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* CreatorCameo: All those paintings of male and female nobles appearing throughout the game.... They're actually [[RuleOfFunny portraits of the game's developers]], in period clothing !
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* NoOSHACompliance: According to the briefing before the "Stopping Time" mission, more people have been killed by the gears of the city clocktower than the blade of the City's guillotine.
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* RedHerring: In ''Deadly Shadows'', Garrett is led to believe that [[spoiler:First Keeper Orland]] is the traitor when [[spoiler:the ruins of the collapsed city clocktower point to his office]].


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* TooAwesomeToUse: Though the BagOfSpilling approach of the previous two games is averted in the third game, you're also given the in-game tip about hoarding loot being pointless, and are encouraged to invest in buying equipment whenever you need it.
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* RevisitingTheRoots: ''Deadly Shadows'' is in many ways a blend of the sensibilities of the first two games, but it recalls the style of the first one a bit more, without being a homage. It has a tighter story focus, more firmly medieval set dressing with less over steampunk, a slightly more supernatural tone, and a smaller, humbler assortment of gadgets. All this while also keeping the narrative and gameplay focus on The City and on the mundane heist missions, just like the second game.

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* RevisitingTheRoots: ''Deadly Shadows'' is in many ways a blend of the sensibilities of the first two games, but it recalls the style of the first one a bit more, without being a homage. It has a tighter story focus, more firmly medieval set dressing with less over overt steampunk, a slightly more supernatural tone, and a smaller, humbler assortment of gadgets. All this while also keeping the narrative and gameplay focus on The City and on the mundane heist missions, just like the second game.

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* ContinuityNod: In a similar manner to the {{call back}}s in the opening sequence, there are plentiful continuity nods to the characters and events from ''The Dark Project'' and ''The Metal Age'' strewn throughout the whole game.



* HumanoidAbomination: Gamall's true form.

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* HumanoidAbomination: Gamall's [[spoiler:Gamall]]'s true form.



* KnockoutGas: Gas bombs are a new addition to Garrett's arsenal, and though he can't carry more than five, they're excellent for knocking out small crowds of people without the use of a blackjack. The gas mines from the previous games don't make an appearance, though.



* ParentalSubstitute: Of the three games in the trilogy, this installment is the most open about implying that Artemus and Garrett have something a father-son type of bond, in addition to Artemus being his original mentor.

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* ParentalSubstitute: Of the three games in the trilogy, this installment is the most open about implying that Artemus and Garrett have something of a father-son type of bond, in addition to Artemus being his original mentor.mentor.
* RevisitingTheRoots: ''Deadly Shadows'' is in many ways a blend of the sensibilities of the first two games, but it recalls the style of the first one a bit more, without being a homage. It has a tighter story focus, more firmly medieval set dressing with less over steampunk, a slightly more supernatural tone, and a smaller, humbler assortment of gadgets. All this while also keeping the narrative and gameplay focus on The City and on the mundane heist missions, just like the second game.



* SuperDrowningSkills: Garrett can't swim anymore. Thankfully, no one else can either, not even the BigBad.

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* SuperDrowningSkills: Garrett can't swim anymore. Thankfully, no one else can either, not even the BigBad. What bodies of water there are in-game are either too shallow to drown in, or require the player drowning Garrett on purpose.



* TrickBomb: Hand-thrown gas bombs are introduced as a new gadget in addition to the classic flashbombs, but all mines outside of the basic explosive mines are not available in this installment.



** VideogameCrueltyPunishment: Of course, if you ''do'' steal the inheritance (which is unfortunately required on Expect, unless you're using the unofficial Gold Edition patch), she'll send a loyal servant to kill you instead.

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** VideogameCrueltyPunishment: Of course, if you ''do'' steal the inheritance (which is unfortunately required on Expect, Expert difficulty, unless you're using the unofficial Gold Edition patch), she'll send a loyal servant to kill you instead.
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The first game concentrated its storyline on the Pagans, the second game on the Mechanists and Hammerites, and ''Deadly Shadows'' finally shows more insight into the Keepers and the challenges they face. Though Garrett still insists on wanting no association with the order after he left them at a younger age, he's more willing to cooperate with them after the events of the second game. Slowly but surely, he's drawn into a growing string of mysteries from the Keepers' past...

