Thief II: The Metal Age Review | Stealth Strepsil, Sound Vibes, Robot Rising

We’re going back into the shadows and listening out for footsteps on tiled floors, as we revisit a series that all of us enjoyed back in season 1. We’re going back 25 years to 2000 to look at a massively influential first-person stealth game. We’re talking Thief II: The Metal Age.

On this episode of Stealth Boom Boom, we chat a little bit about the architecture of Meet Joe Black, co-operative thieving, and crunching to hit the release date. We also look at a trailer that Eddie Vedder (and by extension John McEnroe) would be happy with, some of the hopes developer Looking Glass Studios had for the franchise, and the closure of the studio only months after launch.

Here are some of the things you’re gonna hear us chat about in our review: staying in the pitch black shadows and extinguishing flames with your water arrows; walking on carpet and shooting at tiled floors with your moss arrows; the Stealth Strepsil; the guards that never shut up; many different ways to move; new magic potions; the Scouting Orb and whether there’s a need for it; the golden rule: get behind ‘em; a glitchy romance; cameras and big robots with faces; combat is punishment for being spotted; Dishonored; praise for quick save functionality; more objectives for higher difficulties; framing a lieutenant at the local police station; Kevin Keegan; a fondness for worldbuilding rather than plot; Blood Omen 2; sarky Garrett; religious texts; Karras as played by Droopy Dog; one of the best arguments; a UI that didn’t please Josh; and a specific sound that pleases everyone.

After all that, we take you through what some of the critics were saying about the game around the time it came out, and then we give you our final verdicts on whether Thief 2: The Metal Age is a Pass, a Play, or an Espionage Explosion.

For those who would like to play along at home, we'll be discussing, reviewing and dissecting Metal Gear Acid on the next episode of Stealth Boom Boom.

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