Thief II: The Metal Age

About Thief II: The Metal Age

Thief II: The Metal Age arrived in March 2000 from Looking Glass Studios, following up their original hit with a darker tone and heavier tech. This sequel drops you back into the boots of Garrett for fifteen new levels on PC. It blends shooter, adventure, and simulator elements into a stealth-focused experience where your only real weapons are shadows and silence. The story pits Garrett against fanatical religious groups and corrupt officials in a world filled with rust gas and mindless servants. You navigate complex non-linear maps to steal loot and outsmart guards who now react more intelligently than before. This is a direct continuation of the first game that demands you think twice before stepping into the light.

Gameplay

You spend almost every minute moving slowly, checking sight lines, and listening for footsteps rather than aiming guns at enemies. The core loop involves sneaking past patrolling guards or distracting them with thrown objects to reach objectives in your own time. You use new gadgets like the grappling hook and iron boots to cross vertical spaces that were impossible in the first game. Enemy AI has been improved so they react to noises, open doors, and search areas you recently visited. Sessions often involve backtracking through a level multiple times as you pick up specific keys or loot hidden in locked containers. The controls feel tight, requiring precise timing when dropping shadows or holding your breath while standing next to a patrol route.

What Players Think

Critics and players have treated this title with high respect since release. Metacritic holds an 87 out of 100 score while IGDB lists it at 88.6 based on 150 ratings. Community data shows a strong retention rate with average playtime hovering around 12 hours for main story completion. Reviews frequently cite the improved sound design and enemy logic as major highlights that keep players engaged. The mood remains consistently positive among stealth fans who appreciate the lack of combat-heavy sections. Many users note that the game still holds up well despite its age, with achievement hunters often chasing the hardest difficulty runs to prove their mastery of the mechanics.

PlayPile's Take

This game is strictly for players who prefer thinking over shooting and do not mind slow pacing. At a low price point on modern PC platforms, it offers excellent value for those seeking a challenging single-player experience. You will unlock achievements that track your stealth efficiency across the fifteen missions. Be aware that the story relies heavily on cutscenes and dialogue rather than action set pieces. The final confrontation with Karras in the rust gas is a memorable moment that justifies the long trek through the city. Skip this if you need fast reflexes or constant firefights, but pick it up if you want to feel like a master thief again.

Storyline

The game begins as Garrett continues his life as a thief. However, he is betrayed by his fence and ambushed after an early mission, and he determines that Truart, the local sheriff, is hunting him. Keepers take Garrett to hear a prophecy about the "Metal Age", which he ignores. As Garrett leaves, one of the Keepers informs him that Truart had been hired to kill him, and he gives Garrett a letter that directs him to eavesdrop on a Mechanist meeting. There, Garrett overhears Truart and Father Karras discussing the conversion of street people into mindless "Servants", who wear masks that emit a red vapor capable of reducing themselves and nearby humans to rust. Truart promises to provide Karras with twenty victims for the Servant project, not realizing that Karras is recording his words for use in blackmail. Garrett steals the recording from a safe deposit box, in order to coerce Truart into revealing his employer. However, Garrett finds Truart murdered at his estate. Evidence at the crime scene leads him to spy on the police officer Lt. Mosley. Garrett sees Mosley deliver a suspicious letter, which is carried through a portal by a wounded pagan. Garrett enters the portal and finds himself outside the City, and he follows the pagan's trail of blood to Viktoria, who persuades Garrett to join her against the Mechanists. On a lead from Viktoria, he infiltrates Karras' office to learn about the "Cetus Project",[31] and inadvertently discovers that Karras is giving Servants to the City's nobles. Garrett travels to a Mechanist base to find out more about the Cetus Project, which is revealed to be a submarine. In order to locate and kidnap a high-ranking Mechanist named Brother Cavador, Garrett stows away in the vehicle. After delivering Cavador to Viktoria, Garrett steals a Servant mask to learn about a Mechanist technology called a "Cultivator". Meanwhile, Karras hides inside the Mechanist cathedral in preparation for his plan. Garrett and Viktoria learn that it is the Cultivators inside Servant masks which emit red vapor, or "rust gas". Karras had provided Servants to nobles with gardens in order to set off an apocalyptic chain reaction. Viktoria plans to lure the Servants into the hermetically sealed Mechanist cathedral before Karras activates their masks, but Garrett believes this to be too dangerous and leaves. Viktoria goes to the cathedral alone and dies while filling it with plants, and Garrett completes her plan, killing Karras in the rust gas. Afterward, Garrett is approached by a Keeper who explains that Karras' scheme and Viktoria's death had been prophesied. Garrett demands to know the rest of the Keepers' prophecies as the game ends.