You will not find a more immersive game...

Thief Gold is an expanded version of Thief: The Dark Project. It contains 3 more missions than the original 12 in the first game, new enemy types, some revisions to some of the maps/loot and expanded on the story and the universe the game takes place in.

Thief: The Dark Project came out more than 15 years ago, Thief Gold coming out a year later. It was the first ever first-person 3D game where stealth, not fighting was the emphasis. In fact, trying to play it like it was any other first-person game up to that point would result in a very quick and unceremonious death. You aren't a strong warrior skilled with a sword, you are a Thief, adept at lockpicking, pickpocketing and burglary. When it comes to combat you will often find you are weaker, slower, and deal less damage than your opponent. You do, of course, carry a sword and you can parry blows from enemies. However, a blackjack to the back of the skull when they don't know you are even there is much more effective, and satisfying. An arrow shot from afar, though cowardly, is always better than more direct confrontation. Heck, you can play through most missions without even engaging the enemy, so long as you are careful, clever and patient. Regarding enemy takedowns: you need to hide unconscious bodies (and corpses) because if other enemies stumble upon it they will go into full alert mode. This could also mean having to use a water arrow to wash away the blood you've spilled, you murderer.

Thief: The Dark Project was, and still is, one of the most immersive games you will ever play (the others being Thief 2: The Metal Age, and Thief: Deadly Shadows). Even the 2014 THIEF (reboot) game cannot compare to the original(s). Not in immersion, mechanics, scope or story. The game required you, as a master Thief, to creep along in the shadows, avoid detection by enemies, steal some nice loot, and meet the mission objectives, because dammit - you have bills to pay.

The levels are huge, complex and sprawling. They take you through the streets of a dark city, mansions, caverns, crypts... it wouldn't be unfair to say that the game is part 'Tomb Raider', in that you sometimes find yourself trying to figure out how to avoid clever traps in tombs far underground where undead and burrowing beasts make their home. You have to climb ropes, leap from ledge to ledge, and swim, among other things, to meet your objectives.

One of the greatest things this game and it's 2 immediate successors had was the mythology of the game's universe. There are interesting factions with opposing ideologies and myriad layers of philosophical inferences made by all of them. The Hammerites are devout followers of an orderly religion that worships a "diety" they call "The Builder". The Builder is revered for casting down the "Trickster" and leading the way for progress, particularly in building and forging. The Trickster was a chaotic pagan god of the wild forests of the old world. He's a Puckish character; part Pan and part Green Man. There are "The Keepers" who watch from the shadows all the happenings of the world, intervening only to maintain a balance between opposing forces, and keeping scholarly records of all that occurs. There also exist the "Mages", who are akin to Nietzsche's Super Man, in that they have excelled beyond their human abilities, but in turn have lost some of their human moral sensibilities, isolating themselves away from society to study deeper mysteries.

Regarding gameplay mechanics: You have a light gem on the HUD that brightens and darkens signifying how exosed you are. When it is black you are in pitch blackness and therefore completely invisible to the enemy. You also have health shields to signify what your physical status is. Your arsenal can include a sword, blackjack, arrow, water arrow, noise arrow, fire arrow, rope arrow, moss arrow, and gas arrow. The sword will be the least used of your weapons. The blackjack will knock an enemy out. An arrow can kill most enemies on the first shot so long as they have no idea you are there and you have the arrow fully ♥♥♥♥♥♥. Water arrows extinguish torches and fires, and can even kill fire elementals and fire shadows. The noise arrow will distract enemies. The fire arrow can kill, light torches, and explode explosive barrels and other such. The rope arrow allows you to climb to otherwise unreachable places. The moss arrow makes loud and noisy surface soft and quiet. The gas arrow knocks an enemy unconscious.

Items include various food items that can increase health, health potions, breath potions, flash bombs to blind the enemies, mines, gas mines, keys, lockpicks, and other useable items.

