By removing the guns, the cameras and the futuristic gadgetry, Thief’s medieval setting allows it to capture the very essence of the stealth genre: hide and sneak. Though Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid apply the hush-hush mentality successfully to their respective gameplay dynamics, the stealth is merely advice; a preferred method of success, but not an essential one. You may be warned that getting spotted multiple times means ‘Game Over’ but, objectives aside, being caught just gives you a decent chance at fighting back.

With Garrett, the reluctant anti-hero of the Thief series, we have an avatar whose very lack of military training and advanced technology forces the gamer to be patient, wary and smart. Become friends with the darkness, and enemy of the light. Getting noticed does not mean ‘Game Over’, but a chase will ensue, as will the dash for the shadows and the nervous will-they, won’t-they wait. Bracing for combat is futile, as you’ll almost certainly lose. Get caught, and your only chance is to run and hide.

Thief: Deadly Shadows is set within what is only referred to as The City, a moderately sized location of multiple districts, divisions of wealth, factions and citizens. To begin with, Garrett is given an opportunity to raid a small Inn and steal some loot from a nobleman; the mission also serves as a useful tutorial. During the mission you eves-drop on your target, Lord Jullion, and learn of his plans to break into his cousin’s castle in order to steal a large Opal. This intrigues our master thief.

Though the opening mission is a decent introduction, the game really starts when breaking into the Castle. You quickly learn the effectiveness of darkness and how to manipulate it by distinguishing light from shadow. You also learn of the guards and servants, and how to manipulate them by sound and distraction. Primarily sticking to the shadows, Garrett is able to move about the castle, quietly listening to the often ludicrous (yet sometimes essential) conversations between guards and family members. You’ll learn of the family’s hatred for each other and the guards’ apathy at their job, also how everyone inside the castle is secretly wanting the same Opal you have come to steal. You may even read memos regarding murder attempts and further detail surrounding the family’s own conspiracy, but you will also find out essential information about the location of the Opal itself. These frequent moments give the game a unique personal touch, especially as not all of your victims are as rich and vile as the Rutherfords.

The castle is large and filled with servants, guards and family members, however there are no security cameras or radios, and so the residents can only shout or run for help if Garrett is spotted. If nobody hears, then nobody comes to their aid. Closing doors helps by cutting down the chances of sound travelling, although your movement may be noticed. An alerted guard is dangerous, as you may be hidden in complete darkness, but they search vigorously and will kill easily if engaged. It’s that moment when you’re edged right up against the wall, eyes utterly fixed on the wandering guard, when you notice him suddenly turn and walk towards your very location that you begin to hold your breath, as if it’d make the slightest difference. It is moments like this that make up the Thief experience, as the AI reacts to your sounds and actions in a surprisingly effective manner. Extinguish a candle and they will react accordingly, searching that particular area of darkness with curiosity and care. A problem then, when the guard is actually carrying a flaming torch. Where to hide when the guard himself is generating the light?

Thief: Deadly Shadows will always give you a primary objective, but the game is really about the minor problems and the different options you are given in order to solve them. Each room can become a puzzle for you to solve, one with numerous solutions and outcomes, not all of them preferable. Though there is this deep feeling that each room must be tackled individually, the level design on a grander scale is fairly magnificent. The levels are often huge, yet not all of it is essential and much of it is merely an alternative route. This isn’t a case of one route being fraught with danger yet filled with rewards and the other safe but without gold: these levels are built purposefully and logically. You enter the Rutherford Castle with a goal, but upon observation and resilience you come away with far more information (and loot) than you would have done if you had just stuck to your primary task.

If everything so far sounds incredibly familiar to those who have experienced the first two games of the series, then this is simply because Deadly Shadows plays almost exactly the same. Yes, there is an optional third person view, although the standard first person mode has been implemented satisfactorily. All but one of the different arrow-types make a return, including the Water Arrows for putting out fire and washing away blood, Fire Arrows for lighting flames and attacking enemies and Moss Arrows for quietening footsteps (and also preventing enemies from shouting if you hit them square in the face) – the only absentee is the Rope Arrow, replaced with the Spider Man-like Climbing Gloves, which is a slightly disappointing swap, but not terribly so.

Deadly Shadows is through and through a Thief experience, containing one major difference: The City itself. Now, between missions, you are able to explore The City in order to sell loot and buy new items and equipment, but you can also learn of new sub-missions and break into new houses and locations. This addition to the game has been developed with care and it does almost feel alive. Unfortunately, however, it lacks the intricacy of the proper missions as only a small portion of the buildings can be entered, and thus there is a limit on how much you can actually do. The frequent loading times that break up the relatively small districts is intrusive, which can also be a test of patience. A slight disappointment, though what can be achieved is genuinely enjoyable, and listening-in on the (well acted) conversations gives you greater insight into the goings on of The City and also provide minor details that add to the already intriguing and beautifully presented plot.

The ‘quick save’ mentality that plagues modern day gaming is surprisingly absent in Thief, despite the ability to save as frequently as you wish. Although the game is full of the danger, Garrett is able to move about so swiftly and sink into the darkness so quickly that escape is always possible, if never easy. It’s a huge shame, then, that this finely balanced difficulty has been hampered by releasing the game before it was due, thus a number of bugs have been introduced that make the game fall right back into the quick-save trap. Most prominently is the infuriating problem of getting stuck on the environment, something that is particularly noticeable when the geometry becomes complicated. It isn’t at all frequent; however it is enough to make you think twice about performing certain actions without saving first. Other problems, such as the sometimes irregular AI, unfriendly front-end and other slight inconsistencies in the physics and controls are a minor irritation, but thankfully not enough to really affect the experience.

This is a very easy game to get into, and one which intuitively finds its complexity in difficult situations rather than bombarding the player with gimmicks and gadgets. The very essence of the stealth genre was created with Thief: The Dark Project back in 1998. Six years later, Thief: Deadly Shadows captures the same spirit beautifully.