Recently, I had the opportunity to try out Thick as Thieves, the new stealth game from the developer OtherSide Entertainment that puts the player in control of one of two thieves as they attempt to break into different locations in order to steal artifacts, loot for money, and even progress through missions to uncover the game’s story.
During my time with the game, I was able to explore the different maps to their fullest as I attempted to steal all I could within my playthroughs while also testing out the various difficulties and the two characters that are currently available within the game.
Thick as Thieves’ World is Dark and Full of Shinies to Pinch
A big draw for Thick as Thieves for gamers will clearly be its gameplay, as it emphasizes stealth and puts players’ sneaking skills to the test, but what makes Thick as Thieves a fun game to play around in is its dark yet shimmering locations that you can explore, which are full of detail to discover.
At the time of writing, there are only two different maps that you can explore within Thick as Thieves, one being the Constable Guildhall and the other being Elway Manor. Within these two locations, there are plenty of rooms, secret paths, and hidden secrets to find, but what makes these locations unique is the way they are designed in terms of traversing around them.
Rather than having the player zip around the location in a hurry, the player is required to take their time throughout each mission in order to sneak around the various traps and enemies that lurk within in order to escape with their loot.
In terms of hiding, there are very few hiding spaces in most areas, but for me, that made the challenge even more enticing as I had to watch and learn how the guards moved around the rooms and what angles they would look at, and plan my attacks accordingly.
This was made even easier with a lot of the rooms within the buildings being very easy to navigate with not many twists and turns and each room being unique so I wasn’t getting confused by similar assets or designs, but I was instead constantly able to know where I was just by the room and its distinctive designs while also using the in-depth map to keep track of where I was and how I got there.
The biggest draw regarding the world for me was simply how amazingly it was designed, as each location was filled with detail, especially the surrounding locations, as the gloomy vibes seeped from every building, every window, every electrical wire, and the alleys in-between; it was a sight to see as I explored these locations, taking in every sight I could see.
Although the outside world did look rather good, I did find that the inside of the buildings in some cases felt rather lacking, with some areas being rather detailed, such as the library that was filled with bookshelves full to the brim with books while also having chairs, tables, lights, and so much more, to then explore a dining room that felt rather lacking in terms of detail except on the actual tables; it just felt rather plain in some areas.
Thick as Thieves Gameplay is Challenging, With Great Rewards Hidden Within
One of the biggest and best things about Thick as Thieves is its stealth gameplay, which, as a big stealth gamer, I must say I am very glad to have played with, as it was a very satisfying experience as I snuck around locations in the dark, waiting to use the various tools at my disposal so that I could steal their precious secrets from within.
From my experience, creating a fun and creative stealth experience can be quite challenging for a developer, as it is rather complicated to create a balanced experience that tasks the player with constantly moving while also ensuring that you watch your back for any changes or problems that may arise while sneaking around, whether it be a guard finding a knocked-out body, a trap catching you off guard, or even walking out of the shadows before you should.
However, I do feel like OtherSide Entertainment was able to create a fair balance within Thick as Thieves in terms of its stealthing mechanics and utilizing a second person to make things easier in the long run of their sneaking duties.
In terms of the equipment players have at their disposal, there are plenty of options to earn throughout the game, with each having its own unique characteristics that I thoroughly enjoyed playing with, as each tool gave me a new way to stealth through levels and fix problems that would arise when things went wrong.
This was even more fun when I played in co-op, as being able to take our own individual loadouts was a lot of fun and allowed for even more creative situations to take hold. Adding this to the overall stealth mechanics, it was a lot of fun to play around with.
One part of Thick as Thieves that I really appreciated was how the developers made it so that knocking out a guard was not a permanent deal, but instead was temporary, making it so that players weren’t able to simply knock everyone out and then sprint around looting, but instead it was a constant stealth fest causing the player to stay crouched the entire time rather than looting like a maniac.
Along with the guards waking up, there was also the addition of various types of guards that patrolled the area as well, one of which was a ghost that was very interesting to see, as it wasn’t simply stuck within its patrol borders, but I instead found out that it could also travel between floors and locations if an alarm or sound was made too close to it.
This was a surprising feature to me, as I was completely caught by surprise by the fact that the ghost actually traversed the building rather than being set in its ways to the point I accidentally summoned it to the basement of a building during an alarm, shocking even me, which is quite a feat.
The story in Thick as Thieves Unfolds Slowly Like a Stealth Mission Going Right
When it comes to the story within Thick as Thieves, it doesn’t come across like a normal story but instead acts more like a background aspect within the game, as the player is provided with secondary objectives within their adventures to find and uncover new items that slowly reveal more and more of the game’s story.
Due to this nature of the game’s story, it can be quite perplexing for players to progress in a timely fashion, as they don’t just have one objective to find within their travels, but they also need to find a second item that could draw them away from the other and potentially lead to their demise.
However, if there are two players sneaking around a level, this problem does become a lot easier, as each player is able to focus on one objective again, as long as they both extract with the designated items in their possession, which can easily be a problem if the guards find you.
Once you are able to extract these items, the game provides you with a small amount of story after each mission in the form of a note, which allows the player to continue playing while discovering more and more about the game and its hidden stories.
In terms of the game’s story, as always, I will avoid spoilers, but it was quite interesting as the story began in the tutorial and progressed right through, revealing more and more as the game went on, not just regarding the artifact we are researching but regarding the game world and some of the characters that are lurking within the background of the game, out of sight but not out of mind.
Thick as Thieves
Summary
While playing Thick as Thieves, I found myself often enjoying the landscape of the game world, both inside the maps and out, as they were well designed with most rooms having a reasonable amount of detail, if not a lot.
The gameplay of Thick as Thieves is a lot of fun, allowing stealth players to use all they have mastered, along with various tools, to their advantage in order to steal everything that isn’t nailed down.
In regard to the game’s story, it was really interesting to see, as it didn’t just explore the game as we explored it, but it also expanded upon what we didn’t see and the hidden lore that was buried within.
HOURS PLAYED: 8
PLAYED ON: PC
- The game world is really detailed both inside the maps and on the outside.
- There are plenty of tools to use that allow for various playstyles.
- The variety of enemies were fun to go against leading to a lot of challenging playthroughs.
- Some of the rooms were very bland with minimal detail in comparison to others.
- Even though story was interesting it was very short and annoying to progress.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our article talking about the release date teaser for Outward 2, or check out our review of Pragmata.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
