Thief Simulator 2 Review

You know when you get that almost crippling urge to break into someone’s home completely at random and steal everything, right?  No?  Just me, then.  Well, Thief Simulator 2 allows you to realise that urge and then some with the inclusion of pickpocketing, hacking, criminal damage and even the option to hire an accomplice!  Welcome to our Thief Simulator 2 review!

Straightforward and to the point

The gameplay of Thief Simulator 2 is relatively straightforward.  Your aim is to steal things, sell them either to a pawn shop that doesn’t ask questions or on the dark web.  However, despite being straightforward it is also rather challenging. This is due to the number of things that you must consider as a professional thief.  For example, things like being aware of people around you who might spot you or perhaps making noise whilst snooping around somebody’s home.  You want to make sure that you don’t draw any attention to yourself. So walking along the road carrying a crowbar will understandably arouse suspicion.

There are a variety of different ways to break into a building in Thief Simulator 2.  You can use lockpicks to open locked doors, crowbars to break down doors, and even grappling hooks to climb up the sides of buildings!  Once inside a building, be sure to avoid detection from security cameras and guards.  If you do get caught, the police will arrive alarmingly quickly. They will immediately taser you, with no questions asked and zero hesitation!

In and out

Once you have successfully stolen valuables from a building, you then need to make your escape whilst remaining undetected.  As soon as the tenant discovers that they have indeed been robbed, they will alert the police who will then essentially teleport to the immediate vicinity and begin their hunt for you.  Meanwhile, you must make it to your getaway vehicle and leave the area without being spotted.

Thief Simulator 2 features a variety of realistic mechanics.  So much so in fact, that I often found myself wondering why the developers were so wildly knowledgeable in such nefarious techniques!  Noise is a huge factor in Thief Simulator 2 and plays a very important role because this is the most common way to be detected.  Noise attracts the attention of guards or nearby residents, so it is vital that you remain aware of your surroundings.  Another common way to get caught is by security cameras.  If you are spotted, the camera will alert the police and they will then begin their hunt for you.

Master your craft

The implementation of stealth in Thief Simulator 2 has been done especially well.  There is a great visual indicator system when in stealth which shows you people’s locations and also highlights areas of interest such as windows, gates and potential escape routes.

As you progress, you unlock (learn) abilities via your skill tree.  Such abilities include lockpicking and even hacking.  Hacking and lockpicking both open minigames where you are required to complete an objective.  Lockpicking requires you to hold a lockpick in a certain as-yet-unknown position and then rotate the lock itself simultaneously.  It is about finding that sweet spot and when you do, the lock will open for you.  Hacking is more difficult.  You are required to connect two sets of arrows by rotating each circuit until a green path is created between them.

If you find that you are struggling with these minigames, then you needn’t worry because you can practice in dedicated areas within your hideout which is a great touch!

Grab what you can

The inventory system is implemented very well.  It is shown on-screen as a line drawing of a backpack which, as you collect items, slowly fills up.  At first the allocated space is highlighted in green, but as the amount of items that you are carrying increases and nears the top, the colour changes to red.  This is a great visual indicator because it means that you don’t have to consciously calculate how many more carry points you can allocate to something.  Instead, you know on a very basic level that green = good and red = bad.  Given the amount of space that you have (or don’t have), you must carefully select on the most valuable items to steal because there are several items to choose which are of little to no value, yet take up a large percentage of available space

You are able to transfer some items into storage at your hideout, which is useful for certain tasks.  For example, on BlackBay, a dark web selling site, people list things that they desire – their shopping lists, as such.  If you can provide the items that they want, you will receive a large payout which amounts to significantly more than the items are worth individually.

Replayability

There is no multiplayer option in Thief Simulator 2, but this makes sense to me.  That is because whenever I break into people’s homes and steal their possessions, I often find it easier to do it alone and having somebody with me just makes it more difficult.

There are several reasons to play Thief Simulator 2 more than once.  There are several houses, flats (apartments) and businesses to rob, as well as several other smaller jobs to participate in to earn more money.  Also, robberies can be done in any way you choose.  You can choose the stealth route (always good) by taking your time and getting away without ever being discovered, for example.  Or, you can go in loud and proud, as such, destroying things along the way and then evading the police either by hiding somewhere or driving away from them without getting caught.

There are also different difficulty levels, meaning that if you find that you are a particularly good thief, then you can up the ante and make things harder for yourself.  Contrary to that, if you find that you’re not quite as good of a thief as you would like to be, then you can make things easier in order to learn the trade better.

Sneaky atmosphere

Despite somewhat basic graphics, Thief Simulator 2 still looks great and doesn’t detract from the experience in any way.  There are several environments to explore, all of which have been designed really well and which are all interesting to roam around in.

The sound in Thief Simulator 2 is excellent and, depending on what scenario you are involved in, the background music adapts accordingly.  Sneaking around involves gentle, “sneaky” music but if you are detected, then the tempo suddenly increases, along with your blood pressure!

Conclusion

Thief Simulator 2 does exactly what it says on the tin.  There isn’t a particularly in-depth story, but there doesn’t need to be because it is a simulator first and foremost.  As such, doing thief-like things requires a lot of attention to detail and you have to be careful.  Once you have stolen what you want, you are then required to escape and then rid yourself of the loot by selling it either to your friend at the pawn shop or on the dark web.

During my time with Thief Simulator 2, I found that I thoroughly enjoyed myself and genuinely had plenty of fun!  The graphics aren’t as modern as they could have been, but the environments were all varied and incredibly rich in content.  Also, the police arrived way too quickly every time (at least for my liking) but I’m sure that this can be adjusted in a future patch.  Despite these small issues, Thief Simulator 2 truly excels in immersion.  Great immersion is what makes my experience(s) with games memorable, and I rarely found myself feeling bored in Thief Simulator 2 because there is so much to do and it is all extremely good fun.

Pros:

• The use of stealth is implemented incredibly well.
• Huge variety of items to steal (60,000 items).
• Great immersion.
• Loads to do!

Cons:

• The police arrive far too quickly.
• Somewhat dated graphics.

Grade: 8

Thief Simulator 2 is currently available through GeForce Now. This review was made by Mus from PapaBear Gaming. You can check out his channel right here. You can follow him on Twitter by going here. That was it for our Thief Simulator 2 review.