Thief The Dark Project 25th Anniversary - New 10 Mission Fan Campaign!

The legendary immersive sim from Looking Glass Studios is now 25 years old! (or it was last Friday at least... )

That's right, the original FPS (First Person Sneaker), the game that started it all - open ended gameplay, crate stacking, non-lethal approaches to problems, stealth based gameplay (note, it didn't start any of these) is now old enough to legally drink in Delhi and volunteer for the UN!

Despite some other apparent "big releases" from this time 25 years ago - Half-Pipe and Zelda Oracle of Tim or some such nonsense - this will always be the real star of late 1998 for me. Just a superbly constructed world to drop into and such a refreshing fantasy to inhabit - the role of a character who needs to avoid confrontation, stick to the shadows, find their own way to solve problems and get out the other end with their pockets full of other peoples shiny trinkets - and do it all with a smirk on their face. Not many games can make sitting silently in darkness for protracted periods of time and just listening to the sounds around you and hoping that the guard doesn't come your way feel more thrilling than the most high octane carnage in other experiences of the time!

Similarly, not many games still have a fan community as active as this one, even now 25 years later they are still releasing everything from small patches and tweaks for the base game as well as fantastic, elaborate fan missions which dwarf those of the original game by some margin! And on the 25th anniversary of the games release a dedicated fan team (including a level designer from Arkane Lyon no less!) have released a huge 10 mission campaign for the game - The Black Parade!



Well worth a look for any dedicated Taffers out there, I've been playing through it myself over the last couple of nights and it really stands up as a fantastic experience that holds it own with the original Looking Glass creations! If you're interested Check out the thread over at the excellent TTLG forums to find out more! https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152429


So, anyone have special memories of playing this one (or any of the sequels for that matter)? Did you find it at the time or come to it later - perhaps prompted by one of the many games that took inspiration from it?

Or perhaps you've never played it! Well, it's never too late...

Jenuall, I've not played Thief... but I recall you mentioning that you are a fan of the game and it's great that there is this new mission pack for you to enjoy. Keep moving in the shadows, dude!

Lots of great memories playing Thief in the late 90s. Plus the two sequels. There was nothing else quite like it - the stealth system with surround sound speakers was hugely tense.

Although I doubt I'd want to return to it after all these years.

jawa_ wrote:Jenuall, I've not played Thief... but I recall you mentioning that you are a fan of the game and it's great that there is this new mission pack for you to enjoy. Keep moving in the shadows, dude!

Cheers Jawa, it's great to have a chunky new campaign to get into - like an early Christmas present!

Imrahil wrote:Lots of great memories playing Thief in the late 90s. Plus the two sequels. There was nothing else quite like it - the stealth system with surround sound speakers was hugely tense.

Although I doubt I'd want to return to it after all these years.

Yeah the sound design is superb, especially with the right setup. I still genuinely don't think anything has topped the way it uses sound, both as a means to convey atmosphere but also as a core design mechanic and tool to inform the player about their surroundings.

I've dabbled in the first Thief a few times but I think I missed it in it's prime and I struggle to get into it.

That said I've just watched a few Youtube videos on it the other day so I had already installed it planning on trying it out at some point.

Cheeky Devlin wrote:I've dabbled in the first Thief a few times but I think I missed it in it's prime and I struggle to get into it.

That said I've just watched a few Youtube videos on it the other day so I had already installed it planning on trying it out at some point.

Ah cool, hopefully you can get some traction with it.

It's a very unique beast, especially in this day and age where things that are ostensibly similar to it or mentioned in the same conversation (e.g. Dishonored) are actually very different experiences. If the mechanics of it click with you though it's a very hard experience to replicate anywhere else.

I think I played a demo of this when it first came out. I did not care for it.