History VideoGame / Thief

* VitriolicBestBuds: [[TheFool "Dumb Guard"]] (a.k.a. Benny) and [[SmartGuy "Smart Guard"]] (a.k.a. Hal, Nick or Jored). [[OddCouple As different as night and day]], but [[BuddyCopShow good pals]] and [[TheyFightCrime co-workers]]. A lot of their conversations turn into pure CrowningMomentOfFunny.

* GiantSpider: These appear occasionally in the first game and more rarely and with less variety in the second one. Even the "[[{{Understatement}} small]]" [[http://thief.wikia.com/wiki/Yellow_Spider yellowy spider]] is as big as your ''foot''. They usually attack by jumping and biting. Sometimes they spit.

->-- '''Artemus'''

* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:Garrett teams up briefly with the Hammerites and Pagans in the first and second game respectively (and has the option to team up with both of them, simultaneously, in the third game). He does it more out of necessity than sympathy.]]

* StrangeBedfellows:
** Late in the ''The Dark Project'', he teams up with the Hammerites against a common enemy, an 'eye for an eye', if you will. Fittingly enough, the level in which the event takes place [[LampshadeHanging is called]] "Strange Bedfellows".
** ''The Metal Age'' has Garrett team up with the survivors of the group he defeated in the first.
** In ''Deadly Shadows'', Garrett can team-up with these groups despite his history in targeting both of them and [[spoiler:killing the Pagans' god while he was trying to destroy the City they hate]]. Hell, it happens right after he's robbed both of them of some pretty valuable loot. It's possible they've realised he's a dangerous enemy to have.

** The "Lost City" level in the first game has a CthulhuMythos reference: It contains a statue that looks very like Cthulhu, and a reference to a god called "N'lahotep". It's strongly hinted that angering these gods is what caused the city to be buried under lava.

* TitleDrop: Of course the main title gets a lot of use, but the subtitles of each game each get only a single mention. In the first game [[spoiler:Constantine]] in one written journal calls his plan his "Dark project". The second game never uses the words "metal age", but those are the last words spoken in the {{sequel hook}} ending to the first game. In the third game, a Keeper prophecy uses the phrase "the deadly shadows amass".

The series is especially notable for the [[WideOpenSandbox relatively free exploration allowed within the boundaries of each scenario]] and the many ways the player can approach the given objectives. {{Self Imposed Challenge}}s, such as [[SpeedRun completing objectives in as short time as possible]] or [[StealthRun completely avoiding detection]] [[PacifistRun and confrontation]], are popular among the more devoted fans. The series is rather influential on the stealth genre, as many of it's most important features, such as light, the amount of noise being made, and the player character being bad at combat (thus making stealth important in the first place) are things this game popularized. The games are loved for the convincing and engrossing atmosphere they create by taking usually Victorian SteamPunk and giving it a dash of medieval flavour, making for a truly unique and interesting setting. The ''Thief'' series has a strong following and many elaborate fan-made scenarios have been created.

* AssholeVictim: Given that most of the people Garret steals from are [[AristocratsAreEvil corrupt nobles]], [[KnightTemplar religious fanatics]] and literal monsters it's unlikely players will feel much guilt in doing so

** The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Pagan]] faction, which shuns advanced technology and the society of the City. They worship nature and its incarnate deity - the legendary and powerful, but chaotic Trickster, who despises industry and the working of steel. Needless to say, Pagans don't get along very well with Hammerites and the feeling is mutual (despite some rare instances of WorthyOpponent between the two factions).

* ElementalPowers: One of the unusual natural occurences in the world of the series is the spontaneous formation of crystals that represent the four elements, depending on location (e.g. water crystals form in ponds and rivers, fire crystals in lava or fires, etc.). These are then commonly utilized by various thief guilds or independent thieves, including Garrett : They serve as the ''[[AbnormalAmmo arrowheads]]'' for the various {{Trick Arrow}}s used in heists. For instance, water arrows can put out torches, gas arrows [[KnockOutGas knock out]] adversaries, moss arrows create moss carpets that deaden footsteps on louder surfaces. Funnily enough, the fire arrows in the game are not just simple arrows set alight, but ''fire crystal arrows'' that ''[[MadeOfExplodium explode]]'' when hitting something, making them the most powerful offensive arrows. Then there's the Hand Brotherhood, a group of oriental-esque mages that specialize in magic based on the four elements. You get to visit their elaborate compound in the mission "The Mage Towers" from ''Thief Gold''. And, appropriately enough, your elemental {{Trick Arrow}}s do come in handy in that mission as well.

