Middle Ages Thief-like games

[Bluejazz]

Hi there. I'm a big fan of the Thief series. Unfortunately I haven't found many games that are heavy on the elements I liked the most about Thief.

These are the things I'm particularly looking for in my game:

Necessarily:
- a STEALTH genre with STEALING LOOT mechanics of course
- Middle Ages game setting or at least any title that takes place in the past

Banned:):
- NO MODERN TIMES OR THE FUTURE GAME SETTING

Welcomed:
- fantasy and horror elements
- bow as a primary weapon
- gadgets, puzzles and a high level of difficulty
- Middle Ages game setting or at least any title that takes place in the past

Unwelcomed:
- Steampunk elements are at best a necessary evil:)

That's pretty much everything. I would appreciate any help.

Here's a list of games I already know of and would recommend:
- Thief series with fanmade missions and The Dark Mod :)
- Dishonored series
- The Elder Scrolls series
- Assassin's Creed series
- Styx: Master of Shadows and Styx: Shards of Darkness
- Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
- Betrayer

[stcaFylnO]

Hmmm, so many restrictions on a rare genre. I tend to play stealthily in games that aren't even meant for it, or when it isn't the primary focus. I consider the game-play to be "stalking", rather than stealth, especially if the game doesn't include lean-n-peak, choke holds, non-lethal takedowns, ghost-run criteria, etc.

One Example of Stalking:
"Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor" requires sneaking into positions, scouting for primary targets, then deciding wheter or not to kill everyone or just primaries, followed by escape and evasion if necessary. Early on, some enemies might be too powerful, so causing factional fights or skulking may be warranted. Later, the game gets too easy, so it is fun to spawn large numbers of Captains on a single map. If purposely grooming the the enemy roster for the most formitable variants, the runs can be epic.


Stealth Example - Japanese (Fantasy-Historic):

Originally posted by stcaFylnO:

The Tenchu franchise comes to mind, but you'll need consoles (or maybe they can be run on an emulator?). Ratings are not good, except for the first one. I havn't played all of them and probably played "Tenchu Z" the most on X360. Common elements are drugging guard dogs and being detected by smell, so don't wade around in sewage without good reason. Lots of toys to play with. They are pretty much B titles and ratings suffer due to issues like repetition.

[Xautos]

Originally posted by blue:

Hi there. I'm a big fan of the Thief series. Unfortunately I haven't found many games that are heavy on the elements I liked the most about Thief.

These are the things I'm particularly looking for in my game:

Necessarily:
- a stealth genre with stealing mechanics of course
- Middle Ages game setting or at least any title that takes place in the past

Banned:):
- NO MODERN TIMES OR THE FUTURE GAME SETTING

Welcomed:
- fantasy and horror elements
- bow as a primary weapon
- gadgets, puzzles and a high level of difficulty

Unwelcomed:
- Steampunk elements are at best a necessary evil:)

That's pretty much everything. I would appreciate any help.

Here's a list of games I already know of and would recommend:
- Thief series with fanmade missions and The Dark Mod :)
- Dishonored series
- The Elder Scrolls series
- Assassin's Creed series
- Styx: Master of Shadows and Styx: Shards of Darkness
- Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
- Betrayer

you are asking for thief like games? so that means by default a medieval/steampunk setting which would also call in future game settings since there were none of these types of contraptions active during those centuries and are way ahead of their time. And you got these restrictions in place, meaning you dont actually want a thief like game but some game other game with stealth mechanics.

You may also want to take note that Dishonored falls under your prohibited list since steampunk is so heavily balckmarked. and assassin's creed as well because the whole backstory is based on advanced technology and alien life, despite the setting which is also on your blacklist.

now i can't think of any games that fit your criteria because of these restrictions. you might want to double check those and soften your stance so some allowances can be made.

[Bluejazz]

Thanks stcaFylnO. I knew I forgot about the Tenchu series. This is something I've been looking for. It's a pity there's no PC port though. This franchise could benefit from putting it on Steam.

[stcaFylnO]

Xautos has a point on softening criteria, I took it as a personal challenge to find any examples that met just a few desires :D

That being said, I have a great idea, which I doubt any stealth-player would dream of... <drum roll>...

Jagged Alliance 2:
This is a Squad Based Tactical (SBT) game, in an isometric view. Play night missions, use martial artists, knife throwers, silencers, extended-ears, and night vision goggles. Units can even crawl while prone, not just crouched. Sneak through the blind areas caused by trees, boulders, and shrubs. Hide in tall grass with camouflage makeup. Lure enemies into ambushes and control the engagement with glow-sticks, mustard gas, tear gas. Non-lethal takedowns are possible with melee weapons and tranquilizer guns. HP ammo can help reduce stamina for takedowns. Also, buidling corners lead to insane ambushes. Use roof tops for bonuses, or even stage at buildiing edges to swarm enemies by climbing up/down with the whole squad. Toss items or fire weapons as lures. Even use scent elimination chemical at times.

