Retro specialist Nightdive is at it again. After successfully tackling System Shock and its sequel (giving them the remake and remaster treatment respectively), Nightdive is once again returning to the world of legendary developer Looking Glass Studios and sprucing up another of its beloved early immersive sims. Yup, it’s time to retreat to the shadows as we await the launch of Thief: The Dark Project Remastered on PC and consoles.
Thief: The Dark Project originally released in 1998, and its first-person stealth action – which followed the sneaky exploits of master thief Garrett as he prowled the shadows of The City – offered something of a non-confrontational alternative to the deluge of first-person shooters at the time. It’s considered an absolute classic, and a game I have fond memories of being absolutely rubbish at when I first encountered it in my youth. And while it’s still available on Steam and GOG, it’s obviously lacking certain modern day niceties.
Which brings us to Nightdive’s newly announced Thief: The Dark Project Remastered, which includes everything from the original release alongside the additional missions, enemies, and story included in 1999’s Thief Gold release. All this has been given a spot of visual finessing, thanks to the likes of enhanced textures, models, and animations, and there are small fixes to original level design too. Quality of life improvements, meanwhile, include a weapon and item wheel, enabling players to quickly select tools and gadgets.
“Thief was the first stealth game to use light and sound as game mechanics to help you hide from and sneak up on characters, rather than simply attacking them,” explains Nightdive in its announcement. “Explore unscripted, maze-like levels with advanced NPCs, who can hear, speak, and sound alarms if you make a wrong move. Each mission includes three difficulty settings with different objectives for maximum replayability. “
Elsewhere in the remaster, there’s a mission selector so players can easily revisit stages they’ve played, alongside built-in support for custom campaigns. All this runs at up to 4K/120fps, and if you prefer the heft of a gamepad to a mouse and keyboard, support for controllers is also in. Rounding out the remaster package, Nightdive has included achievements, and a “treasure trove” of behind-the-scenes material.
There’s no release date for Thief: The Dark Project Remastered yet, but it’s coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 1 & 2, Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG this “winter”.
