to the attention of nearby individuals. Another interesting aspect of the game is the different objectives available based on the level of difficulty. The three images above show the different level of difficulty, ranging from normal, hard and expert. Additional objectives are added depending on the level of difficulty chosen which I really liked as it added actual and varied challenge to each level rather than merely increasing the health and damage output of enemies. This really made the game for me as challenging stealth games have the most fun for me as they produce the most satisfaction whenever a level is completed flawlessly.

Sound design in a stealth game is important. How else will the player detect the approaching footsteps of a guard or hear how loud their own footsteps are? In Thief 2: The Metal Age, the detail of the audio is amazing (especially around the time of its release) with appropriate atmospheric sound effects that matches the levels and the footsteps sounds that are detailed and can differ in terms of distance from the player and surface stepped on. The game’s in-game dialogue, which includes Garrett’s remarks, are well-written and appropriate for the setting with amusing highlights that appear every once in a while. The use of actual music is rather minimal and whatever music there is mixes so well with the atmospheric sounds that it enhances the degree of immersion a player can have. The parts of the soundtrack that sound like music often sounded more like noises in the area which made it more immersive as it felt like the background noises were making these musical sounds. Overall, the sound design was excellent for its time and it holds up well.

What breaks it

The actual AI behaviour while decent does have some frustrating issues I would like to point out. When a guard becomes alerted, they gain psychic powers that allow them to follow the exact movements of the player even when the player has already concealed themselves. While this makes sense whereby guards that are aware of suspicious activity tend to be more alert, the overly alert guards can ruin a good stealth run. At the same time, their cones of vision become immense to the point of clairvoyance which can be frustrating for players. One time I was ready to knock a guard unconscious with a quick tap to the head and after waiting in the shadows for him to turn out, I step out once he turned around. The minute I stepped out near a dimly lit area however, the guard immediately becomes aware of my position and charges straight at me. Pictured above is another instance of peculiar AI behaviour whereby I knocked out those two guards (clearly standing side by side) without either being alerted even when the first of the two fell unconscious. As a result of the AI behaviour, players may either lose immersion  or become frustrated in-game due to their peculiar behaviour. The latter had a more negative effect to the game in my opinion especially in later levels when the Mechanists' machines are introduced.

The massive levels, while being a good aspect of the game, also has negative consequences. Many times I found myself walking around in circles trying to find the room linked to the objective and whenever the missions require a minimum amount of loot to collect, it led to a lot of back-tracking into the many rooms of a level seeking out hidden switches, items that either blended in with the background or items hidden by the darkness. As I noted before, some levels are not entirely justifiable with regard to their size. Certain levels have too many empty rooms that seem to be added for the sake of filling out the map outlines or for the use of hiding bodies only. All this makes the game frustrating at times and as a result, players can be turned off. I spent a very long time on this game as a result of said levels and while I enjoyed the sizes, it is frustrating whenever backtracking takes place.

Graphics, though not a problem for me personally, can hurt a game's impression on players. Many times I have heard complaints aimed at low graphics and usually I can tolerate them seeing as my game library tend to be stuff from the 1990s. Pictured above is a close-up (without using the in-game zoom ability) of an unconscious guard who looks heavily pixelated. The graphics of the game have not aged too well that it is easier for newcomers to adapt though personally, I had no problems with it and actually liked how little visibility I had especially in the darkest of corners. The graphics are not that bad though seeing as in-game, you can tell, upon closer examination, that the guard in the picture is a woman from the face and figure. The game's age does show with NPC models and out-dated textures. If the reader can overlook the age of the graphics, the graphics will not be a major issue but if they not, it will become a major obstacle for the reader.

Personal opinion:
I really enjoyed this game and it probably makes it to my top 10 games of all time. The challenge, levels, characters and story (which I would place as a positive aspect but did not so that I do not spoil it) kept me going past my frustrations with the AI and constant backtracking. With large levels in town-centered locales and being vulnerable to damage, I felt like an actual master thief pilfering from the rich to allow me to pay rent so that I have a roof over my head. I finished the game with feelings of satisfaction and desire for more. I may someday do a normal playthrough to see what it is like to kill since for the purpose of this review, I played on expert difficulty. I recommend this game for any stealth game fans and to any gamer with time on their hands (and being open to playing an old game). This game truly deserves the praise it gets and if it was re-made with only graphical updates while maintaining the core mechanics, I would be excited for it.

Summary:
What makes it
True stealth
Character of Garrett
Size of the levels
Challenging
Sound design
What breaks it

Actual AI behaviour

Massive levels
Graphics


[As promised, here's a mini-review of One-Punch Man's first episode: It's the pre-aired episode with the opening and ending sequences appropriately placed along with improved quality (though that could be a problem with the software used to record the pre-aired episode. As per my last post, I said I liked the first episode so I will not go into detail (though I would like to add that another aspect I like about the series is how it feels like a parody of the shounen genre and how entertaining it is) about it and the only things that affected my views were the songs included. The ending song is an oddly calming song that leaves much to be desired due to an odd tonal shift like Kalafina's songs in the Fate anime though unlike Kalafina's songs, they are not overused and repetitive so I will not harp on about it (I can however complain about Kalafina's songs for the Fate series and hope the group stays away from the Heaven's Feel adaptation). As for the opening sequence... WOW! It was amazing with crisp animation and a song that really raises your spirits for the show! It also hinted at an arc I want to see adapted in the anime so it left me with a big grin on my face and higher hopes for the rest of the adaptation. So, I give it a recommendation. Check it out for a good time.]