Thief-like stealth games

[Mattchester]

So after finally experiencing Thief 1 and 2, it's kind of hard to find a stealth game with a similar level of complexity and focus on sneaking. Could anyone reccommend anything similar? Ideally games where movement and gadgets play a larger role than stabbing dudes in the back. Splinter Cell is a classic and Deus Ex takes a lot from Thief's level design, but I'm hoping to find some half-forgotten gems or even newer indie games.

Please don't say Dishonored, because that hack'n'slash action game with lackluster stealth has almost nothing in common with Thief's gameplay and design philosophy, yet for some reason a lot of people (ones who have apparently never played Thief) keep bringing it up as its spiritual successor.

[Francisè von Spitroast]

Deadly Shadows.
Don't listen to the hate. It was mostly due to technical issues which have mostly been fixed with the unofficial patch now. I think it's a far better game than Thief 2 could ever have hoped to be. Easily in my top 5 games ever.

Besides that, Deus Ex HR is the only thing that comes to mind, and I guess MD but I really didn't like that game. You might of course, and both games are heavily on sale on Humble Bundle atm. Dishonored 2 has improved stealth to 1 as well. People say it's the spiritual successor because it wiped every single part of its game design from the Thief series and Deus Ex. I used to despise the games but now I quite like them.

[Mattchester]

Yeah, I've got a few hours in Deadly Shadows with the patch that removes loading screens inside levels. The movement is a bit clunky because of the third-person animations, but I like it overall and love the atmosphere. The moment I got locked in the police station was a really cool surprise.

I don't know if it's just the fact that I played Dishonored 2 on PS4 instead of PC, but I hated the game's stealth despite enjoying the first game. I kept getting detected all the time and there's almost no way to survive alert, all soldiers in the level just suddenly run to my precise location in 10 seconds and annihilate me. The corner-peaking is incredibly awkward, sound design is pretty much nonexistent so you can't rely on footsteps, distractions often cause more harm than good and there are very few stealth options compared to the lethal and action paths.

Deus Ex is great, though. Mankind Divided was pretty badly received, but I'd say it actually surpassed Human Revolution in level design and augmentations. The story was a different story.

[Zarick]

You may want to take a look at The Dark Mod: http://www.thedarkmod.com/main/
It is a fan game that seeks to replicate the feel of the old thief games. The missions you can download are made by a variety of people so the quality can vary from mission to mission but there are plenty of well made ones.

Otherwise I honestly can't think of any stealth games that have the level design of the old thief games. There aren't even that many proper stealth games to begin with, sadly.

[Tavman (4)]

How about Thief 2x?

[ps47.3dfx]

not saying it's impossible to find a rough edge or two, but yeah, T2x is good, and could easily pass for an official expansion. no reason to not go for it, if you like T2 style gameplay.

[ModestGlen]

Your comments about Dishonored confuse me greatly. You can sneak through both 1 and 2 without being seen or killing anyone. Those games are by far the closest we have to modern day Theif. You can play the old Thiefs as hack n slash as well.

Dark Mod is your best bet. The games you're looking for don't exist.

[Mattchester]

Originally posted by Glen:

Your comments about Dishonored confuse me greatly. You can sneak through both 1 and 2 without being seen or killing anyone. Those games are by far the closest we have to modern day Theif. You can play the old Thiefs as hack n slash as well.

Dark Mod is your best bet. The games you're looking for don't exist.

You can technically sneak through them without being seen. You can also finish Postal 2 without killing anyone and shoot every NPC in Hitman. My point is that it's obviously not the way the game was designed. Most of your abilities are for killing and combat, while the actual stealth mechanics are very bare-bones and nothing you wouldn't see in a dozen other stealth games, plus your visibility is unclear and unreliable. The combat route is often the easiest as well as the most entertaining way to play, yet the game basically punishes you for using its best mechanics by giving you a bad ending. The AI behavior, sound design and environmental responsiveness don't come anywhere near Thief.

