Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow Shows Encouraging VR Stealth

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is an encouraging tackle the basic stealth collection thus far. We went hands-on and interviewed the builders.

Over a decade since its final entry, the Thief collection is again as soon as once more however with Maze Concept (Infinite Inside) and Vertigo Video games (Metro Awakening) on the helm. Set between the unique collection and 2014’s reboot, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow focuses on a brand new protagonist known as Magpie that is preventing again towards the town’s tyrannical ruler, Baron Ulysses Northcrest. Proper now, the early indicators have me intrigued.

Going down alongside my Attain preview, I demoed the PlayStation VR2 version earlier this month. The primary stage includes stealing intel from a guard station, which feels constricted as you enterprise by typically slim streets with some open areas to navigate. Stage two requires exploring a way more spacious surroundings with a number of paths, the place you should sneak right into a guarded mansion to swipe a key merchandise.

My speedy intuition is to check all the things’s interactivity, and looking out by drawers for gadgets to pilfer quickly pays off by discovering hidden loot, storing these by placing them close to my chest. This ties into your general development and rewards extra thorough thieves with these smaller treasures, although the demo would not reveal how this performs out throughout the principle recreation.

Whereas I want pulling up your stock was an on-body motion as a substitute of a button press, Thief VR’s immersion usually feels good. Throwing glass bottles to distract guards, pulling up home windows to go away buildings, ensuring doorways are closed to cut back suspicion, and bodily crouching behind cowl in shadows to not get caught. Particulars like these collectively make an exciting complete, and I really feel tense navigating these oppressive environments.

I am normally crouching to keep away from making a lot sound whereas transferring and never lingering within the mild any longer than I completely must. A blue crystal on the again of your hand shines to let you already know that you just’re not in darkness, an appropriate strategy that reduces HUD components. These aren’t fully minimal, although; a guard alerted to your presence or a disturbance shows an icon above them.

The second demo stage introduces Glyph Imaginative and prescient, which is extra paying homage to the reboot’s focus mode than the mechanical eye of Garrett, Thief’s authentic protagonist. Garrett’s disembodied voice guides you all through Thief VR for causes that are not fully clear but, and his presence appears immediately linked to this capacity. I could not get many story insights past environmental clues.

Glyph Imaginative and prescient features equally to Detective Imaginative and prescient in Batman: Arkham Shadow, the place you set your controller to the headset’s aspect and hit the set off. A handy strategy that highlights each enemies and factors of curiosity alike, akin to electrical wires powering an alarm system, although this may solely be used for therefore lengthy earlier than needing to recharge.

Fight opens up extra within the second stage, and Thief VR is a recreation that actively disincentivizes this strategy. You may take down each guard, positive, although it is a lot riskier when some (although not all) of the guards can kill you in a single hit. Arrows are very restricted, and whereas they will usefully create distractions, there isn’t any goal help as soon as the arrow takes flight.

Some arrows double up as Magpie’s instruments, like rope arrows for reaching set areas or water arrows for placing out fires. So there is a trade-off the place killing everybody means you may miss different alternatives in a while. This makes the stealth strategy really feel extra rewarding. Getting one over on these guards is nice, and making my escape is fairly satisfying.

It is a promising begin, although there’s nonetheless work to be achieved. I can not converse for different platforms as solely the PS VR2 demo was obtainable however notable bugs on this demo, like lacking mission markers, have me questioning if it should get delayed. One second noticed enemies nonetheless on full alert to my presence after being killed and reloading to a checkpoint, regardless that I would not been caught once more.

Quickly after my demo, I interviewed Principal Designer Nick Witsel from Vertigo Video games and Richard Bunn from Maze Concept to be taught extra. Asking how Thief VR received off the bottom, each firms have been already discussing a possible collaboration when Eidos Montreal was acquired by the Embracer Group, which Vertigo Video games falls below by way of Plaion.

After seeing Maze Concept’s atmospheric work on Peaky Blinders, Witsel confirmed Thief was then pitched to the studio, who readily accepted.

“It got here collectively in a short time, and that was then pitched to Eidos, who have been very enthusiastic about it as properly. They have been very supportive and gave us plenty of freedom to create this new chapter,” Witsel replied.

Querying how they approached adapting Thief’s conventional gameplay, Witsel highlights stealth as working “rather well” in VR because of its sense of presence and immersion. Saying Thief video games are about exploring your surroundings and paying shut consideration to particulars, he believes bodily sneaking round and peeking behind corners interprets properly.

Nonetheless, this introduced round some fascinating challenges, with Witsel utilizing mild and darkish environments for example.

“Within the authentic Thief video games, you’ve gotten your heads-up show that tells you in the event you’re in a lightweight spot or a darkish spot. The degrees are very clearly color-coded, nearly with arduous borders, and that is probably not life like, however we settle for that as a part of the gameplay. As of late, video games have to look extra life like, so you may’t actually have that stark distinction. On the identical time, we do not need some heads-up show that is all the time in your subject of view.

“It has to really feel pure; you should take a look at a shadow and go, “That appears darkish sufficient” for me to cover there and really feel secure. However on the identical time, in the event you make shadows fully black, particularly in VR, that makes you are feeling very disconnected as you simply do not see something. We needed to shift it in order that darkish areas are a bit lighter than they realistically could be with out feeling immersion-breaking. It is a very deliberate steadiness that now we have to attain.”

Weighing in, Bunn discusses how Thief video games have a singular environment and “a sure sense to them” they’re hoping to seize. Noting I really feel extremely alert to noise whereas sneaking round, sound design is highlighted as one other key problem with footsteps and guard chatter. I instinctively preserve closing doorways behind me, which apparently was a sensible name. Witsel states closed doorways will assist obscure noises being made in a room.

Bunn additionally highlights the problem of the place to put Thief VR within the timeline given its 4 prior entries, advising this impacts what issues they will say or do throughout the recreation.

Garrett’s position and different narrative particulars are additionally being saved near the chest for now; he is a part of this story however not bodily current throughout Thief VR. Nonetheless, Legacy of Shadow connects these two eras by happening within the center.

“There are a number of issues. So there’s the regulation, story, backstory, the historical past of these video games, a timeline, and occasions. We’ve to be delicate to all of these issues… We sit within the center, 200 years after the unique video games, and we join them. Generally in a really direct manner, whereas different moments are, in the event you’re a fan of the video games and also you’re conscious of the little particulars, there are clues.”

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow reaches Quest, Steam, and PlayStation VR2 later this yr.