JA2 is a fantastic game and one of my favorites of all time. It is historical-ish with some sci-fi/fantasy elements, but the period is not what you prefer ;)

edited, forgot a few things.

[Bluejazz]

Originally posted by Xautos:

Originally posted by blue:

Hi there. I'm a big fan of the Thief series. Unfortunately I haven't found many games that are heavy on the elements I liked the most about Thief.

These are the things I'm particularly looking for in my game:

Necessarily:
- a stealth genre with stealing mechanics of course
- Middle Ages game setting or at least any title that takes place in the past

Banned:):
- NO MODERN TIMES OR THE FUTURE GAME SETTING

Welcomed:
- fantasy and horror elements
- bow as a primary weapon
- gadgets, puzzles and a high level of difficulty

Unwelcomed:
- Steampunk elements are at best a necessary evil:)

That's pretty much everything. I would appreciate any help.

Here's a list of games I already know of and would recommend:
- Thief series with fanmade missions and The Dark Mod :)
- Dishonored series
- The Elder Scrolls series
- Assassin's Creed series
- Styx: Master of Shadows and Styx: Shards of Darkness
- Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
- Betrayer

you are asking for thief like games? so that means by default a medieval/steampunk setting which would also call in future game settings since there were none of these types of contraptions active during those centuries and are way ahead of their time. And you got these restrictions in place, meaning you dont actually want a thief like game but some game other game with stealth mechanics.

You may also want to take note that Dishonored falls under your prohibited list since steampunk is so heavily balckmarked. and assassin's creed as well because the whole backstory is based on advanced technology and alien life, despite the setting which is also on your blacklist.

now i can't think of any games that fit your criteria because of these restrictions. you might want to double check those and soften your stance so some allowances can be made.

Xautos:

1. You're right about me wrongly using the word "future". In a way, the steampunk genre kind of does take place in a futuristic setting. I should've been more precise. My mistake.
2. I know that the Thief and Dishonored series take place in a a medieval/steampunk(whalepunk, whatever) setting.
3. I can't enjoy the style of the steampunk genre. I'm glad you can and I respect that. Please, respect my own personal preferences.
4. I was not talking about a Thief clone. I asked for a game that would be similar to the Thief series. By similar I mean that it would have similar stealth and looting mechanics. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO REPRESENT THE SAME GENRE TO BE SIMILAR.
5. Also, I really enjoyed the fantastical and horror elements which were so much more heavly emphasised in the first and third Thief games. The second one in the franchise put more emphasise on the steampunk elements. By that I mean it "felt" the most steampunk out of all the series.

To sum everything up, I guess that what I'm looking for is a game more similar to Thief 1 & 3 in terms of gameplay, one which "feels" more fantastical/magical/horror like then steampunk. I did not write that lack of Steampunk is a restriction, please read my post again. I just personally wish that the world of the Thief series did not exist in a medieval/steampunk setting but rather a medieval/fantasy setting. By that I mean that for example the clearly futuristic steampunk technology gadgets like the flash bomb would be replaced with some kind of magical/alchemical potion that temporarily blinds enemies. Also, many of the levels in Thief 1 didn't really feel steampunk-ish. A lot of them felt more like a medieval/fantasy levels, e.g. Down In The Bonehoard. If you really like the steampunk genre, please write to me why because I'm curious and I love sharing different opinions. Also, what is your favourite Thief game?

Peace

[Tavman (4)]

Tried Thief 2x?

[Bluejazz]

Originally posted by Tavman (4):

Tried Thief 2x?

Oh yeah man. Loved it even more than Thief 2 ^^ Can't believe it's a fanmade game. Thief 2 had almost no variety in enemies. It felt like the mechanists and their robots were all over the place. I must be the only person on this planet that did like the zombies, burricks and ghosts from the first game. Can't believe players complained about them. They made the world of Thief much richer and more mysterious. I'll also take a burning torch over a steam powered lantern anytime. It's so much more atmospheric. Steampunk style is definitely overused in modern games.

[stcaFylnO]

Originally posted by blue:

Originally posted by Tavman (4):

Tried Thief 2x?

Oh yeah man. Loved it even more than Thief 2 ^^ Can't believe it's a fanmade game. Thief 2 had almost no variety in enemies. It felt like the mechanists and their robots were all over the place. I must be the only person on this planet that did like the zombies, burricks and ghosts from the first game. Can't believe players complained about them. They made the world of Thief much richer and more mysterious. I'll also take a burning torch over a steam powered lantern anytime. It's so much more atmospheric. Steampunk style is definitely overused in modern games.

I guess we are the only two. People that complain, mostly don't like the fantasy aspect, or they hate zombies, etc. For me, I could care less about picking up crap like a janitor, just give me solid stealth play ;)

T1's heavy use of undead and supernatural creatures is a fantastic tactical element. By design, they force the player to make decisons regarding resource management, or to evade, or ghost. Evading such enemies is an interesting and unexpected change of pace in a stealth games. Puzzling out ways to get the most kills per ammo are paramount. Additionally, all enemies fit well with the first story (Trickster) and the age. The creature designs were fantastic... I've never been so concerned about frogs in my life. This is basically Garrett's origin story, and my favorite story.