I've never heard of anyone genuinely playing Thief as a hack'n'slash. You might stand a chance on the easiest difficulty, but on hard you're in trouble if you've got 2 guards on your trail, plus the combat gameplay sucks and isn't fun. Dishonored, on the other hand, puts extra effort on making the combat look as cool as possible.

One of my new finds is Styx: Shards of Darkness. A great old-school stealth game which seems to take a lot of inspiration from Thief despite being third-person. Great level design, fun stealth abilities with a pretty unique cloning power and a strong emphasis on not being seen, with one-hit kills on higher difficulties which can only be avoided by running or stunning the enemies.

[Sticky White Stuff]

The Stealth mechanics in Disnohonored are directly inspired by Thief. After all, it is a true stealth game that awards exploration, non-lethal and ghosting more than combat. That is not to say that having actual fun combat in a game is a negative thing. Gone are the days when an alert would be a quick load. Everything is more dynamic. The only thing they removed is the actual shadows. They work within a distance rather than obscuring the whole view.
And this goes triple for the level design.

The problem is, no matter how much inspired it actually is (Arkane is living for the bygone age of Looking Glass with Dishonored/Prey), the whole atmosphere is different.

Styx isn't bad, but it isn't great either, really. The things you mentioned are actually big flaws in game design. You should actually pick up new stealth games with organic stealth, where a mistake would turn into a second chance. Such as Metal Gear Solid V. No one is forcing you to play a certain way, or to use lethal methods/weapons. There are choices, but never a forced way.

Dark Mod is the closest alternative to Thief 1/2.
But i say you should just keep on playing the original games and check out T2X and Fan Missions. Those are almost exactly similar to what you want. Both the atmosphere, level designs, sound, etc.

Seriously, check them out. Nothing replaced Thief for me, no matter how much i like different Stealth games. And since you like it so much, i doubt anything will come close apart from the things i (and others before me) mentioned.

[Xautos]

Metro 2033 has stealth mechanics and some real tricky bits in a few of the levels.

although it is likely a completely different type of game, door kickers has a lot riding on the stealth mechanic for your swat officers to subdue suspects without them killing innocent people and killing your officers. requiring some tactical play.

[Fentis]

Dunno, i really enjoyed Styx. Yeah, sometimes its annoying and clumsy, but still a good stealth game

[Mattchester]

Originally posted by GLUE:

The Stealth mechanics in Disnohonored are directly inspired by Thief. After all, it is a true stealth game that awards exploration, non-lethal and ghosting more than combat. That is not to say that having actual fun combat in a game is a negative thing. Gone are the days when an alert would be a quick load. Everything is more dynamic. The only thing they removed is the actual shadows. They work within a distance rather than obscuring the whole view.
And this goes triple for the level design.

The problem is, no matter how much inspired it actually is (Arkane is living for the bygone age of Looking Glass with Dishonored/Prey), the whole atmosphere is different.

Styx isn't bad, but it isn't great either, really. The things you mentioned are actually big flaws in game design. You should actually pick up new stealth games with organic stealth, where a mistake would turn into a second chance. Such as Metal Gear Solid V. No one is forcing you to play a certain way, or to use lethal methods/weapons. There are choices, but never a forced way.

Dark Mod is the closest alternative to Thief 1/2.
But i say you should just keep on playing the original games and check out T2X and Fan Missions. Those are almost exactly similar to what you want. Both the atmosphere, level designs, sound, etc.

Seriously, check them out. Nothing replaced Thief for me, no matter how much i like different Stealth games. And since you like it so much, i doubt anything will come close apart from the things i (and others before me) mentioned.

Dishonored definitely takes a lot from Thief in terms of level design, but its gameplay seems to be way more influenced by Arkane's previous game, Dark Messiah. And just like in that game, while stealth is a viable option, it's not the most fun or even the easiest way to play, and you basically rob yourself of the best gameplay mechanics by sticking to a ghost playthrough.

