Thief - Preview @ GameGrin

GameGrin has more infomation about Thief in this new preview.

Much of Thief takes place within the walls of a pseudo-medieval city run by a tyrannical leader, Baron Northcrest, whose iron rule is making the rich richer and the poor poorer. After using military strength to secure his position, his uncaring and brutal rule is fostering growing unrest among a population ravaged by plague. Initially the plot seemed uncannily similar to Dishonored, but the maturity and complexity with which Thief handled comparable themes appeared to be more subtle.

Our presentation of the game involved Garrett infiltrating Baron Northcrest’s mansion with the intention of stealing a priceless gem called the Heart of the Lion. However, the growing civil unrest within the city has increased the numbers of guards on patrol, making the thief’s task much more difficult. Thief is played from a first-person perspective with a relatively minimal amount of information displayed on-screen. A single meter tucked into the bottom left corner indicated Garrett’s health, “Focus” (more on that later) and how visible he is to other characters.

Commenting on the nominal heads-up display, the developers explained they wanted to increase the level of immersion and provide feedback to the player in more subtle ways. While a small circular “moon” lights up when Garrett is visible, the edges of the screen become darker when he is hidden alongside the moon fading to grey. Equally, menu screens and Garrett’s inventory are kept simple, maximising information and reducing time spent out of the game.