A disappointing reboot shouldn’t ruin a beloved series. The 2014 game Thief failed to recapture the magic of the original stealth games after a ten-year absence, sending it back into obscurity. Now, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is the latest attempt to revive the franchise, this time using virtual reality instead of another reboot. While the game makes pickpocketing surprisingly immersive, Legacy of Shadow ultimately feels like a simple and outdated stealth experience.
What makes Thief special in VR isn’t just a gimmick – it genuinely enhances the experience. Carefully sneaking up to a guard and physically picking their pocket feels much more exciting than pressing a button, especially because you have to be precise – a clumsy move will raise the alarm. Actions like blowing out candles, whistling to create a distraction, throwing objects to change guard routes, and searching for loot are all far more immersive. These familiar stealth elements feel fresh because you have to act them out in VR, and the game’s microphone feature, while sometimes imperfect, adds to the feeling of presence.
Rating: 3/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Sneaking around and stealing can be thrilling. | Guard AI is extremely limited, relatively stupid, and sometimes buggy. |
| Most levels are frustratingly linear. | |
| Stealth gameplay hardly evolves or gets more complex. |
Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow‘s Mechanics Are Too Simple
However, Legacy of Shadow doesn’t really move beyond standard stealth gameplay. The core mechanics never become more complex or engaging. Simple actions like sneaking up on enemies and hitting them, pickpocketing, grabbing items, or using water arrows to put out fires remain the same throughout the game. Even lockpicking just adds more repetitive steps, making it feel more drawn-out and boring.
After a few levels, Legacy of Shadow becomes repetitive because it doesn’t introduce any truly new challenges or gameplay elements. The quests quickly fall into a predictable pattern, and the final mission doesn’t offer much beyond what you’ve already experienced. While the middle portion of the game is passable, it becomes frustrating towards the end, especially when the game starts reusing levels. This all culminates in a hurried and disappointing final boss fight.
The game’s levels aren’t very engaging to replay. Unlike games with complex environments full of hidden routes and secrets, many stages in Legacy of Shadow are simple and direct. While some buildings offer a couple of entry points, they aren’t cleverly designed and don’t compensate for the game’s overall lack of depth. Sneaking in isn’t satisfying, and it lacks the exciting level design found in games like Dishonored or Deus Ex, where just getting inside feels rewarding. Legacy of Shadow isn’t a true immersive sim like those games, but it could have benefited from their approach to infiltration. Great stealth games give players lots of choices, and this game simply doesn’t offer enough.
Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow‘s Guards Are Dummies
Distracting the guards is possible, but not very engaging. They’ll respond to noises like thrown bottles or even someone eating an apple nearby, but they’re often a bit glitchy and not very challenging to avoid. There aren’t many of them, so it’s easy to knock them all out without much thought, and the game doesn’t punish you for getting caught, which means players often don’t bother with careful planning. Outsmarting these simple enemies isn’t very satisfying, and the lack of consequences removes the excitement of sneaking around undetected or completing a daring mission.
These characters talk constantly and repeat the same lines, which is clearly meant to help players locate them. However, this gets really annoying, especially because the game’s sound design is poor. It’s hard to tell where guards actually are – someone a few rooms away can sound like they’re right next to you, which is confusing and disorienting.
Honestly, playing Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow just feels…routine. Sneaking around enemies and grabbing stuff from drawers works, but it never really gets more interesting than that. The story is super basic too – there’s almost no character development, and it’s mostly just about collecting a few key items before it wraps up. And while it’s cool to see Garrett back, they don’t really do anything with him beyond a few nods to fans and some pretty tired jokes. It’s a shame, because the potential was there, but it just feels…flat.
This game shows promise, but doesn’t quite deliver on its potential. The original Thief was groundbreaking and helped define stealth games, but this VR version feels basic in its design and gameplay, falling short of the high standard set by its predecessor.
I received a PS5 copy of Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow from the game’s publisher to review it.
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2025-12-04 21:17