* FishPeople: The Kurshok from the third game. Surprisingly, they're not in allegiance with the Pagans like most of the other non-human races - it's subtly hinted that [[spoiler:the Trickster cast them below the earth.]]

* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Burricks - wingless reptiles with the size of a pony and the outward appearance of a chubby theropod dinosaur - are apparently the closest thing to a dragon in the Thiefverse. Expectable in such a down-to-earth LowFantasy setting. Burricks aren't actually ferocious (being herbivores), but they can still be dangerous. No, they don't breathe fire - instead, they burp cloud after cloud of some sort of highly concentrated fumes created in their digestive system. The fumes are corrosive and you'll suffocate in them almost immediately. It's implied they have slightly explosive properties - Garrett makes a snappy remark in the second game about how ''"infiltrating Shoalsgate is like looking down a burrick's throat with a lit match"''. Burricks appear up-close-and-personal in several levels of the first game and in the form of hunting trophies and occasional references in the second and third game.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent[=/=]OurZombiesAreDifferent: Where to begin ? [[spoiler:Hammer Haunts, Fire Shadows, Shalebridge Cradle inmates (a.k.a. "Puppets") and [[TheBlank shadowy spirits of its former staff members]]... Then there are literal ghosts, both friendly and malicious, called Apparitions. Only the regular type of zombies has generic zombie appearance and behaviour throughout the whole series.]]

** However, The ending of ''Thief II : The Metal Age'' was a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], with Garrett ''finally'' accepting that [[YouCantFightFate he cannot escape his fate]], if still grudgingly.

* ShipTease: Plenty of it between Garrett and [[spoiler:Viktoria]] in ''Thief II : The Metal Age''.

** The "Lost City" level in the first game has a CthulhuMythos reference : It contains a statue that looks very like Cthulhu, and reference to a god "N'lahotep". It's strongly hinted that angering these gods is what caused the city to be buried under lava.

** An odd variation: through accident and happenstance, the source code to the first two Thief games found its way into the hands of the public. A little over a year later, an anonymous source has been releasing patches to make the games run bigger, better and faster than ever before. "New Dark" has allowed fan-mission authors to use more detailed architecture, textures, and more intensive resources than was ever possible before, and even doing away with the old Dark Engine's limitations (thus killing the KillScreen phenomenon detailed below).
** ''The Dark Mod'', built in the idTech 4 engine also used by ''VideoGame/{{Doom 3}}'', has been under continuous development since summer 2004 and became a fully standalone freeware game in October 2013. Part of the reason behind its existence was a craving for remaking the first two games in a more modern and more flexible engine, while another motivation was the lack of a more accessible level editor for ''Thief : Deadly Shadows''. Though ''The Dark Mod'' doesn't use any copyrighted terminology from the series, it uses the same general art style, storytelling methods and gameplay approach. It's basically a freeware AdaptationDistillation of the three ''Thief'' games.

** ArtificialStupidity: But on the other hand you can play some mean tricks in the first game. They won't notice torches that have been put out, the sudden appearance of moss on the floor or loot disappearing right under their noses. They are also more alerted by someone stepping on metal [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy while not being alerted]] [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality by sounds of their fellow guards getting knocked out. In addition, the majority of the guards seem to have night blindness and surprisingly cannot spot the player if he's in the dark even if light backgrounds are behind him]]. The second game fixed some of the more obvious AI bugs, but most of them were fully dealt with only in the third game (where guards can even notice suspiciously opened doors, suddenly disappeared loot and other strange changes to the environment). Still, the AI is appropriately curious and unforgiving in all three games.

The series is especially notable for the [[WideOpenSandbox relatively free exploration allowed within the boundaries of each scenario]] and the many ways the player can approach the given objectives. {{Self Imposed Challenge}}s, such as [[SpeedRun completing objectives in as short time as possible]] or [[StealthRun completely avoiding detection]] [[PacifistRun and confrontation]], are popular among the more devoted fans. The series is rather influential on the StealthGenre, as many of it's most important features, such as light, the amount of noise being made, and the player character being bad at combat (thus making stealth important in the first place) are things this game popularized. The games are loved for the convincing and engrossing atmosphere they create by taking usually Victorian SteamPunk and giving it a dash of medieval flavour, making for a truly unique and interesting setting. The ''Thief'' series has a strong following and many elaborate fan-made scenarios have been created.