[Tavman (4)]

Originally posted by blue:

Originally posted by Tavman (4):

Tried Thief 2x?

Oh yeah man. Loved it even more than Thief 2 ^^ Can't believe it's a fanmade game. Thief 2 had almost no variety in enemies. It felt like the mechanists and their robots were all over the place. I must be the only person on this planet that did like the zombies, burricks and ghosts from the first game. Can't believe players complained about them. They made the world of Thief much richer and more mysterious. I'll also take a burning torch over a steam powered lantern anytime. It's so much more atmospheric. Steampunk style is definitely overused in modern games.

You're not the only one. It's one of the reasons I prefer original Thief than Metal Age. I'm glad you picked out one of the glaring issues about Metal Age that I didn't immediately recognise. Don't get me wrong Metal Age tells a good story but every mission featured the same type of enemy and it got boring extremely fast. Some of the levels even ruined the setting because of its overuse of the same enemy (looking at you Lost City). Also Metal Age contained a lot of functional bugs which are a big no-no for me and I will criticise any game hard if they cannot get this right.

[Tavman (4)]

Originally posted by stcaFylnO:

Originally posted by blue:

Oh yeah man. Loved it even more than Thief 2 ^^ Can't believe it's a fanmade game. Thief 2 had almost no variety in enemies. It felt like the mechanists and their robots were all over the place. I must be the only person on this planet that did like the zombies, burricks and ghosts from the first game. Can't believe players complained about them. They made the world of Thief much richer and more mysterious. I'll also take a burning torch over a steam powered lantern anytime. It's so much more atmospheric. Steampunk style is definitely overused in modern games.

I guess we are the only two. People that complain, mostly don't like the fantasy aspect, or they hate zombies, etc. For me, I could care less about picking up crap like a janitor, just give me solid stealth play ;)

T1's heavy use of undead and supernatural creatures is a fantastic tactical element. By design, they force the player to make decisons regarding resource management, or to evade, or ghost. Evading such enemies is an interesting and unexpected change of pace in a stealth games. Puzzling out ways to get the most kills per ammo are paramount. Additionally, all enemies fit well with the first story (Trickster) and the age. The creature designs were fantastic... I've never been so concerned about frogs in my life. This is basically Garrett's origin story, and my favorite story.

Thief was never heavy on the undead. In fact when you look at the missions most of the enemies were evenly spread out. In the original Thief (not Gold) the human enemies featured in less than half of the missions.

[Bluejazz]

Originally posted by stcaFylnO:

Originally posted by blue:

Oh yeah man. Loved it even more than Thief 2 ^^ Can't believe it's a fanmade game. Thief 2 had almost no variety in enemies. It felt like the mechanists and their robots were all over the place. I must be the only person on this planet that did like the zombies, burricks and ghosts from the first game. Can't believe players complained about them. They made the world of Thief much richer and more mysterious. I'll also take a burning torch over a steam powered lantern anytime. It's so much more atmospheric. Steampunk style is definitely overused in modern games.

I guess we are the only two. People that complain, mostly don't like the fantasy aspect, or they hate zombies, etc. For me, I could care less about picking up crap like a janitor, just give me solid stealth play ;)

T1's heavy use of undead and supernatural creatures is a fantastic tactical element. By design, they force the player to make decisons regarding resource management, or to evade, or ghost. Evading such enemies is an interesting and unexpected change of pace in a stealth games. Puzzling out ways to get the most kills per ammo are paramount. Additionally, all enemies fit well with the first story (Trickster) and the age. The creature designs were fantastic... I've never been so concerned about frogs in my life. This is basically Garrett's origin story, and my favorite story.

Couldn't have put it better myself, although I would slightly agree here with Tavman saying it wasn't really "heavy" on the undead but it was a perfect balance between all varieties of enemies. I'm shocked by how much praise Thief 2 gets. Many people consider it to be superior to Thief 1. But Thief 1 in comparison to Thief 2 has a perfect, organic, fluid and enganging story, while Thief 2's story doesn't feel organic and fluid at all. It basically feels like en expansion of Thef 1. Like a set of levels you play but they don't really feel connected at all. The only things that connect them are bits and pieces of information scattered around them. I don't like that idea at all. Creating levels befory coming up with a story and then somehow "connecting" them together didn't do the story or even the atmosphere for that matter any favours, but during the production of Thief 2 Looking Glass Studios was struggling financially so that's why the game feels so disconnected and rushed. And yet these talented guys still did the best they could and delivered an awesome game, because Thief 2 has a lot of great qualities inside. The things a love the most about it are the level design and secrets/easter eggs :) I just wish the producers didn't in this particular case:) listen to fans complaining about the things which make the world of Thief 1 so much diverse, wonderful and more challenging. With a more polished story and the mythical elements from T1 kept, Thief 2 could've been the best one in the trilogy but sadly it just feels like a Thief game on steampunk steroids with a convoluted storyline and a lack of variety.