Top ten Thief levels

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10 July 2003

Thief: The Dark Project, along with its sequel The Metal Age, is one of the best games ever. It was innovative, it rewarded invention, it was scary, it had plot, it had character, it…but that’s another entry. It also had quality level design all the way through.

Lord Bafford’s Manor

From TDP. The very very first mission, and so naturally the standard by which the others are judged. Simple enough but immense fun, just chilling out around a big old house, blackjacking guards and taking the valuables.

Trail of Blood

From TMA. About the only appearance of the Woodsies in the sequel, and even here they’re all dead. As one of the few levels to not be set among masonry and wrought iron, it gets my vote, and to hell with the simplicity of it all. It’s also one of the more gently haunting levels, no need to cower behind the sofa here.

Down in the Bonehoard

From TDP. Yes, everybody hates it, and so did I at first. But when I went back through the game, having had far more experience with the undead, I saw that this was actually a damn good level with more to it than a legion of zombies. Plenty to do, plenty to see, Burricks to toy with…it’s all good.

The Lost City

From TDP. More archaelogy for Garrett to do in a sprawling ruined city populated by undead and elementals.

Casing the Joint

From TMA. Inventive, because you can’t even blackjack the guards and have to find secrets to finish it. Comes complete with a mini-drama about love and betrayal among the librarians.

Escape!

From TDP. This limited resources mission follows one of the best cutscenes in either game, where…no, I can’t tell you. It does set up part of the sequel, though. The level itself’s not bad for one that featured spiders, my most hated foe, prominently.

Also good because this is the level where I discovered a cool trick: the ratbeasts and bugbeasts that patrol with fire elementals can be taken out with almost zero effort. If you blackjack a ratbeast in a tunnel that they all use and retire to the shadows, they’ll all mill about while the elemental wanders through them, burning and eventually killing them.

Life of the Party

From TMA. Even though it’s for the most part unexceptional, there are a few things to note. First of all — and most spectacular — is the entrance to the level along the Thieves’ Highway, also known as the rooftops. Gasp! at the perilous drops. Chuckle! at the slanging match between rival guards. Rejoice! as you finally reach Soulforge.

Not enough? Well, there are six entertaining recordings from Karras, and one rather chilling one. To top it all off, there’s some food for thought in the form of his New Scripture of the Master Builder. It’s not exactly light reading.

Sabotage at Soulforge

From TMA. The ‘mama’ robots are bad; the spiders are bad. But that wasn’t enough for the designers, oh no. They had to make robot spiders of death for the player to contend with. This level is very hard indeed, but the ending makes it all worthwhile.

The Sword

From TDP. The fifth mission in the game, and as it’s set inside someone’s mansion it would be reasonable to assume that everything would be straightforward. Oh no. Constantine’s a twisted bastard, as anyone who’s completed the game will know, but he’s also got a warped sense of humour. Expect perspective to be defied, mysterious laughter, and one twisty succession of corridors.

Return to the Cathedral

From TDP. OK, I’ll admit it: I don’t ‘like’ this level. There’s no way you should, unless you’re a Thief God (or Goddess). It’s not only hard as nails, but it’s even more terrifying than most of System Shock 2. Evil genius.