The Thief franchise is one of those that deserved so much better. Thief: Deadly Shadows was a great game whose ambition was hampered by the technology of the time. 2014’s reboot had some good ideas, but ultimately missed the mark. Now, Thief is returning to the spotlight, sneaking back into the shadows after over ten years. It’s been a long time coming for the series, so the announcement of a brand-new VR title caught me off guard, although it makes sense. Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows feels like a very natural evolution, finally taking the game into VR. 

You play as Magpie, a promising young thief performing jobs to steal high-risk items from the elite of the city. However, you soon encounter a mystical relic possessed by none other than the legendary master thief himself, Garrett. This sends Magpie and Garrett on a journey that could alter the world. 

Other than the inclusion of Garrett as the voice in your head for this game, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows stands mostly on its own and doesn’t really require you to play the other games (though you should). The world here is incredibly well realised, with notes and guard chatter that fill in the story and make it worth exploring, even if the plot itself is a little too basic. 

If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s that the Thief franchise is primed for the VR treatment. The idea of sneaking around and stealing everything that isn’t nailed down. Everything from snatching loot from desk drawers, pickpockets unsuspecting guards, or even just peaking around corners feels that much more immersive in VR. The core stealth gameplay is exceptionally well done. 

Level design is also pretty solid. One of the core tenets of the Thief franchise is enabling player choice and having multiple routes through each level.  I was initially worried that this would be lost in the move to VR and for the game to take a much more linear approach; however, for the most part, those worries are unfounded. Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows does an excellent job of giving you options in how to approach each level in its limited space. Don’t expect grand levels like those in Hitman: World of Assassination.

From the moment you load into levels, you are given multiple pathways to explore, guard patterns to exploit, and various other dangers and interactables within the world. Fire braziers illuminate the paths, making it easier to see, and patrolling guards scatter the levels. To get around open windows, climbable rocks provide different routes through the world. This keeps replay value relatively high as you find new ways to navigate each level, helping each run feel totally different. Some of the levels allow you to climb up to the city rooftop, and the vertical levels were really refreshing. Even though it does stumble again towards the end, there are far more good levels than bad. 

To help Magpie on her thief journey, she will gain access to a variety of tools and abilities. The blackjack club allows you to knock out a guard with a swift club to the head, and the bow can be equipped with a wide variety of arrow types, including standard arrowheads, water arrows, and yes… even the rope arrow is back. They’ve even implemented the focus mode from Thief 2014 into this game, which can be activated by bringing your hand up to the side of the headset to highlight interactables in the area. It’s a neat Quality of Life feature that helps Thief VR move at a steady pace. 

Unfortunately, Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows has a few issues that hold it back from being a great game. This is, namely, the game’s AI, which feels completely underwhelming, with weak vision cones that let you get away with a little too much. As long as you are in shadows, it feels like you can get as close to the FOV as possible without consequence; as a result, the dynamic light gem attached to your hand feels pointless. Entering combat is something I wouldn’t recommend, as it just feels clumsy trying to get the perfect parry. 

If guards catch a glimpse of you, they may investigate for a few seconds before returning to patrol, or, if they spot you, they will give chase, but it’s incredibly easy to get away, break line of sight, and that’ll typically do the trick. Predictable attacks make combat just feel more like a VR Quick Time Event, more than anything tactile. I’d personally try to avoid this as much as possible, as it highlights the worst this game has to offer. If you are playing the Thief games, expect to play like a Thief. Stick to the shadows and avoid guards whenever possible. 

It’s been a few months since I last jumped into VR, and everything came back to me naturally. Every action you perform, from picking up an object to drawing your bow or climbing up walls, feels natural and believable. It can be easy for a VR game to mess up such simple actions as vaulting, but in my experience, it felt consistent. It’s also a comfortable VR experience with plenty of accessibility features, though I would recommend turning some of them off. The slower nature of Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows naturally makes it more accessible.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows makes full use of the medium as well. Playing on the Quest 2, we have a surprisingly above-average implementation, not the technical disaster I was expecting, and it still did enough to immerse me in the world. If you compare it to other versions, it will, of course, look a lot worse with weaker shadows that make the world look flat, and it can be a little tricky to gauge which shadows will be the most impactful during gameplay. It’s an acceptable trade-off considering the age of the Quest 2 hardware, and I fully intend to pick the game up again on Steam as a test for the upcoming Steam Frame.

Sound design is also pretty solid for a VR title as well. Guard chatter fills the game world and helps it feel alive, whilst the cast does a solid enough job telling a simple story. Though it’s the legendary Stephen Russell returning as Garret, sorely missed from the 2014 reboot of the franchise. Bringing in the character’s iconic, charismatic, and sarcastic edge. Whilst you don’t play as Garret in this game, his presence is felt throughout. 

If you are in the market for a new immersive VR game, then you can’t go wrong with Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows. It’s a mostly triumphant return for this long-dormant franchise, one that makes excellent use of VR to enhance immersion and really makes you feel like a master thief. Though it’s not perfect, and a few issues hold it back. Whilst, as a franchise fan, I wouldn’t recommend fellow fans to run out and buy a headset for this release, it is one I can easily recommend to longtime Thief fans and newcomers that also happen to have a VR headset. 

 

 

Graphics: 5.5 Considering it’s running on Quest 2, it does look better than expected, just a little boring.	Gameplay: 8.0 Great stealth gameplay that made me feel like a master thief.
Sound: 8.0 Stephen Russell effortlessly returns as Garrett, but the rest of the sound doesn’t live up to its predecessors.	Fun Factor: 7.5 Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows was much better than I was anticipating. A true-to-form Thief game that makes use of VR nicely.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows is available now on Meta Quest 2 & 3, PlayStation 2 VR, and PCVR. 

Reviewed on Quest 2.

A copy of Thief VR: Legacy of Shadows was provided by the publisher.