Enemies

What Do I Kill… err Avoid?

You think you get to avoid petty human beings? Big, slow and easily distracted guards with a combined intelligence approaching that of a lemming? Ha! Dream on. Sure, early on Garrett toys with fools like this, but later he'll be encountering far stranger and more dangerous creatures.

Why are people always unconscious or dead around Garrett?

Hmm - housebreakers

Zombies, fire elementals, and Haunts are just the beginning of the supernatural horrors Garrett is forced to face in his adventures. Zombies can detect the presence of life (ie, you) within a certain range - no amount of darkness can conceal you from them. Fire elementals, when angry, heat up tremendously - causing enough damage at a distance for you to yell out and tell them exactly where you're hiding. Haunts? Well, you'll see. They are the single biggest cause of death for Garrett. Fortunately, none of the above are in the demo…

Thief 2 will feature mechanical foes now - robotic, steam-driven contraptions created by a spin-off of the Hammerites, the Mechanists. In fact, the demo has you raiding the Mechanist's Tower, with the audacious task of stealing the designs for their latest contraption.

Garret doesn't like the competition

All these weird view angles make it feel like Batman!

Can't I Outrun Them?

Ah, thinking of doing it yellow-belly style? Running through the level at blazing Doom marine speeds, bashing down doors, getting the goods and then using the rope arrow to Batman out of there, right? Truth be told, among Thief players there is a lot of disagreement about Garrett, what he's like, how he fights, his history, etc. But usually it's agreed that Garrett has two speeds - slow, and slower. This isn't Quake II CTF - no grappling through wildly, getting the flag and then busting out with more speed.

The Thief games are far and away the most slowly paced first person games in existence. This isn't just because there is so much waiting, creeping and sneaking involved. No, everything is slow. Garrett and the Haunt are the two fastest creatures in the game, and at full throttle they move like a walking Quake II marine.

A chimney - hmmm if Santa does it

Why shouldn't Garrett?

Even so, you can forget trying to outrun your foes. Too many of them have ranged attacks, the levels are too convoluted, there are too many doors which need keys or lock picking. At every turn there is a foe ready to block your way and swat you down, assuming that none of the above haven't already gotten to you.

Looking Glass did an amazing job making sure the game will be played the way it's meant to be. A thief relies on stealth, cunning and a lot of luck to get his job done, and so does Garrett.