Thief pioneered the stealth-action style beginning within the late ’90s, and now the storied franchise is lastly coming to all main headsets in its first made-for-VR sport.
I had an opportunity to go hands-on with the most recent construct of Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow on PSVR 2 on the first VR Video games Showcase stay occasion, which passed off in London in September. It’s additionally coming to Quest 2 and above and SteamVR headsets at launch, which is anticipated someday later this yr.
I walked away impressed with my hour-long hands-on, and right here’s why: briefly, it’s constructed from the ground-up with VR immersion in thoughts, from scaling buildings and sneaking round hulking armored guards, to the type of well designed object interplay you’d count on from a VR-native.
It additionally does one thing I like in VR video games, particularly it shies away from exposition-heavy narrative drops in favor of rewarding your curiosity.
Past discovering notes and clues across the sport’s steam-punky environments, you’ll additionally listen in on guards as they gossip about what the higher-ups are ordering, or how the Metropolis is altering in response to the brand new menace on the town: Magpie, a scruffy Clever Dodger-type turned Tremendous Thief with the assistance of a magical relic. That’s you.
Notice: you’ll additionally most likely acknowledge a well-recognized voice from the unique flatscreen video games: voice actor Stephen Russell is reprising his position as Garrett,
Like different Thief video games, fight actually isn’t the main focus right here. When you’re armed with a bow, which incorporates a number of arrow sorts you could craft and expend in numerous methods, and a black jack for up shut and private takedowns, sneaking round guards is normally the popular transfer.
In case you do bash a guard’s head in, they aren’t useless both—they’re simply taking a pleasant little nap. However as soon as a patrolling guard detects a fallen comrade, they’ll get up, which places the squad on excessive alert—not solely placing you in peril as they scramble round looking for the intruder, but additionally damaging your possibilities at nabbing the mission’s highest stealth rating.
So, it’s extra about hiding within the shadows and not attempting to tackle the armored guards face-to-face. I discovered that the arduous method a number of occasions throughout my one-hour gameplay session. A borked assassination try will simply alert guards, altering the diamond above their head to more and more indignant shades of crimson. When you’re in hanging distance, it’s again to the autosave.
As an alternative, you’ll be extra centered on slinking round and getting your sticky fingers over all method of loot, a few of which is locked in chests want of selecting. To date, it appears like a kind of low-level ability checks that’s extra about creating the best environment than one thing really tough, however enjoyable simply the identical.
That mentioned, accumulating loot isn’t a should, nevertheless it does improve your end-mission rating, and helps with upgrades on your subsequent mission too.
These upgrades are essential, since arrows are normally briefly provide. Having extra ammo might imply the distinction between traversing probably the most tough route by means of a mission, or attending to do extra emergent gameplay stuff, like lighting a blaze with a fireplace arrow far-off to distract a guard, or grapple-arrowing your method as much as the next vantage level or secret space. You may also shoot far-off guards that may in any other case see you sneaking round a backyard. There are a number of methods to pores and skin the hypothetical cat, Maze Concept tells me.
That mentioned, you may’t simply skirt round (or shoot) guards the whole time. Pickpocketing can be a requirement in some missions, that means you’ll must rigorously sneak up on guards and elevate a wanted door key or essential merchandise. You may, in fact, smack them down together with your trusty black jack, though it’s much less ultimate when there are a number of guards about.
One of many key additions to Thief VR is its Glyph Imaginative and prescient, which helps you determine unseen issues, like energy cables coursing by means of a constructing. Maintain your hand as much as your temple, and a brief quantity of Glyph Imaginative and prescient leads the way in which. Yup, there are puzzles too.
Following the cable, I discover it leads behind a locked door, which implies I must pickpocket a key, scale the constructing from behind, get one other key hidden in a puzzle, cut back down and observe the cable to a room, which, you guessed it, is an environmental puzzle requiring me to climb up pipes and deactivate a safety gate.
From what I’ve performed, it appears Thief VR is all about these types of multi-step, nestled targets, all of them peppered with stealth interactions. And up to now, Thief VR appears to be the total bundle: wonderful visuals, good object interplay, immersive storytelling, wonderful voice expertise, and missions that really feel like lived-in locations.
I’m actually wanting ahead to exploring all of it in our full evaluate when the sport launches someday later this yr. Within the meantime, you may wishlist Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow on the Horizon Retailer for Quest 2 and above, the PlayStation Retailer for PSVR 2, and Steam for PC VR headsets.
Disclosure: VR Video games Present coated journey and lodging bills for one Street to VR author to attend the occasion.
