Thief (2014): Should You Buy The Game?

Despite poor reviews, Square Enix's reboot of Thief has been doing extrmely well, as it has managed to sneak to the top of the UK charts, according to a report by Metro. Also worth noting is that the game achieved the second highest sales for any number one this year, behind FIFA 14.

So, the big question is, should you buy the game? Here's what experts say.

IGN 6/10

Thief has some strong stealth mechanics going for it, and getting away unseen with a big haul of loot can be an enormous challenge, but doesn't always put that to good use.

Between the hit-or-miss missions is an extremely annoying city hub map and a weak story full of bland characters, and Garrett himself isn't as sure-footed as a master thief ought to be.

Ignoring the story and cherry picking the best side missions is the best way to approach it.

Expert Reviews UK 3/5

Thief is by no means a bad game, with small flickers of excellence in the location designs, but we would hesitate to call it a worthy continuation of the series legacy.

Once you dig down into the gameplay menus and turn off the hint systems, there is still a lot of what made the original games so compelling, but the overly simplified mechanics make for a diluted Thief experience.

PC Games (Germany) 8.5/100

The return of Garrett on PC is great for gamers who love to climb, sneak and steal through a dark steampunk setting, opening hundreds of drawers, cupboards, chests and more to find loot.

The narrative aspect of the game is entertaining and particularly the movement of Garrett offers a deep in-game feeling. Some design-issues won't please thief-veterans, especially the action-drive scenes.

There's also a lack of orientation in the nested level design of the city. But equipped with cool gear and tons of game-options you will definitely find your individual thief-experience.

Game Informer 8/10

If you are content to save your game every couple minutes and enjoy a slower-paced stealth game, then Thief rewards you with plenty of moments so tense you might catch yourself holding your breath.

Eurogamer Germany 7/10

Had Square Montreal shifted its focus from the story chapters towards the more open-ended city, and granted players more sandbox-y freedom, this could have been quite a milestone for the genre.

In merely aping the strengths and, unfortunately, the bad habits of its competitors, though, it becomes just another, if quite well polished, stealth game on the market.

GameSpot 6/10

Such is the turbulent nature of Thief, a clunky, intriguing, slapdash, atmospheric stealth game that leashes you to its inconsistencies and gives you no choice but to submit to its whims.

Edge Magazine 7/10

Thief is far from the disaster that many feared it would be, and fans who take the time to customise their settings ahead of their first playthrough will find a rewarding world here to pick clean.

Nevertheless, it's still difficult to shake the feeling that, for all his dexterity, Garrett has stumbled in his attempt to gain access to a new generation.

Riot Pixels 6/10

Oh well, this Garrett couldn't steal my heart.

NowGamer 6.5/10

When Thief remembers to be a stealth game, to focus on the kleptomaniac joy of cleaning a place out unseen, it's great. Unfortunately, Thief tries to do too many other things and does them badly, preventing a good game from being a great one.

IncGamers 3/10

The three major strengths of past Thief titles - wide open mission design, sound propagation and narrative - are this game's biggest weaknesses. That is a fundamental problem it cannot hope to overcome.