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* MeleeATrois: The climax of the the game [[spoiler:is a massive melee throughout the city streets between the City Watch, Hammerites, Pagans, and the BigBad's animated statues]]. The more factions that are friendly or at least neutral towards Garrett, the easier it is to make it through alive.
* MistakenForGranite: In the late levels of the third game. You'll know it when you'll see it.
* StealthPun: In ''Deadly Shadows'', you have to break into a clocktower operated by the Hammerites and sabotage the mechanism, causing the clock to stop. In other words, you have to [[MCHammer stop hammer time]].
* SuperDrowningSkills: Garrett can't swim anymore. Thankfully, no one else can, either, not even the BigBad.

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* MeleeATrois: The climax of the the game [[spoiler:is a massive melee throughout the city streets between the City Watch, Hammerites, Pagans, and the BigBad's animated statues]]. The more factions that are friendly or at least neutral towards Garrett, the easier it is to make it through alive.
* MistakenForGranite: In the late levels of the third game.levels. You'll know it when you'll see it.
* ParentalSubstitute: Of the three games in the trilogy, this installment is the most open about implying that Artemus and Garrett have something a father-son type of bond, in addition to Artemus being his original mentor.
* StealthPun: In ''Deadly Shadows'', one of the main missions, you have to break into a clocktower operated by the Hammerites and sabotage the mechanism, causing the clock to stop. In other words, you have to [[MCHammer stop hammer time]].
* SuperDrowningSkills: Garrett can't swim anymore. Thankfully, no one else can, can either, not even the BigBad.



* TooDumbToLive: In the third game, you can listen to two nobles talking about how they found the secret tunnel two thieves used to try to rob the museum, and plan to use it to break in for a lark. Said nobles seem to be forgetting that the reason the thieves failed was because the museum has ''lethal'' security precautions in place. But it would be such fun!
* TrickedOutGloves: Climbing gloves replace the rope arrows from the first two games. They have a more limited use, though, and the player only needs to use them on one or two occassions.

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* TooDumbToLive: In the third game, At one point, you can listen to two nobles talking about how they found the secret tunnel two thieves used to try for their attempt to rob the Wieldstrom museum, and plan to use it to break in for a lark. Said nobles seem to be forgetting that the reason the thieves failed was because the museum has ''lethal'' security precautions in place. But As one of them argues, "But it would be such fun!
fun!".
* TrickedOutGloves: Climbing gloves replace the rope arrows from the first two games. They have a more limited use, though, and the player is only needs required to use them on one or two occassions.occassions. Their use beyond that is completely optional.
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* 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.]]

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* FishPeople: The Kurshok from the third game.Kurshok. 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.]]
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* 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.]]
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* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: If you never [[spoiler: sell the Kurshok Crown]], you won't have to [[spoiler: steal it in the final level]]. But they don't make it easy for you: [[spoiler: if you didn't sell the Crown, but head for the fence who buys stolen jewelry after exiting the Museum with all the other loot, you can accidentally sell the Kurshok Crown and break the ending because you cannot buy back the Crown.]] So the seemingly hard way is actually the easier way: [[spoiler: If you do sell the Crown, and have to steal it from the Museum, the Crown becomes a protected item and you will be unable to accidentally sell it, a handy feature in the chaos and confusion at the end of the game.]]
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* EyeScream: [[spoiler:''Deadly Shadows'' reintroduces Garrett to his missing eye, which talks to him and suggests that one day it may remove the other eye.]]
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Garrett is forced into this in order to escape the Shalebridge Cradle.]]

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* AncientTomb: The tombs of Fort Ironwood are fairly old and spooky, and also relevant to the main plot and a few sidequests.



