Thick as Thieves Review
There’s something immediately appealing about Thick As Thieves. Sneaking through dark hallways, avoiding guards, grabbing valuables, and escaping before everything falls apart scratches that classic stealth itch in a satisfying way. It clearly takes inspiration from old-school immersive sims and stealth games, and at times, it genuinely feels like a modern love letter to titles like Thief and Dishonored.
Set in the gloomy city of Kilcairn, Thick As Thieves throws players into a series of heists filled with hidden routes, locked rooms, traps, and plenty of loot to discover. The atmosphere is one of the game’s strongest aspects. Exploring large mansions and carefully moving through shadows while listening to guard patrols creates some tense and enjoyable moments, especially during your first few hours.
The game also gives players a nice selection of gadgets and tools to experiment with. Smoke bombs, lockpicks, distraction devices, and magical abilities all add variety to how you approach objectives. Some tools feel far more useful than others, but trying different playstyles and routes makes each heist entertaining for a while. There are also many unlockables tied to progression, which gives players extra incentive to keep playing and experimenting with builds and equipment.
One thing Thick As Thieves does surprisingly well is rewarding exploration. Certain areas open up more over time, revealing additional paths, secrets, and optional loot opportunities. The level design isn’t groundbreaking, but there’s enough verticality and environmental detail to make sneaking around enjoyable. Finding hidden shortcuts or discovering a safer route around guards can feel genuinely rewarding.
However, despite the strong foundation, the game starts becoming repetitive faster than expected. While the maps are decently designed, there simply isn’t enough variety in objectives or encounters to keep things fresh for long periods. After several runs, many missions begin blending together, and the excitement of planning heists slowly fades once you’ve seen most of what the game has to offer.
Enemy AI can also feel inconsistent. Sometimes guards react intelligently and create tense situations, while other times they become easy to manipulate or completely oblivious. The stealth mechanics work well enough overall, but they never fully evolve into something deeper or more dynamic.
Where the game improves significantly is in co-op. Playing with a friend adds far more unpredictability and fun to the experience. Coordinating distractions, planning routes together, or barely escaping after a messy mistake creates some genuinely memorable moments. Solo play is still enjoyable, but the game feels clearly designed around cooperative chaos and experimentation. With friends, even repetitive missions become more entertaining simply because of the shared experience.
Visually, Thick As Thieves has a stylish atmosphere with strong lighting and shadow work that fits the stealth gameplay nicely. The audio design also deserves credit, especially the emphasis on environmental sounds and guard movement, which becomes an important part of navigating safely.
For a $5 game, though, Thick As Thieves actually offers a decent amount of content and replay value. Between the unlockables, tools, co-op gameplay, and multiple approaches to each mission, there’s enough here to justify its low price point, especially for players looking for a casual stealth experience with friends.
At its best, Thick As Thieves delivers fun stealth sandbox gameplay with rewarding exploration and enjoyable co-op moments. But limited variety and repetitive mission structure stop it from reaching its full potential. There’s definitely fun here, especially with friends, but it feels more like a promising foundation than a fully satisfying stealth experience.
Game score: 6/10
Reviewed by: Ruba Jaiousy
There’s something immediately appealing about Thick As Thieves. Sneaking through dark hallways, avoiding guards, grabbing valuables, and escaping before everything falls apart scratches that classic stealth itch in a satisfying way. It clearly takes inspiration from old-school immersive sims and stealth games, and at times, it genuinely feels like a modern love letter to titles like Thief and Dishonored.
Set in the gloomy city of Kilcairn, Thick As Thieves throws players into a series of heists filled with hidden routes, locked rooms, traps, and plenty of loot to discover. The atmosphere is one of the game’s strongest aspects. Exploring large mansions and carefully moving through shadows while listening to guard patrols creates some tense and enjoyable moments, especially during your first few hours.
The game also gives players a nice selection of gadgets and tools to experiment with. Smoke bombs, lockpicks, distraction devices, and magical abilities all add variety to how you approach objectives. Some tools feel far more useful than others, but trying different playstyles and routes makes each heist entertaining for a while. There are also many unlockables tied to progression, which gives players extra incentive to keep playing and experimenting with builds and equipment.
One thing Thick As Thieves does surprisingly well is rewarding exploration. Certain areas open up more over time, revealing additional paths, secrets, and optional loot opportunities. The level design isn’t groundbreaking, but there’s enough verticality and environmental detail to make sneaking around enjoyable. Finding hidden shortcuts or discovering a safer route around guards can feel genuinely rewarding.
However, despite the strong foundation, the game starts becoming repetitive faster than expected. While the maps are decently designed, there simply isn’t enough variety in objectives or encounters to keep things fresh for long periods. After several runs, many missions begin blending together, and the excitement of planning heists slowly fades once you’ve seen most of what the game has to offer.
Enemy AI can also feel inconsistent. Sometimes guards react intelligently and create tense situations, while other times they become easy to manipulate or completely oblivious. The stealth mechanics work well enough overall, but they never fully evolve into something deeper or more dynamic.
Where the game improves significantly is in co-op. Playing with a friend adds far more unpredictability and fun to the experience. Coordinating distractions, planning routes together, or barely escaping after a messy mistake creates some genuinely memorable moments. Solo play is still enjoyable, but the game feels clearly designed around cooperative chaos and experimentation. With friends, even repetitive missions become more entertaining simply because of the shared experience.
Visually, Thick As Thieves has a stylish atmosphere with strong lighting and shadow work that fits the stealth gameplay nicely. The audio design also deserves credit, especially the emphasis on environmental sounds and guard movement, which becomes an important part of navigating safely.
For a $5 game, though, Thick As Thieves actually offers a decent amount of content and replay value. Between the unlockables, tools, co-op gameplay, and multiple approaches to each mission, there’s enough here to justify its low price point, especially for players looking for a casual stealth experience with friends.
At its best, Thick As Thieves delivers fun stealth sandbox gameplay with rewarding exploration and enjoyable co-op moments. But limited variety and repetitive mission structure stop it from reaching its full potential. There’s definitely fun here, especially with friends, but it feels more like a promising foundation than a fully satisfying stealth experience.
Game score: 6/10
Reviewed by: Ruba Jaiousy