We are not throwing it back as far as last time. This time around we are looking back at the franchise reboot for Thief on the PC, XBone and PS4.

I played the first game in the series back in 1998 and enjoyed it a lot even though I couldn’t even beat the first level without cheats. I was not good at games back then but that didn’t stop me. I knew what I was playing was something different and new.

But let’s talk about this newer one. This first thing I noticed about it is that movement is a bit awkward due to the controls. No jump button? What is this 1998? Otherwise once I got acclimated to the control scheme all was fine aside from the inventory screen. Using the touchpad to access inventory and then clicking it to choose seems like such a brilliant idea, but in practice it was fiddly and cumbersome when things got heated.

The main mission hub is laid out in a big city and at first glance it seems like one big expansive area, but in reality it’s broken up into sections that are separated with a loading screen. To be fair, the game never presents it as a big continuous area but you’d be forgiven in thinking so.

The levels vary in both style and fun. Some levels are memorable and downright fun while others feel more like a chore and just not very interesting. The first major level is great. There is also an asylum level which is probably one of the better done asylums I’ve seen done in video games. Very creepy, well made and the only level I would actively seek out to play again.

The graphics are good enough and the lighting is borderline impressive in areas. It’s clear that this was made with the older consoles in mind as well though. The environments are very well done but the character models are not up to the same level of detail. It’s a tad jarring and something I rarely care about, but they stand out.

Overall my experience with the game was enjoyable. I didn’t love every minute of it but at the end of the game I reflected back and had a good time. As one who loved the original it was nice to go back to the universe. I feel I should throw down my “recommended” graphic now but that’s not what TBT is about. Still, it’s worth a play although I would have a hard time recommending it for more than about $20.