Fans of stealthy video games know which AAA franchise they can get their fix from. 2014 marks a rebirth for the cult classic Thief series, as Square Enix and Eidos Montreal will soon be releasing a reboot of Garret’s master thief adventures.
There’s a ton of info surrounding this upcoming February 2014 release. Before you plunk down your gamer bucks, make sure you check out this roundup of all the important tidbits of info surrounding Thief’s reboot.
Here’s the top 10 facts you need to know about the upcoming reboot of Thief!
1. It Was Originally Announced as Thief 4
Back in 2009, this rebooted version of Thief was originally being developed/produced as Thief 4. At first, Eidos Montreal commissioned a small team of developers to craft the game. Some of the early gameplay mechanic concepts for this project revolved around having a new master thief, a 3rd-person perspective and even parkour elements that would be similiar to the ones seen in Assassin’s Creed. Later in 2010, Eidos Montreal expanded its team of devs for Thief. They eventually split off some of its team members and put them to work on the game’s multiplayer modes. In a March 2013 issue of Game Informer, it was revealed that Thief was going to make its way over to next-generation consoles and the consoles it was already announced for.
2. The Voice Actor for The Main Thief Has Been Changed
Stephen Russell.
Garret’s original voice actor through the entire series was Stephen Russell. Eidos Montreal decided to make a change to this long-running tradition by giving Garret’s voice actor role to a new actor named Romano Orzari. Fans were undoubtedly upset with this executive decision (some fans even went as far starting a petition to get Stephen Russell back).
Eidos Montreal eventually offered a statement on why they made this voice actor change:
We made the decision to record our actor’s voices and their movement at the same time using a full performance capture technique. The actor playing Garrett needed to be able to perform his own stunts. Garrett’s a really athletic guy. We could have pasted Stephen’s voice on top of the actions and stunts of someone else, but this wouldn’t appear natural.
3. The Plot Revolves Around A Location Known as “The City”
The storyline for this reboot focuses on a locale called “The City,” a fantasy-themed world that’s inspired by Victorian and steampunk design. Players will once again take control of master thief Garret as he returns to this place he previously resided in. A new tyrant that’s simply named “The Baron” now oversees “The City.” This city is plagued by a sweeping sickness, along with greed and rampant homelessness. Garrett comes back to town in order to exploit the rich and save the city’s lesser denizens. Check out the video trailer above to get the best details on the game’s overall plot.
4. Garret Retains His Arsenal of Weapons for This New Adventure
Garret employs a large number of items that help him put down enemies stealthily and get past most adversaries unseen. Garret carries around a blackjack that can be used to knock out unsuspecting guards, plus he has access to a compound bow. This bow-and-arrow combo comes with all types of arrows that fits all types of different situations. For example, the Water Arrows can be properly utilized to put out fire lanterns and further darken any area. Garret also has a claw add-on that can be used to grapple enemies and the sides of buildings. The game will provide players with even more weapons and supplies through the in-game currency system.
5. “Focus” Mode is One of the Newest Features Being Added to Garret’s Repertoire
One of the newer mechanics being added to Garret’s movelist is called “Focus” mode. This mode allows Garret’s vision to change and make everything onscreen take on a new shade of color. For example, the pipes that Garret can climb up onto become highlighted for players to notice in their environmental challenges. This mode also slows down time to make Garret perform his actions much quicker and enable him to perform more brutal finishing moves.