The series is especially notable for the [[WideOpenSandbox relatively free exploration allowed within the boundaries of each scenario]] and the many ways the player can approach the given objectives. {{Self Imposed Challenge}}s, such as [[SpeedRun completing objectives in as short time as possible]] or [[StealthRun completely avoiding detection]] [[PacifistRun and confrontation]], are popular among the more devoted fans. The games are loved for the convincing and engrossing atmosphere they create by taking usually Victorian SteamPunk and giving it a dash of medieval flavour, making for a truly unique and interesting setting. The ''Thief'' series has a strong following and many elaborate fan-made scenarios have been created.

* EveryDeviceIsASwissArmyKnife: Garrett's bow comes across as this, since the wide array of {{Trick Arrow}}s that it can fire makes it a very versatile weapon. [[SubvertedTrope Oddly enough]], given the [[StealthBasedGame nature of the gameplay]] and the types of arrows you'll usually be using the most, the bow is more often than not a tool, rather than an offensive weapon. The bow itself also has some [[AwesomeYetPractical funky accessories]], particularly an attachment with a simple targeting reticle made from iron. The arrows themselves and the blackjack and sword/dagger also have a great degree of multifunctionality.

** The Wieldstrom Museum's security systems from ''Deadly Shadows'' can also be disabled this way, though only for a minute or two. Furthermore, the Tesla-coil-like electrical fence protecting the two most valuable exhibits can be disabled [[spoiler:by [[AwesomeYetPractical shooting a water arrow into one of the coils]], shutting it down for about 5-7 seconds]] - enough time to grab the loot and run back for cover to the nearest dark corner.

* SwissArmyWeapon: Garrett's ([[BoringButPractical perfectly ordinary]]) bow, when combined with the use of various arrow types (including {{trick arrows}}), is by far the most versatile weapon and tool he has at his disposal.

* VideogameCrueltyPotential: Play the games the way they're meant to be played and you'll avoid it. But still, you can pickpocket virtually anyone (given the right circumstances), backstab anyone not aware of your presence from behind, snipe people and various fauna in the head with a broadhead arrow, blow up or gas people and creatures with fire arrows and bombs/mines, blackjack everyone in the city quarter and hide them in bushes or ignite puddles of oil and throw the unsuspecting innocents in there, blind people with flashbombs, blow zombies to chunky bits or dust with holy water arrows, etc., etc. And best of all, if you kill any normal living being, you can clean up the puddle of blood by shooting a water arrow into it. Of course, you should steer away from any open violence, since in the end, [[VideogameCrueltyPunishment the guards or creatures will probably catch you and arrest or kill you]].
** The punishment tropes always comes into effect on harder difficulties, where you may not even kill guards.
* VitriolicBestBuds: [[TheFool "Dumb Guard"]] (a.k.a. Benny) and [[SmartGuy "Smart Guard"]] (a.k.a. Nick or Jored). [[OddCouple As different as night and day]], but [[BuddyCopShow good pals]] and [[TheyFightCrime co-workers]]. A lot of their conversations turn into pure CrowningMomentOfFunny.

* WordSequel: The series went on an interesting trajectory, with ''VideoGame/ThiefTheDarkProject'', then ''VideoGame/ThiefIITheMetalAge'', and finally a numberless title again, ''VideoGame/ThiefDeadlyShadows''.

** Public signs in the [[VideoGame/ThiefDeadlyShadows third game]] also hint at the world of the series using a different script to any real world one, even though all in-game texts and readables are rendered in Latin scrip to the reader.

* EnemyChatter: Particularly memorable: the [[http://bearpits.ytmnd.com/ bear pits]] conversation in "Lord Bafford's Manor"; and a GenreSavvy guard asking a Mechanist how the cameras know to sound the alarm when they see a thief, but not when they see a guard. (His response? The Mechanists' version of the MST3KMantra, of course.)

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything:

** If you were forced to kill someone and had already hid his body, but the blood stain is still in sight and could give you away, you can shoot water arrows into it to wash it away. And, in the third game only, shooting moss arrows at pursuing human enemies will cause them to leave you be, because they start choking on the magically expanding moss.

