After the fans sang their praises on Steam for Thief Simulator 2, the team at CookieDev have now released the game into the wilds of the console catalogs. With such a wide mix of simulation games out there to choose from it was refreshing to dive into something a little different as I donned my black and white stripy sweater, tied by eye mask tight and picked up my large sack labelled “swag”. I was finally ready to plunge into the dark and seedy world of occupational criminality.
My First Steps into a Life of Crime and Debauchery
Thief Simulator 2 throws you straight into the action and also somebody else’s bedroom. Worry not, this isn’t a flashback of “that fateful office party” but an opening scene that serves to start the game off on the front-foot, while giving us a taste for what is to come.
“They’re coming. You have one minute” are the ominous words that kick Thief Simulator 2 off. Wondering what exactly I had one minute to do, I found myself running blindly around the room like a chicken with its ass on fire. Once I regained my composure a little, I noticed I was being given instructions by the game. I needed to get to the shed, get my belongings and vamoose before the shifty looking guys in suits that I clocked on a monitor found me.
Admittedly, my first attempt wasn’t successful due to my flapping about and I was thusly shot in the face for my endeavors. My second attempt, however, was far more successful. Bounding through the house like a ninja, I escaped through a back window before grabbing my essentials (which were a crowbar and some keys, as opposed to a toothbrush and a change of underwear) and fleeing through my own back gate like a cowardly ninja.
Paying Back Debts
After feeling my home like a heroic chicken, I woke to receive a phone call from a friend who explained that I owed some serious people serious money and had to burglarize my way to riches in order to pay them back.
Your first steps into your life as a criminal are fed through instructions via phone calls from your friend. With so much going on in Thief Simulator 2 these phone calls proved to be valuable to the game. As an aspiring thief, all of the tools of the trade are available to you. This gives you a control over how you play the game that broadens as you steal your way to financial freedom and purchase more sophisticated (read “cool”) gadgetry.
An Irksome Bug
As enjoyable as Thief Simulator 2 is, there’s one bug that came to be a real thorn in my side. The game randomly loads you into a world of darkness, and I’m not talking about the life of a criminal but a complete lack of any source of light; even my torch wouldn’t work.
While this is easily fixed with a reload (or sometimes several), I found myself waiting for it every time I needed to reload a save, which was quite often because it turns out that I’m a clumsy master thief. I could understand it if the game was in beta stages, but this is supposed to be a finished product that people are paying their hard-earned money for. Do better, CookieDev.
I’m hoping that this is just an early hiccup that will soon be ironed out, but only time will tell. I’ll update here if and when the day comes.
Summary
Thief Simulator 2 is a refreshingly fun simulation game that packs a lot in. With so many different tools and skills to unlock it gives you the freedom to play your own game and do things how you want to do them. Yes, some of the jobs you’re given seem a little strange (a moonlight smashing of a garden gnome) but the the absurdity only adds to the charm of the game. I just hope the bug is addressed in good time.
REVIEW
OUR SCORE - 7.5
7.5
SCORE
Thief Simulator 2 is a refreshingly fun simulation game that packs a lot in. With so many different tools and skills to unlock it gives you the freedom to play your own game and do things how you want to do them.