* BedlamHouse[=/=]AbandonedHospital: [[spoiler:The Shalebridge Cradle]] was this before it became an abandoned wellspring of evil, but ''after'' it was an [[spoiler:orphanage]]. Notes left around the place tell how bad it was. WordOfGod (Jordan Thomas, overall director and designer of the level) was that its creators honestly meant well and were quite forward-thinking, but tremendous costs, the class divide, primitive techniques and a series of disasters turned the place into a nightmarish cage. For example, [[spoiler:a clockmaker checked himself in after a nervous episode, was treated, and pronounced fit to leave. Due to a mix-up, he was then ''accidentally'' given extremely painful electroshock therapy, turning him into a massive headcase who had to be locked up with the most dangerous patients.]]

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* BedlamHouse[=/=]AbandonedHospital: [[spoiler:The Shalebridge Cradle]] was this before it became an abandoned wellspring of evil, but ''after'' it was an [[spoiler:orphanage]]. Notes left around the place tell how bad it was. WordOfGod (Jordan Thomas, overall director and designer of the level) was says that its the establishment's creators honestly meant well and were quite forward-thinking, but tremendous costs, the class divide, primitive techniques and a series of disasters turned the place into a nightmarish cage. For example, [[spoiler:a clockmaker checked himself in after a nervous episode, was treated, and pronounced fit to leave. Due to a mix-up, he was then ''accidentally'' given extremely painful electroshock therapy, turning him into a massive headcase who had to be locked up with the most dangerous patients.]]


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* BigFancyHouse: The Overlook Manor of the Moira family is the mansion mission of the game. The building somewhat subverts the trope by being spacious and cosy, but not all that opulent or luxurious. The whole dwelling looks as if it has seen better days.


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* KnifeFight: Garrett has traded his shorter sword from the previous two games for a stealthier simple dagger. It's also slightly less tricky for occassional backstabs than the sword was. There is a {{dummied out}}, ultimately unused model for the third game's sword, but it was ditched early in development, when the team decided to emphasise that players should avoid swordfights.


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* TrickedOutGloves: Climbing gloves replace the rope arrows from the first two games. They have a more limited use, though, and the player only needs to use them on one or two occassions.
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* StealthPun: In ''Deadly Shadows'', you have to break into a clocktower operated by the Hammerites and sabotage the mechanism, causing the clock to stop. In other words, you have to [[MCHammer stop hammer time]].


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* TooDumbToLive: In the third game, you can listen to two nobles talking about how they found the secret tunnel two thieves used to try to rob the museum, and plan to use it to break in for a lark. Said nobles seem to be forgetting that the reason the thieves failed was because the museum has ''lethal'' security precautions in place. But it would be such fun!


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* VillainBall: [[spoiler: Gamall gets an example of this in Deadly Shadows. She was smart enough to take the Glyph of Unbinding away from the Keepers, but she didn't destroy it or put it somewhere where nobody could find it. Instead, she took it to her lair. On top of this, she wrote a crazed rant about it in which she explained why Garret would want it (it destroys her stone guardians), how he can utilize it (bind it to his blackjack), and how to use it (smack the golem in the back of the head with it). Last but not least, she left this rant right next to the Glyph itself.]]


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* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: In ''Deadly Shadows'', it's clear that the Keepers have become this. While they obsessively watch and chronicle other factions and events in The City, they record very little of their own history. This is what allowed [[spoiler:Gamall]] the ability to rise unchecked. One note in the game even asks the question: "Who keeps the Keepers?"
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* BigFancyCastle: Rutherford Castle in the first proper mission.
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* CallBack: In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtNZ3J8nRHA intro cinematic]], there are two brief but intense flashback montages nodding back to the storyline and events of the previous two games.

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** HumanoidAbomination: Gamall's true form.
* HubLevel: The City streets that Garret visits between missions. This is a departure from earlier games in the series, where Garret can go to fence his ill-gotten goods, pick up a little extra loot, buy the tools of his trade, and even do a few {{Side Quest}}s should the mood take him.
* LockpickingMinigame: Tumblers are represented by three to six rings (depending on the lock complexity) that appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen when picking a lock. Each ring has an opening on it that is invisible at first and has to be located with the mouse-controlled pick based on subtle clues (like sounds made by the lock). Once the opening on the outermost ring is found, its tumbler is set, and Garret moves on to the next one; setting all tumblers opens the lock.


