When Otherside Entertainment announced last week that its upcoming B&E simulator Thick as Thieves will not be a PvPvE multiplayer game as planned, but will instead focus on two-player co-op and singleplayer, I thought to myself: Well, that’s going to take some time to get sorted. See you in 2027 or ’28, I guess. But I was wrong! It will in fact be out next month.
Otherside revealed at today’s Triple-I showcase that Thick as Thieves is set to drop in just six weeks, on May 20, setting players off on a trip to the fictional Scottish city of Kilcairn for a “tightly curated” heisting experience that can be played solo or with a partner. The game will offer two playable thieves and two “dynamic and highly replayable maps,” six pieces of gear, and 16 contracts to take on.
That sounds a little thin to me, frankly, but the goal here doesn’t seem to be a deep, linear narrative in the tradition of Thief or Dishonored. Instead, Thick as Thieves sounds like more of a randomized playground, with an emphasis on mechanics and replayability: Otherside said the game will offer “short, engaging missions that change with every playthrough.”
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“Every mechanic and choice has been made with intent,” game director Jeff Hickman said. “There is nothing accidental, nothing wasted.”
There is an underlying narrative to dig into here, too, although how deep it runs remains to be seen: Otherside said players will “uncover the secrets of the Constabulary and the mysteries of the nobility” as they “explore the history of Kilcairn and its influential families.”
I’m not sure that’s what I’m really looking for in a game that makes such a point of playing up its Thief roots, but I will also cop to being old and cranky, and very much a part of the “things were better when I was your age” demographic. Which is of course an objectively truthful understanding of things, but even so there’s no denying the impact of bias, and it’s possible I’m pre-judging Thick as Thieves a little too harshly.
(It’s also possible that I’m still grappling with the trauma of Underworld Ascendant, Otherside’s previous immsim resurrection, of which I will speak no more—but fellow sufferer Rick Lane has some thoughts on the matter, if you’re curious.)
It’s not often that I hope to be wrong about something, but this is definitely one of those times: I really want Thick as Thieves to prove a worthy successor to the legacies of Thief and Dishonored, even if it doesn’t have their distinctively magnificent style. Because really, what does?
Thick as Thieves lands on May 20, and is up for wishlisting now on Steam.
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