Thief pioneered the stealth-action style beginning within the late ’90s, and now the storied franchise is lastly coming to all main headsets in its first made-for-VR recreation.
I had an opportunity to go hands-on with the newest construct of Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow on PSVR 2 on the first VR Video games Showcase reside occasion, which came about in London in September. It’s additionally coming to Quest 2 and above and SteamVR headsets at launch, which is anticipated someday later this 12 months.
I walked away impressed with my hour-long hands-on, and right here’s why: in brief, it’s constructed from the ground-up with VR immersion in thoughts, from scaling buildings and sneaking round hulking armored guards, to the kind of neatly designed object interplay you’d count on from a VR-native.
It additionally does one thing I like in VR video games, particularly it shies away from exposition-heavy narrative drops in favor of rewarding your curiosity.
Past discovering notes and clues across the recreation’s steam-punky environments, you’ll additionally listen in on guards as they gossip about what the higher-ups are ordering, or how the Metropolis is altering in response to the brand new menace on the town: Magpie, a scruffy Suave Dodger-type turned Tremendous Thief with the assistance of a magical relic. That’s you.
Be aware: you’ll additionally most likely acknowledge a well-known voice from the unique flatscreen video games: voice actor Stephen Russell is reprising his function as Garrett,
Like different Thief video games, fight actually isn’t the main focus right here. Whilst you’re armed with a bow, which incorporates a number of arrow sorts that you could craft and expend in several methods, and a black jack for up shut and private takedowns, sneaking round guards is often the popular transfer.
When you do bash a guard’s head in, they aren’t useless both—they’re simply taking a pleasant little nap. However as soon as a patrolling guard detects a fallen comrade, they will get up, which places the squad on excessive alert—not solely placing you in peril as they scramble round trying to find the intruder, but additionally damaging your possibilities at nabbing the mission’s highest stealth rating.
So, it’s extra about hiding within the shadows and not making an attempt to tackle the armored guards face-to-face. I realized that the laborious manner a couple of instances throughout my one-hour gameplay session. A borked assassination try will simply alert guards, altering the diamond above their head to more and more indignant shades of purple. When you’re in hanging distance, it’s again to the autosave.
As an alternative, you’ll be extra centered on slinking round and getting your sticky fingers over all method of loot, a few of which is locked in chests want of selecting. To this point, it seems like a type of low-level talent checks that’s extra about creating the precise ambiance than one thing really troublesome, however enjoyable simply the identical.
That mentioned, gathering loot isn’t a should, but it surely does enhance your end-mission rating, and helps with upgrades on your subsequent mission too.
These upgrades are vital, since arrows are often in brief provide. Having extra ammo may imply the distinction between traversing essentially the most troublesome route via a mission, or attending to do extra emergent gameplay stuff, like lighting a blaze with a fireplace arrow distant to distract a guard, or grapple-arrowing your manner as much as a better vantage level or secret space. You may also shoot distant guards which may in any other case see you sneaking round a backyard. There are a number of methods to pores and skin the hypothetical cat, Maze Idea tells me.
That mentioned, you may’t simply skirt round (or shoot) guards the whole time. Pickpocketing can also be a requirement in some missions, which means you’ll have to fastidiously sneak up on guards and elevate a wanted door key or vital merchandise. You’ll be able to, after all, smack them down together with your trusty black jack, though it’s much less splendid when there are a number of guards about.
One of many key additions to Thief VR is its Glyph Imaginative and prescient, which helps you determine unseen issues, like energy cables coursing via a constructing. Maintain your hand as much as your temple, and a brief quantity of Glyph Imaginative and prescient leads the best way. Yup, there are puzzles too.
Following the cable, I discover it leads behind a locked door, which suggests I have to pickpocket a key, scale the constructing from behind, get one other key hidden in a puzzle, reduce down and observe the cable to a room, which, you guessed it, is an environmental puzzle requiring me to climb up pipes and deactivate a safety gate.
From what I’ve performed, it appears Thief VR is all about these types of multi-step, nestled targets, all of them peppered with stealth interactions. And to this point, Thief VR appears to be the complete package deal: glorious visuals, sensible object interplay, immersive storytelling, glorious voice expertise, and missions that really feel like lived-in locations.
I’m actually wanting ahead to exploring all of it in our full overview when the sport launches someday later this 12 months. Within the meantime, you may wishlist Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow on the Horizon Retailer for Quest 2 and above, the PlayStation Retailer for PSVR 2, and Steam for PC VR headsets.
Disclosure: VR Video games Present lined journey and lodging bills for one Street to VR author to attend the occasion.
The put up ‘Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow’ Arms-on: The Most Promising VR-Native Stealth Sport But appeared first on Street to VR.