14 DAY TRIAL // The combat system in the new Thief video game is designed to appeal to a modern audience while also maintaining some of the classic elements that fans of the series are expecting, according to the team at Eidos Montreal.
Stephane Roy, the senior producer working on the series reboot, tells The Official PlayStation Magazine that his studio first tried to use the core fighting mechanics of the first title in the franchise.
The biggest problem was that the games simply made it too hard for gamers to get out of a situation once they were detected by enemy forces.
He says, “Let’s say I’ve been detected; it was really, really tough to survive. You know? It was unforgiving. Game over.”
The easy solution would be to simply increase the lethality of the protagonist, but Garrett is just a thief, a very skilled one, and not a brawler or a capable assassin.
Eidos Montreal decided to keep a link to the core motivations of the character while also giving gamers a way of surviving in battle if they fail to properly use the stealth system.
Roy adds, “Don’t try to kill them, just try to push them or make sure they are disabled. Don’t finish the job, just get the fuck out. How we used to play games ten years ago and how we play games today is different. So that’s why we are supporting this new way to play.”
The new Thief takes place in the City, where a Baron rules with an iron fist while a plague opens up possibilities for an enterprising thief but also raises questions about the nobility’s involvement.
Thief is set to arrive on the Xbox One, the PlayStation 4, the PC and current-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft on 2014, probably in the fall.