* VideogameCrueltyPotential: Play the games the way they're meant to be played and you'll avoid it. But still, you can pickpocket virtually anyone (given the right circumstances), backstab anyone not aware of your presence from behind, snipe people and various fauna in the head with a broadhead arrow, blow up or gas people and creatures with fire arrows and bombs/mines, blackjack everyone in the city quarter and hide them in bushes or ignite puddles of oil and throw the unsuspecting innocents in there, blind people with flashbombs, blow zombies to chunky bits or dust with holy water arrows, etc., etc. And best of all, if you kill any normal living being, [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything you can clean up the puddle of blood]] [[AwesomeYetPractical by shooting a water arrow into it]]. Of course, you should steer away from any open violence, since in the end, [[VideogameCrueltyPunishment the guards or creatures will probably catch you and arrest or kill you]].

* KillItWithFire: The Hammerites and Mechanists are fond of this, with their Priests specializing in fire-elemental magic and firing hammer or gear-shaped fireballs at enemies, and in the third game Hammerite Priests using it to increase the attack power of their allies and allow them to harm undead enemies. Several enemies in the first game also utilize fire to attack; the Fire Shadows, invincible flaming undead enemies who can be driven off with attacks and drop fire crystals whenever they are; Fire Elementals, living flying fireballs aligned with the Pagans which launch smaller fireballs at enemies; and Fire Mages, who also launch small fireballs at enemies and can survive in lava.
** The fire arrow is one of the most damaging weapons in Garret's arsenal and can be used to light torches, but lights Garret up like a Christmas tree when readied and makes a ton of noise on impact with enemies/objects.

* The moss arrows create patches of vegetation that muffle any movement you made on them, and in the third game can choke enemies it is fired at, rendering them temporarily helpless. The vine arrows in the second game create a vine down from any surface that it they are fired at which you can use to climb up high areas, unlike the similar rope arrows which can only create ropes down from wooden or grass surfaces.

* GreenThumb: The Pagans, who can manipulate plants and use them to either help allies or harm enemies. [[spoiler:Viktoria]] from the first two games and the Pagan Shamans from the third game in particular use plant-based attacks, [[spoiler:Viktoria]] extending vines to pin or impale enemies and the Shamans firing blasts of natural energy at enemies and using it to speed up allies. The Earth Mages in the first game can also fire a projectile which will entangle Garret in vines if it hits and gradually sap his health until he shakes free. The moss arrows create patches of vegetation that muffle any movement you made on them, and in the third game can choke enemies it is fired at, rendering them temporarily helpless. The vine arrows in the second game create a vine down from any surface that it they are fired at which you can use to climb up high areas, unlike the similar rope arrows which can only create ropes down from wooden or grass surfaces.

* GreenThumb: The Pagans, who can manipulate plants and use them to either help allies or harm enemies. [[spoiler:Viktoria]] from the first two games and the Pagan Shamans from the third game in particular use plant-based attacks, [[spoiler:Viktoria]] extending vines to pin or impale enemies and the Shamans firing blasts of natural energy at enemies and using it to speed up allies. The moss arrows create patches of vegetation that muffle any movement you made on them, and in the third game can choke enemies it is fired at, rendering them temporarily helpless. The vine arrows in the second game create a vine down from any surface that it they are fired at which you can use to climb up high areas, unlike the similar rope arrows which can only create ropes down from wooden or grass surfaces.

* GreenThumb: The Pagans, who can manipulate plants and use them to either help allies or harm enemies. Viktoria from the first two games and the Pagan Shamans from the third game in particular use plant-based attacks, Viktoria extending vines to pin or impale enemies and the Shamans firing blasts of natural energy at enemies and using it to speed up allies. The moss arrows create patches of vegetation that muffle any movement you made on them, and in the third game can choke enemies it is fired at, rendering them temporarily helpless. The vine arrows in the second game create a vine down from any surface that it they are fired at which you can use to climb up high areas, unlike the similar rope arrows which can only create ropes down from wooden or grass surfaces.

* GreenThumb: The Pagans specialize in this magic, particularly [[PlantPerson Viktoria]] and the Pagan Shamans. The moss arrows utilize it to create patches of vegetation that muffle any movement you made on them, and in the third games can choke enemies it is fired at, rendering them helpless. The vine arrows in the second game also utilize it, creating a vine down from any surface that you can climb up to reach high-up areas, unlike the similar rope arrows which can only create ropes down from wooden or grass surfaces.

* ConstructedWorld

->--'''Artemus'''