Having recently finished my first playthrough of Filcher, I'm still wondering, as of the time that I'm writing this review, how this game managed to escape my notice and why it remains an underrated, if not a mostly unknown title among both Thief fans and those who have a keen interest in the stealth genre. Of course, this is not to say that it hasn't received any love whatsoever, as the positive reception for this game clearly disproves, though my point still stands. I know that by way of exhaustive analyses of every aspect of Filcher, others have already articulated the exact reasons for why it is so great in a better manner than I ever could. However, I still feel the need to express my thoughts on Filcher as best as I can and to hopefully bring even the smallest bit of attention to the game through my recommendation of it, given that it's a title which deserves to gain a lot more traction than it is currently receiving.

Firstly, it must be acknowledged that for anybody who is interested in this title, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Filcher, as its main developer has stated on multiple occasions, wears its Thief influences on its sleeve and overtly pays tribute to all of its inspirations in almost every area, down to the core elements of its gameplay, mechanics and even its story. With that being said, the mechanics of the game, particularly its use of the classic light and sound systems, are solid, making up a fundamental part of the minimalist first-person stealth gameplay that defined Thief: TDP/Gold and TMA and which has been inherited by Filcher. In spite of the simple nature of its mechanics, Filcher is a challenging game which demands your patience and skill, two things that it encourages from the player through its lack of a save system, a divisive aspect which may put some people off. The challenge that Filcher offers was especially prominent in my 'ghost run' of the game, which was simultaneously a fun, sometimes frustrating and rewarding experience that, as I noticed throughout my playthrough, was balanced by the relatively small mission sizes and the fine-tuned enemy and light/shadow placements each map featured which accommodated a 'ghost' playstyle, something that many of the missions in the Thief games lack. Besides the gameplay, the environments you get to plunder, the excellent world-building and compelling, albeit somewhat derivative, story as well as the tight sound design and music (with the Blackburn House ambient tracks being my favourites in particular) all perfectly support the gameplay, each playing their own crucial parts in forming a 'lived-in' world and a rich soundscape that give Filcher its own distinct identity. In addition to these strengths, the visuals of Filcher manage, in my opinion, to be stunning in their simplicity, with the game effectively incorporating a noir art style which adds a unique charm to both its missions and the beautifully illustrated comic-panel briefings that, to me, evoke memories of the cutscenes of the first two Max Payne games. Overall, all of these elements work in harmony to make Filcher an incredibly enjoyable and immersive experience which, I would argue, stands toe to toe with the best that stealth gaming has to offer.

From the small taste that I have had of the world that has been crafted in Filcher, I am already left wanting more, desperately hoping that the sequel-bait ending will bear fruit with at least one more glorious stab by Johan and MythoLogic Interactive at providing a brilliant first-person stealth experience that is few and far between these days, while trying to avoid falling to the 'Looking Glass' curse. Let's hope that day never comes for MythoLogic and that, sometime in the near future, we will be able to uncover more of Malmburg's secrets and further explore the world of Filcher.