When the original Thief: The Dark Project hit PCs back in 1998, it revolutionized stealth gameplay in a way that no other game had. It provided an unparalleled level of immersion, requiring that gamers pay attention to such elements as sound and lighting in order to complete their missions as Garrett, a wily and cunning thief. The release of a great sequel in 2000 only served to briefly satiate the series’ fans, as everyone wanted more. However, the game’s developer, Looking Glass studios, folded shortly after the release of Thief II, so it seemed as though a third entry in the Thief series would never happen.

Enter Ion Storm. The creators of the Deus Ex series stepped up to the plate in order to develop the third entry to the Thief series. Throughout its development, fans of the series were undoubtedly a little anxious. Would the game, although made by another developer, live up to the incredibly high standards set by its predecessors? Well, after four years in development, Thief: Deadly Shadows is finally seeing the light of day. However, does it live up to the rest of the series? Read on to find out.

Deadly Shadows puts you once again in the shoes of Garrett, a master thief whose actions always seem to get him involved in much bigger plots and developments. Along the way, you end up facing off against a secret organization in control of the City, as well as uncovering one of their biggest secrets.

The series has always been widely renowned for its attention to detail in the stealth genre, and Deadly Shadows is no different. The game prefers the stealth route to all out action in nearly every occasion. As Garrett, you must stick to the shadows to avoid being detected by guards or other NPCs. If there are no shadows for you to keep from being detected, then you must either make them (by either pinching out a candle or shooting out a torch with a water arrow) or distract guards with a noisemaker arrow in order to get them out of your way momentarily. There is also a light gem in your HUD that will tell you how visible you are, keeping you as invisible as possible.

You must be very mindful of the sounds that you make, as well. You can’t simply gallop along through the levels; you must keep your footsteps very quiet in order to sneak past guards or get the drop on them by either stabbing them in the back with your dagger or simply knocking them unconscious with your blackjack. However, after taking your foe out of commission, it is imperative that you hide the body as other guards may find the body and be out for your blood.

The enemy AI has been greatly improved, both in guards and other characters. Guards will hunt you down if they are alerted to your presence and will search out possible hiding places, making it necessary that you keep moving even with the enemy on your trail. Also, NPCs will seek out guards if they discover you and begin an all out search.

The graphics are fantastic, keeping the game’s atmosphere very dark and moody. The game utilizes the lighting bloom effect used in Deus Ex: Invisible War, meaning that the lighting is realistic and beautiful. The character models are realistic and cast dynamic shadows. The environments look fantastic, with great attention to detail. You can now switch between first and third person mode; a feature new to the Thief series, and either one feels comfortable.

Deadly Shadows makes great use of sound, keeping in line with the other Thief games. Enemy banter is realistic, as they will react vocally to onscreen events. For example, if you run and hide behind a box and the guard sees you do so, then they will say something to the effect of “Hey, who’s behind that box?” and search you out. Also, sound is important to the overall dynamic of the gameplay as I mentioned earlier, as you have to pay attention to how much noise you are making in order to avoid detection.

Now comes the question, how does Thief: Deadly Shadows compare to the current crop of Splinter Cells and Metal Gear Solids, the forerunners of the stealth action genre? Well, it’s pretty safe to say that it’s a whole new ball game when it comes to Thief. In Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid, you have a great deal of high tech gadgetry and deadly weapons to assist you in your missions. However, in Thief, you have no such things, merely a few medieval weapons and your cunning (although, in Deadly Shadows, Garrett does have a nifty night-vision eye ability, but even that is pretty barebones). Therefore, Deadly Shadows provides an experience unique to the stealth genre, one that shouldn’t be missed by either fans of the genre or the Thief series.

Gameplay: 8.9
The gameplay in Deadly Shadows is great stealth action. You don’t have a lot of tools at your disposal, so instead you must utilize your brain in order to progress through the missions. The AI has been greatly improved from its predecessors, requiring you to use even more thought to get around guards and other characters in the game.

Graphics: 9.5
Deadly Shadows is a beautiful game. The lighting effects are atmospheric and do well to set the stage for the game, and the character models look fantastic.

Sound: 9.5
Sound has always been an important part of the Thief series, and Deadly Shadows is no different. A great amount of attention has been paid to the game’s sound, as made evident by the superb voice work, crisp sound effects and ambient music.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.9
Deadly Shadows features a great sense of atmosphere and immersion, not simply aesthetically, but in the gameplay as well.

Overall: 9.0
Deadly Shadows is a great game, one that provides the next step in the evolution of the Thief series and won’t disappoint fans of either its predecessors or the stealth genre in general.