I both loved and hated MGS V for different reasons. The mechanics are very solid and varied and the gadgets give you great opportunities for customizing your playstyle, but unless you completely give up on the base building and crafting, in 20-30h you'll become an overpowered unstoppable beast who can solve every problem by fultoning it out of the way. The game's freedom untimately becomes its weakness, because the best stealth moments happen when you strip yourself of all advanced gear or even limit yourself to on-site weapons.

[ice]

Originally posted by Mattchester:

Originally posted by Glen:

Your comments about Dishonored confuse me greatly. You can sneak through both 1 and 2 without being seen or killing anyone. Those games are by far the closest we have to modern day Theif. You can play the old Thiefs as hack n slash as well.

Dark Mod is your best bet. The games you're looking for don't exist.

You can technically sneak through them without being seen. You can also finish Postal 2 without killing anyone and shoot every NPC in Hitman. My point is that it's obviously not the way the game was designed. Most of your abilities are for killing and combat, while the actual stealth mechanics are very bare-bones and nothing you wouldn't see in a dozen other stealth games, plus your visibility is unclear and unreliable. The combat route is often the easiest as well as the most entertaining way to play, yet the game basically punishes you for using its best mechanics by giving you a bad ending. The AI behavior, sound design and environmental responsiveness don't come anywhere near Thief.

I've never heard of anyone genuinely playing Thief as a hack'n'slash. You might stand a chance on the easiest difficulty, but on hard you're in trouble if you've got 2 guards on your trail, plus the combat gameplay sucks and isn't fun. Dishonored, on the other hand, puts extra effort on making the combat look as cool as possible.

One of my new finds is Styx: Shards of Darkness. A great old-school stealth game which seems to take a lot of inspiration from Thief despite being third-person. Great level design, fun stealth abilities with a pretty unique cloning power and a strong emphasis on not being seen, with one-hit kills on higher difficulties which can only be avoided by running or stunning the enemies.

The combat gameplay of thief actually doesn't suck, you clearly just suck at it. It was initialy designed as a sword-fighting game in first person and the mechanics in that respect actually shine. You can easily fight four or five enemies in a single area if you know what you're doing, and it's fun and thrilling, albeit a side of the game you rarely will see if you play on expert.

Most of thief's items are actually more useful in combat than they are in stealth.

[Zombits]

Splinter cell series, Far cry 3 , 4 anf FC primal, Metro 2033, Metro Last light.

[Arkanthrall]

Please... OP asked for Thief-life stealth games, not games with stealth elements.

Unfortunately this game series is quite unique and I have never found similar games. It just doesn't exist.

[Xautos]

Originally posted by Zombit:

Splinter cell series, Far cry 3 , 4 anf FC primal, Metro 2033, Metro Last light.

FC3, FC4 are not really designed for stealth, i mean hiding in a bush is one thing which only works part of the time since the hostile NPC's will figure out where the shot came from and where you are. Primal does require a more stealthy approach to the game, especially on higher difficulty settings, some levels are very tricky because of level design and hostile NPC locations.

farcry isn't really what you'd call the greatest candidate for comparisons on Thief.

Originally posted by Mattchester:

Dishonored definitely takes a lot from Thief in terms of level design, but its gameplay seems to be way more influenced by Arkane's previous game, Dark Messiah. And just like in that game, while stealth is a viable option, it's not the most fun or even the easiest way to play, and you basically rob yourself of the best gameplay mechanics by sticking to a ghost playthrough.

Stealth in Dishonored is so rubbish that they may as well not of even bothered with it. i've had so much trouble with Dishonored because the stealth mechanics are so craptacular. now i have made it through half the levels on dishonored without being seen, but the other times are just inconvienent timing or by complete accident that leads to a fight, with the preception of the guards being far too well tuned even for easy difficulty, it has left me wondering why i bought the game to be honest.

When you expect to hide in the darkest shadows, you are not expected to be seen, in dishonored the NPCs can see you through the shadows and half way across a room and their alert awareness is unforgiving unless you are very quick with blink to break the line of sight.