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* HumanoidAbomination: Gamall's true form.
* HubLevel: The City streets that Garret visits between missions. This is a departure from earlier games in the series, where Garret can go to fence his ill-gotten goods, pick up a little extra loot, buy the tools of his trade, and even do a few {{Side Quest}}s should the mood take him.
* LockpickingMinigame: Tumblers are represented by three to six rings (depending on the lock complexity) that appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen when picking a lock. Each ring has an opening on it that is invisible at first and has to be located with the mouse-controlled pick based on subtle clues (like sounds made by the lock). Once the opening on the outermost ring is found, its tumbler is set, and Garret moves on to the next one; setting all tumblers opens the lock.
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* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:The word "Gamall" is Scandinavian (and Tolkien-talk) for "old".]]
* MeleeATrois: The climax of the the game [[spoiler:is a massive melee throughout the city streets between the City Watch, Hammerites, Pagans, and the BigBad's animated statues]]. The more factions that are friendly or at least neutral towards Garrett, the easier it is to make it through alive.
* MistakenForGranite: In the late levels of the third game. You'll know it when you'll see it.
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* VideogameCaringPotential: In the Overlook Mansion mission, you come across Captain Moria's widow, who politely asks you to bring her a glass of wine. If you do so (and ''don't'' steal her inheritance on the way out), later on she'll send you an expensive bottle of wine along with a letter thanking you for your kindness.
** VideogameCrueltyPunishment: Of course, if you ''do'' steal the inheritance (which is unfortunately required on Expect, unless you're using the unofficial Gold Edition patch), she'll send a loyal servant to kill you instead.
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* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: After overhearing a thief impersonating him, Garrett [[DeadpanSnarker snarks]] "So that's the famous Garrett, huh? He's not as handsome as I'd imagined."
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**HumanoidAbomination: Gamall's true form.
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* HubLevel: The City streets that Garret visits between missions. This is a departure from earlier games in the series, where Garret can go to fence his ill-gotten goods, pick up a little extra loot, buy the tools of his trade, and even do a few {{Side Quest}}s should the mood take him.
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* CrystalBall: First Keeper Orland keeps a scrying bowl in his office so he may spy on other Keepers.


