Thief Simulator

This is a story of a thief, with highly detailed theft simulation. The game demonstrates the tricks necessary for thievery in action, concentrating on how one does his unlawful job. If you’re fond of outlaw romantic stories on your game shelf, download Thief Simulator and enjoy the story of a thief on his mission.

Graphics 5/5

With some share of conventional elements (like silhouettes of people visible through walls), the game looks great. It’s a first-person stealth adventure, set in an open world in full 3D. The environment is detailed and full of life around you. Details matter, so listen to what’s around and don’t forget to look into all the hidden places where loot or danger may await. Better play in the dark, because many scenes happen during the night.

Yes, it could have been more detailed and polished. But it only takes 5 GB of space and runs on Core i5 with Windows 7, so the compromise is reasonable.

Gameplay 4/5

Unlike stories like GTA, with most actions simplified for the narrative’s sake, Thief Simulator is really a simulator. You restart your activity as a thief indebted to some criminal clan for getting him out of trouble, and now it’s payback time. So you need to steal into some house and jack it.

The first mission is, in fact, a tutorial, showing you the trick you’ll need in your dirty and risky business. Break through fences, crouch to get in the yard, steal past the host, and search the house to steal anything valuable. And don’t get caught; your vision through the wall is some analog of the sixth sense, so necessary in thief’s profession.

Then you’re free to follow the storyline, mission by mission, or just explore the open world of your neighborhood. Real thieves try to do their thing far from home, but you’re limited in space, so enjoy the game conventionality.

The tastiest part of the game is a simulation. You’ll need to deactivate alarms, break through fences, unlock doors, hijack cars, and do all the things that enrich you quickly. Sell your loot and buy the equipment that enhances your skills. The puzzles you need to solve involve both logic and intuition. Scout the houses and check the drawers. Watch the entrance to find the moment nobody’s in. And so on.

The only thing it lacks, though a serious one, is learning AI. Unlike the famous Hello Neighbor, your neighbors here don’t learn on their mistakes, leaving the same protection and hiding the valuables in the same places, so it makes you think they deserve being robbed.

Controls 5/5

As you proceed through your first mission, you see hints on whatever object you need to interact with. They also contain the instruction on controls. You’ll have to use both your mouse, your WASD buttons to move, and a lot of other keys for interaction. In fact, it’s easy to learn: we all have seen many games with E key used for grabbing objects, for example. Once having mastered it, you’ll find it a solid pleasure to rob. Warning this Thief Simulator review should highlight: in real life, it won’t work like this.

Replay Value 4/5

As we have said, your victims don’t learn on their mistakes. So, on mastering the game, you may find it dull to rob the same houses the same way again. Yes, it has a sandbox mode, with free roaming in your hood and exploring the houses at your own will. This provides several extra hours of pleasant play. But as you learn, the only way to get some extras is to raise the difficulty to the max. It will help, but not for long.

The Bottom Line

The game is just what it says on the tin. It’s a crime story with first-person thief simulation in the foreground. Those who bothered to download Thief Simulator are mostly satisfied with the game, so it will provide you some hours of fun. The publishers promise to roll out DLC, so we hope one day they make the AI smarter. Yet even in its current condition, it’s one of the best indie games of 2018.

• Graphics 5
• Gameplay 4
• Controls 5
• Replay Value 4

Pros

Detailed simulation of theft
Rich graphics (but not overloading middle-class configurations)
Tutorial well integrated into the game
Social components integrated, showing what’s after the steal

Cons

The AI is bad at learning
The map could have been larger