Petra Schmitz and master thief Garrett – an unstoppable dream team (except when studying).
Counter-Strike, Quake 3 Arena, the first Tomb Raider, and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis – all worthy candidates for the game that shaped Petra Schmitz the most. But in the end the race – or better: the sneaking – was made by another title: Thief, also known as Dark Project in Europey.
Of course, Thief is a more than worthy candidate for our »Games That Made Me« series, moderated by Manuel Fritsch from Insert Moin
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So Thief. The 1998 stealth classic almost cost Petra her college education—note: we should rename this format to Games That Almost Blew Us Out of College—because she got bogged down in it when she was supposed to be writing important term papers.
But what’s the point of chores when you can sneak through dark mansions, pad treacherous metal floors with moss darts, and club down guards? In addition, in a steampunk setting that oozes atmosphere and still delights us with some of the best levels in gaming history: the cathedral! Constantine’s house!
The first-person perspective combined with Thief’s outstanding sound design (a grossly underrated feature, as we discussed in the podcast) creates an incomparable immersion for Petra that first-person shooters of the time like Half-Life or Unreal could only dream of. And that despite the fact that Thief looked anything but contemporary back then.
And then of course there’s master thief Garrett and his (English) voice…
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