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* FateAndProphecyTropes: Prophecy has always had an important place in the series, but as ''Deadly Shadows'' focuses strongly on the Keepers, this particular game is ''swarming'' with applicable tropes.
** BlindSeer: Interpreter Caduca is blind, but can "read" the glyphs by touching them. Blindness isn't a requirement of the position, and her predecessor praised her for the unique clarity she had when reading the glyphs in this manner when he recommended her for promotion into his role.
** TheFatalist: The Keepers, right up until they reach a prophecy that suggests the end of their role. Then they're all in favor of trying to ScrewDestiny. ''Garrett'' fits this more by the end of the game than they do.
** NotSoOmniscientAfterAll: The Keepers love to play TheOmniscient and their OmniscientMoralityLicense for all it's worth, given they have a vast body of accurate (if vague) prophecy that they've used to successfully influence the City over centuries. This game is one big Not So Omniscient... moment for them as the edifice of prophecy starts to fall down around their ears by prophesying its own end.
** TheProphecy: Prophecy is a ''mess''. It's not a single prophecy, but untold hundreds of fragmentary prophecies uncovered through scribes engaging in automatic writing, as well as from ancient books. Most of them refer to one another, providing clues for how to interpret each other so that with intensive study one might glean a useful fact about the future. "Useful" if you can guess accurately who they even refer to, since they identify people not by names but by titles like "Brethren and Betrayer," which may get reused across different prophecies as different people play the same roles. (Garrett was almost certainly the Brethren and Betrayer of earlier games, but it seems to point to the BigBad in this game.) And some of the glyphs are rewriting themselves immediately after being written.
** PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: They're often vague, but glyph prophecies haven't been proven conclusively wrong once in the series. Garrett has managed to thwart the previous two dark ages warned about by the glyphs, but [[spoiler: the prophecies are not merely ''warning'' the Keepers about the Unwritten Times, they are ''coming''.]]
** ProphecyTwist: Several. A big one in particular is that when "time stops" then the "evil one(s)" will be pointed out. [[spoiler:Garrett stops the clock tower, but in so doing accidentally causes it to collapse and point straight at First Keeper Orland's office in the Keeper Compound. But it wasn't pointing at Orland so much as the Keepers in general, calling them out on the dangers of their secrecy and complacency.]]
** SelfFulfillingProphecy: The Keepers want to watch what happens, because they don't think it's their place to get involved, even when glyphs and events refer to them directly. Their reluctance to act enables certain prophecies to come true.
** SlidingScaleOfFreeWillVsFate: Firmly on the side of BecauseDestinySaysSo [[spoiler:but the Unwritten Times come with the destruction of glyph magic, suggesting all along prophecy would eventually [[ScrewDestiny screw itself]].]]
** TomesOfProphecyAndFate: Hundreds if not thousands of tomes of prophecy collected in the Keeper Compound, with one that Garrett has to find (along with a magic key to open it). [[spoiler:The Big Bad has spent years stealing away important tomes with secrets of her defeat.]]
** VaguenessIsComing: The "Unwritten Times" where the Keepers' prophecies fail are foretold in some of their rarest tomes. There's precious little detail on what these Times actually involve or how to avert them. [[spoiler:Garrett causes them because it's literally the only way to stop the BigBad now that she's warded herself to invulnerability with glyph magic.]]
** WaifProphet: Translator Gamall, Caduca's apprentice. She is very young but has uncanny insight in translating the glyphs despite her age, though she has been shown to require correction from Caduca at least once. [[spoiler:Subverted as she is secretly the Hag, the true villain of the game who used shapeshifting magic to steal the form of a young girl years ago so she could insinuate herself into the Keepers as an apprentice and work her way into a position of power and control. Gamall carefully crafted everything about this persona.]]
** YouCantFightFate: The Unwritten Times may not have come true if [[spoiler:the villain hadn't worked so hard to prevent it. Everything she did resulted in the pieces being in the right place for Garrett to find them and put together her secrets]].
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* {{Foreshadowing}}: A very subtle and well-done job throughout the whole game foreshadowing [[spoiler:the Hag as the true villain]]. Frequent but low-key references create a constant background hum that builds up the feel of a creepy urban legend very effectively.
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* DueToTheDead: Inspector Drept has a plaque in his office honoring Lauryl, promising to avenge her death.
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* VillainousBreakdown: "Come back to me.... come back to me...."
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* SuperDrowningSkills: Garrett can't swim anymore. Thankfully, no one else can, either, not even the BigBad.
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* LockpickingMinigame: Tumblers are represented by three to six rings (depending on the lock complexity) that appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen when picking a lock. Each ring has an opening on it that is invisible at first and has to be located with the mouse-controlled pick based on subtle clues (like sounds made by the lock). Once the opening on the outermost ring is found, its tumbler is set, and Garret moves on to the next one; setting all tumblers opens the lock.
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Along with missions like in the [[VideoGame/ThiefTheDarkProject first]] [[VideoGame/ThiefIITheMetalAge two]] games, you can now control garrett through [[HubWorld The City]] to go between areas and missions, pickpocket occasional passersby and obtain additional sidequests. It also included perspective switches and the ability to stand against walls as a stealth mechanic.

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Along with missions like in the [[VideoGame/ThiefTheDarkProject first]] [[VideoGame/ThiefIITheMetalAge two]] games, you can now control garrett Garrett through [[HubWorld The City]] to go between areas and missions, pickpocket occasional passersby and obtain additional sidequests. It also included perspective switches and the ability to stand against walls as a stealth mechanic.
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* AscendedFanboy: [invoked] By this time, Garrett seems to have a lot of admirers among co-workers as well as foes. One petty crook tries to pass himself off as Garrett to a possible customer (and fails). A female example that occurs is Marla Madison, a young fence that is basically Garrett's "greatest fangirl". Predictably, Garrett has a good laugh at the impostor's expence and is fairly annoyed by Marla's ditzy advances.

