Released in 2018, Thief Simulator wasn’t exactly on my radar as a game to buy. I would occasionally see it when content creators released videos on it, but wasn’t much interested in trying it myself. With the Jingle Jam featuring it in the Jingle Jam games Collection this year, it pushed me to finally give it a try myself. What I found was a game that has a strong core. One which makes it a fun play.

To start, there’s a limited amount of things I could do as a thief. It feels like the character I was controlling was just starting out in thievery, which would make sense. It limits options, allowing exploration of what is possible before adding more to those possibilities. Didn’t stop me from exploring the neighbourhood to see what I’d be facing once I had the tools.

The first houses to hit have little in them, with few protections against thieves. Gaining a crowbar and a flashlight on the first mission, the game walked me through a simple hit. Then introduced me to the levelling and skills, which is one part of getting new mechanics to play around with. Followed by the computer, which is the second part of getting new mechanics to play around with. After all, I’m not robbing these houses just for fun. There’s money to be earnt, and that money is used for more tools.

A thief can’t really be a thief without some lockpicks. So, to be able to get them, I have to prove I’m a good thief. Or a stubborn one. Every time I went to the neighbourhood, that essentially acted as being in a mission. Stealing items from a house would award experience, with new items stolen granting a large bonus. However, there’s an even greater bonus for not getting caught. All that experience would be added whenever I left the neighbourhood.

Sometimes I would fail, which means restarting from the last checkpoint. Usually the last time I left the car. Failing involves the police. If ever I was caught by the residents of a house, or set off alarms of that house, the police would come. Red circles on the minimap would indicate the area they would detect me. Once they’d pulled up to that house, a blue triangle would indicate an officer searching the house.

Fortunately, there are hiding spots around houses, so avoiding getting caught is as simple as hiding. As long as none of the residents saw me entering one, I was in the clear during that search. Without finding anything, the police would then disperse. But, if I’d parked the car anywhere except for in a designated parking zone, the police would tow it away and I’d fail. As I found out the first time I attracted police attention. Since then, I’ve always used those parking areas. Even if I need to carry large objects to the car from a house far from one.

With bag full, it was over to the pawn shop to sell off what I’d stolen. Of course, there’s another system for making money for select items that I initially forgot about, despite the game’s first few objectives involving it. Once I did remember it, I’d usually head home first, check the site on the computer for selling things, then head on over to the shop. With enough money earned, I could go to a second site on the computer and – as long as I had certain skills unlocked, buy new equipment.

With lockpicks, glass cutter, and more in hand, I could try my luck with other houses of the neighbourhood. The one I’d had my eye on was the largest of the neighbourhood, fenced off completely. And with a security system that gave me limited time to search and steal after I’d disabled it. The owners, or at least one of them, were also armed with a taser. A big surprise the first time I was there, just about to leave. There I am, bag full, and just as I open the gate to leave, the owner is on the other side and immediately draws it on me.

Which is as perfect a time to mention that there’s a system in place to track the homeowners. But, intent on wanting to rob the place, I forgot to mark them throughout the day to reveal their schedule. Knowing that schedule is invaluable, as it would say what room the residents were in, show when they would be out, and give an outline of those residents so I knew exactly where they were in the house. It’s not as simple as marking them once to know their full day. You need to do so three or four times throughout the day.

With the goal of gaining new equipment to make hitting houses easier, and also hitting new neighbourhoods with that equipment, the core of Thief Simulator is indeed strong. The sandbox element means that aside from the objectives assigned to learn new mechanics (or the optional ones you can accept), it is fully up to me how I want to cause chaos in these neighbourhoods. And one of these days I might even stop trying to steal in the hard mode known as day time.

Enjoying this first Thief Simulator has certainly got me interested in wanting to explore more of the series. And hey, a second one has recently released. The Jingle Jam Games Collection is a great way to explore games you might not have had an interest in, and all for helping to support charity. With this and over 70 more games for just £35 (or over, if you want to be really generous), that collection is a great way to perhaps become invested in a new favourite.

Images Taken From:
Thief Simulator | PC