Game Name: Thief of Thieves
Developer: Rival games
Publisher: Skybound
Release Date: July 16th, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows and XBOX One
Introduction
After playing some Wolfenstein: Youngblood, I wanted to have a change of pace. Before playing Wolfenstein, I had contemplated playing this game. The preview for it looked really cool and I loved the comic book look of it as well. Also from what I had read online, it was not a really long game, so I gave it a shot.
Story
To give a bit of background on this game, this is based on the comic of the same name. Publication of the series started February 2012 and continues until today.
The comic follows an ex thief called Redmond. He was involved in a life of crime as a thief before quitting the game. He then feels remorse for what he has done in the past so he now steals from other thieves. At least in the game it is towards a noble goal but I cannot say in the comic book.
He also has a new apprentice called Celia. He helps him with the execution of various missions. She is a cat burglar. She can do a little of everything, but her specialty is sneaking in to get valuable information.
I have not read the comics myself, but after playing the game I am quite interested.
The plot of the game is quite simple. You play as Celia and Redmond is your mentor and boss. HHis real name is Conrad Paulson. You play through various heists and plans to eventually pull off one of the biggest heists at the end with the help of other thieves.
We learn vaguely in the story that Celia has a young son. However, the whereabouts are not mentioned.
The missions or quests start small and then they grow bigger and bigger until you use everything that you have learned for the big heist at the end.
Thief of Thieves: Season One Trailer
Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to TellTale games. It is more of an interactive story than a full fledged game. However, unlike TellTale, there's more puzzle solving here.
You have objectives with every quest or mission. Some are optional and others are mandatory to the story.
The controls are pretty good as they are pretty responsive. There were a few places where the controls felt clunky but I think it was due to the way that I was playing and not the fault of the game.
The dialogue is similar to what you would have in similar type games. When you are prompted to speak, you have dialogue choices to make. These are usually the buttons on the controller (A, B, X and Y). I find it a bummer that they do not leave you enough time to always read the options. You sometimes feel rushed when reading the options available to you.
The game itself is not long if you know what you are doing. After the first play through all 4 volumes will take you about two hours. Taking my time and not getting everything at first, took me about 8 hours. A lot of that time was me trying different things with the game. For the average player, it would take half as much time maximum.
This game has 4 volumes and each volume has a variable amount of parts (4 to 6). Other than that, there is not much else that needs to be said.
Thief of Thieves: Season One Sample Gameplay
Bottomline
What can I say about this game? It caught me by surprise. I had not heard anything about the game or the comic that it is based on. I can officially say that I am a fan.
Let us start with the positives. The graphics are amazing. They are in the similar art style as the comics and cut scenes with the panels are sweet. This game really felt like an interactive comic book and not a game.
The voice acting I found was phenomenal. The story was cool but the voice acting did a lot to keep me involved. Everyone that Skybound picked to voice these characters was perfect.
I have to admit that I felt there was more character development in this game than with Wolfenstein: Youngblood. There is just enough dialogue to hear the other's story and be intrigued about where they all came from. This was one of the strongest parts of the game. Also considering that this is a 4 hour game and not a 35 hour game.
The theme song and music was super addictive. I was hooked the first second that I heard it.
Thief of Thieves: Season One Theme
If you are into narrative games or interactive movies, then this is for you. The story is cool and it is not too long. For those of us who have limited time in their day, this is right up your alley.
As I mentioned before, this was a very happy surprise for me and I am hooked on the game. I also want to read the comics now as I like these types of stories about thieves among thieves.
I fully recommend this game and it is on Microsoft Game Pass so if you have the service, there is no reason to try it out.
Did you play it? What did you think? Let us know.
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