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* AscendedFanboy: [invoked] By this time, Garrett seems to have a lot of admirers among co-workers as well as foes. One petty crook tries to pass himself off as Garrett to a possible customer (and fails). A female example that occurs is Marla Madison, a young fence that is basically Garrett's "greatest fangirl". Predictably, Garrett has a good laugh at the impostor's expence and is fairly annoyed by Marla's ditzy advances.
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same deal as The Dark Project

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[[quoteright:325:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thiefds_6221.jpg]]

''Thief: Deadly Shadows'' is the third game of the ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' series. It was developed in 2004 by Ion Storm, with many Creator/{{Looking Glass|Studios}} employees moving there, and published by Eidos Interactive. A new sequel didn't emerge until [[VideoGame/{{Thief2014}} a decade later]].

Along with missions like in the [[VideoGame/ThiefTheDarkProject first]] [[VideoGame/ThiefIITheMetalAge two]] games, you can now control garrett through [[HubWorld The City]] to go between areas and missions, pickpocket occasional passersby and obtain additional sidequests. It also included perspective switches and the ability to stand against walls as a stealth mechanic.

The same year also saw a mobile phone tie-in.

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!!This game includes examples of:
* AscendedFanboy: [invoked] By this time, Garrett seems to have a lot of admirers among co-workers as well as foes. One petty crook tries to pass himself off as Garrett to a possible customer (and fails). A female example that occurs is Marla Madison, a young fence that is basically Garrett's "greatest fangirl". Predictably, Garrett has a good laugh at the impostor's expence and is fairly annoyed by Marla's ditzy advances.
* BedlamHouse[=/=]AbandonedHospital: [[spoiler:The Shalebridge Cradle]] was this before it became an abandoned wellspring of evil, but ''after'' it was an [[spoiler:orphanage]]. Notes left around the place tell how bad it was. WordOfGod (Jordan Thomas, overall director and designer of the level) was that its creators honestly meant well and were quite forward-thinking, but tremendous costs, the class divide, primitive techniques and a series of disasters turned the place into a nightmarish cage. For example, [[spoiler:a clockmaker checked himself in after a nervous episode, was treated, and pronounced fit to leave. Due to a mix-up, he was then ''accidentally'' given extremely painful electroshock therapy, turning him into a massive headcase who had to be locked up with the most dangerous patients.]]
* TheBlank: [[spoiler:The Shalebridge Cradle has the staff of the orphanage-turned-asylum, shadowy silhouettes created from the memory of [[GeniusLoci the Cradle]], representing the faceless authority of the adults keeping order between the children and patients.]]
* BodyHorror: Pretty much anything to do with [[spoiler:The Hag. She does much worse than eat children alive. In fact, eating a child alive would be kind compared to what she does to at least one. Then there's her body, which is a vaguely humanoid mass of flesh studded with eyes and mouths, most of which do not appear to be under her control.]]
* BookEnds: Ends the same way that ''The Dark Project'' began, [[spoiler:only Garrett stated Artemus' lines at this time]].
* CuteGhostGirl: [[spoiler:Lauryl from the infamously haunted Shalebridge Cradle isn't all that scary once you get to know her. She's a subversion of sorts, since she appears as a ghostly blob of light with the shadow of a small girl. She's helpful and kindly, showing Garrett various clues about the Cradle's dark past and guiding him out. After both of them leave the Cradle and enter the alleys of Old Quarter, the guards start fleeing in terror at the sight of Lauryl's ghostly appearance. For once, Garrett can take it easy with stealth in the City's streets. [[RuleOfFunny Funny stuff]].]]
* FertileBlood: The intro for the first mission dealing with Pagans shows a Pagan cutting his palm in order to "water" a plant, which then grows exponentially faster than normal.
* TitleDrop: A Keeper prophecy talks of "deadly shadows" rising.
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