Unlike games of today, there are no in-game cutscenes. The game is broken up into missions and there are cutscenes inbetween that expand upon the story, though much of the story unfolds in readables and overheard conversations during gameplay. Overhearing an important conversation, finding a key item, or stumbling into a room full of guards and dealing with it's consequences ALL takes place within the game. You are ALWAYS in control. How any situation is dealt with is entirely up to you. Do you shoot a noise arrow down that hall to distract the enemies so you can run by? Or maybe you could douse all the torches and make it dark enough to creep past. You could fire a gas arrow at their feet and put them all asleep. Maybe you could toss a flashbomb at them temporarily blinding them. Or you could just try looking for another way in. There's always another way in to be found.

One of the most immersive aspects of the game is it's sound propogation. Sound carries and it gives you an indication of how near or far an enemy is, from which direction, and it informs how you proceed in the game. You can lean your ear against closed doors to listen for footsteps or conversations happening on the other side - opening doors willy-nilly is not the best approach in this game. In this respect, it's very much a strategy game: when to move, when to take, when to engage,... Another factor that determines how the game is played is in the difficulty settings. On Normal difficulty you have generally less restrictive objectives. You can kill "enemy" ai, if you want. On Hard difficulty your loot quota goes up, more objectives are added, and you have fewer health shields. On Expert difficulty your loot quota goes up higher, even more objectives are added, you have even less health shields, and on most missions you cannot kill anyone. I could be wrong, but I believe the difficulty settings also affect starting equipment and where some items are to be found. I know of one mission in particular where a secret door is inaccessible on higher difficulty levels. No matter what the difficulty level, finding as much loot as possible is strongly advised, because you spend the loot you find before the start of the next mission buying the equipment you will need for it.

This game is old, and it's ugly. However, it has a following and a community that has been keeping it as up to date as possible. There is a patch that includes a new enhanced executable, improved models, improved textures, bug fixes, and other tweaks. You can find it here: http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134733

