Thick As Thieves review for PC

The background story behind Thick As Thieves is almost as interesting as the game itself. It’s a stealth heist game created by Warren Spector and Paul Neurath, who had hands in the creation of some genuinely legendary games from the ‘90s and early 2000s like Deus Ex, Thief, and System Shock. Not only that, it was originally conceived of as an online multiplayer heist game that focused on PvPvE gameplay – only for the the team to abruptly announce a few months ago that they were switching gears and turning it into a solo or two-player co-op experience.

Given that the game only switched its focus a few months before release, you might not expect there to be much here. And, to be blunt, you’d be correct: Thick As Thieves only has two levels, and you can finish them both in under five hours.

But there’s good news, too. First of all, Thick As Thieves is only about $5, so it’s not the game is charging you full price for a bite-sized experience.

Even more importantly, even if there’s not much to Thick As Thieves, what’s here is more than enough to get you hooked, even if it’s just for a short while. The game is dripping with style, with a world – an alternate version of 1910s Scotland where magic co-exists with technology – that’s richly imagined. Even if you’re sent on time-limited missions, it’s easy to get lost hunting around for bits of lore and taking in the gorgeous visuals.

Similarly, the gameplay is very solid. Thick As Thieves is still a heist game, but it’s one that gives you free reign to approach things however you want – provided you’re stealthy about it, of course. You’re woefully underpowered so you can’t just run at the security guards, take them out, and grab whatever you want. Rather, you need to skulk in the shadows, searching for your opportunities and sneaking past guards and alarms whenever the chance presents itself. It all feels a little like Dishonored, if Dishonored was focused entirely on stealth without any combat.

And, you know, if Dishonored were only a handful of hours long. That’s a fact that’s hard to avoid, even if the small size is accompanied by an equally small price tag. And it’s also hard not to feel like Thick As Thieves is kind of a teaser for a much bigger game, whether to gauge interest in its original multiplayer extravaganza, or a more fleshed-out version of what we have here.

But even if that’s the case, there’s no denying that Thick As Thieves is fun for what it is. It’s the kind of game where you’ll experience everything it has to offer and you’ll come away wanting more – and even if we don’t get it, the price here probably makes this bite-sized offering too good to pass up.

Megabit Publishing provided us with a Thick AsThieves PC code for review purposes.