People'll kill me for this I'm sure but lemme make it clear: I don't think Thief 1 is a bad game at all, far from it. The mechanics and gameplay ideas are stellar and the atmosphere, like its sequel, still holds up all these years later.
But it has what I honestly believe is some of the most inconsistent level quality I've seen in a game.
For every good level, there are at least 6 others that are either just plain bad or yet another "zombie/paranormal-creature filled" level (which aren't inherently bad either! Deadly Shadows did them pretty well!).
And that's my biggest issue. When people will tell you to outright SKIP specific levels because of how bad or confusing they are, that's NOT a good thing.
There are great levels in here, don't get me wrong. Bafford's manor, Assassins, Mage Towers, Song of the Caverns, and Undercover are all really good. But the rest range from either tolerable to downright painful. Thieves Guild is already NOTORIOUSLY bad amongst the community, but Escape has to be one of the worst levels I've played in any game.
Some people call this "the real Thief" like 2 doesn't count, and I'm sorry, I can't agree with that. If you prefer 1 over 2, by all means, I'm cool with that, but for me... nah. This is a one-time play and nothing else. If you really liked 2 I would say give it a shot, or at the very least use console commands to play the good levels. Happy I finally tried it, but otherwise, god what a slog.
But it has what I honestly believe is some of the most inconsistent level quality I've seen in a game.
For every good level, there are at least 6 others that are either just plain bad or yet another "zombie/paranormal-creature filled" level (which aren't inherently bad either! Deadly Shadows did them pretty well!).
And that's my biggest issue. When people will tell you to outright SKIP specific levels because of how bad or confusing they are, that's NOT a good thing.
There are great levels in here, don't get me wrong. Bafford's manor, Assassins, Mage Towers, Song of the Caverns, and Undercover are all really good. But the rest range from either tolerable to downright painful. Thieves Guild is already NOTORIOUSLY bad amongst the community, but Escape has to be one of the worst levels I've played in any game.
Some people call this "the real Thief" like 2 doesn't count, and I'm sorry, I can't agree with that. If you prefer 1 over 2, by all means, I'm cool with that, but for me... nah. This is a one-time play and nothing else. If you really liked 2 I would say give it a shot, or at the very least use console commands to play the good levels. Happy I finally tried it, but otherwise, god what a slog.