This is gaming perfection. 10/10

You will not find a more immersive game... Thief Gold is an expanded version of Thief: The Dark Project. It contains 3 more missions than the original 12 in the first game, new enemy types, some revisions to some of the maps/loot and expanded on the story and the universe the game takes place in. Thief: The Dark Project came out more than 15 years ago, Thief Gold coming out a year later. It was the first ever first-person 3D game where stealth, not fighting was the emphasis. In fact, trying to play it like it was any other first-person game up to that point would result in a very quick and unceremonious death. You aren't a strong warrior skilled with a sword, you are a Thief, adept at lockpicking, pickpocketing and burglary. When it comes to combat you will often find you are weaker, slower, and deal less damage than your opponent. You do, of course, carry a sword and you can parry blows from enemies. However, a blackjack to the back of the skull when they don't know you are even there is much more effective, and satisfying. An arrow shot from afar, though cowardly, is always better than more direct confrontation. Heck, you can play through most missions without even engaging the enemy, so long as you are careful, clever and patient. Regarding enemy takedowns: you need to hide unconscious bodies (and corpses) because if other enemies stumble upon it they will go into full alert mode. This could also mean having to use a water arrow to wash away the blood you've spilled, you murderer. Thief: The Dark Project was, and still is, one of the most immersive games you will ever play (the others being Thief 2: The Metal Age, and Thief: Deadly Shadows). Even the 2014 THIEF (reboot) game cannot compare to the original(s). Not in immersion, mechanics, scope or story. The game required you, as a master Thief, to creep along in the shadows, avoid detection by enemies, steal some nice loot, and meet the mission objectives, because dammit - you have bills to pay. The levels are huge, complex and sprawling. They take you through the streets of a dark city, mansions, caverns, crypts... it wouldn't be unfair to say that the game is part 'Tomb Raider', in that you sometimes find yourself trying to figure out how to avoid clever traps in tombs far underground where undead and burrowing beasts make their home. You have to climb ropes, leap from ledge to ledge, and swim, among other things, to meet your objectives. One of the greatest things this game and it's 2 immediate successors had was the mythology of the game's universe. There are interesting factions with opposing ideologies and myriad layers of philosophical inferences made by all of them. The Hammerites are devout followers of an orderly religion that worships a "diety" they call "The Builder". The Builder is revered for casting down the "Trickster" and leading the way for progress, particularly in building and forging. The Trickster was a chaotic pagan god of the wild forests of the old world. He's a Puckish character; part Pan and part Green Man. There are "The Keepers" who watch from the shadows all the happenings of the world, intervening only to maintain a balance between opposing forces, and keeping scholarly records of all that occurs. There also exist the "Mages", who are akin to Nietzsche's Super Man, in that they have excelled beyond their human abilities, but in turn have lost some of their human moral sensibilities, isolating themselves away from society to study deeper mysteries. Regarding gameplay mechanics: You have a light gem on the HUD that brightens and darkens signifying how exosed you are. When it is black you are in pitch blackness and therefore completely invisible to the enemy. You also have health shields to signify what your physical status is. Your arsenal can include a sword, blackjack, arrow, water arrow, noise arrow, fire arrow, rope arrow, moss arrow, and gas arrow. The sword will be the least used of your weapons. The blackjack will knock an enemy out. An arrow can kill most enemies on the first shot so long as they have no idea you are there and you have the arrow fully cocked. Water arrows extinguish torches and fires, and can even kill fire elementals and fire shadows. The noise arrow will distract enemies. The fire arrow can kill, light torches, and explode explosive barrels and other such. The rope arrow allows you to climb to otherwise unreachable places. The moss arrow makes loud and noisy surface soft and quiet. The gas arrow knocks an enemy unconscious. Items include various food items that can increase health, health potions, breath potions, flash bombs to blind the enemies, mines, gas mines, keys, lockpicks, and other useable items. Unlike games of today, there are no in-game cutscenes. The game is broken up into missions and there are cutscenes inbetween that expand upon the story, though much of the story unfolds in readables and overheard conversations during gameplay. Overhearing an important conversation, finding a key item, or stumbling into a room full of guards and dealing with it's consequences ALL takes place within the game. You are ALWAYS in control. How any situation is dealt with is entirely up to you. Do you shoot a noise arrow down that hall to distract the enemies so you can run by? Or maybe you could douse all the torches and make it dark enough to creep past. You could fire a gas arrow at their feet and put them all asleep. Maybe you could toss a flashbomb at them temporarily blinding them. Or you could just try looking for another way in. There's always another way in to be found. One of the most immersive aspects of the game is it's sound propogation. Sound carries and it gives you an indication of how near or far an enemy is, from which direction, and it informs how you proceed in the game. You can lean your ear against closed doors to listen for footsteps or conversations happening on the other side - opening doors willy-nilly is not the best approach in this game. In this respect, it's very much a strategy game: when to move, when to take, when to engage,... Another factor that determines how the game is played is in the difficulty settings. On Normal difficulty you have generally less restrictive objectives. You can kill "enemy" ai, if you want. On Hard difficulty your loot quota goes up, more objectives are added, and you have fewer health shields. On Expert difficulty your loot quota goes up higher, even more objectives are added, you have even less health shields, and on most missions you cannot kill anyone. I could be wrong, but I believe the difficulty settings also affect starting equipment and where some items are to be found. I know of one mission in particular where a secret door is inaccessible on higher difficulty levels. No matter what the difficulty level, finding as much loot as possible is strongly advised, because you spend the loot you find before the start of the next mission buying the equipment you will need for it. This game is old, and it's ugly. However, it has a following and a community that has been keeping it as up to date as possible. There is a patch that includes a new enhanced executable, improved models, improved textures, bug fixes, and other tweaks. You can find it here: http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134733 This is gaming perfection. 10/10