Thief II: The Metal Age

About Thief II: The Metal Age

Thief II: The Metal Age (2000) is Looking Glass Studios' final game, a first-person stealth sequel in which master thief Garrett uncovers a conspiracy by the technology-worshipping Mechanist sect.

Thief II: The Metal Age in Depth

A year after Thief: The Dark Project, the steampunk metropolis known as the City, resembling both medieval and Victorian cities, is home to magic and steam technology alike, and to three factions: the enigmatic Keepers, the technology-minded Hammerites and the pagan worshippers of the Trickster. After the Trickster's defeat, a schism in the Hammerite religion has spawned the fanatical Mechanist sect, whose inventions are used by a resurgent police force to crack down on crime. Master thief Garrett unravels a conspiracy tied to the new sect through missions such as burglaries and frame-ups.

Played in first person, the aim is to complete objectives while evading guards and automated security. Garrett must keep out of sight and earshot, favouring shadows and quiet floors over lit areas and loud surfaces, with a light gem on the HUD showing how visible he is; he can fight, but is easily beaten. Responding to feedback on Thief, the team focused heavily on urban stealth and cut back on monsters and maze-like levels, and project director Steve Pearsall said the original had played it safe with "exploration ... or adventure oriented" missions.

Making Thief II: The Metal Age

Looking Glass Studios developed it and Eidos Interactive published it for Windows in March 2000, with Eidos advances keeping the near-bankrupt studio running during development. It was well reviewed and initially outsold its predecessor, passing 220,000 copies worldwide by November 2000, but Looking Glass closed soon after release and plans for Thief III were cancelled; Ion Storm's Thief: Deadly Shadows followed in 2004.