Few games are good and special enough to command a rabid following even years after their release, especially if they don't have sequels or remakes to draw attention back to them. Thief is a game that doesn't have that problem. Though other games have tried to copy its precise stealth gameplay, few have come close to replicating the quality of the original.
Enter Gloomwood, a game that's happy to step into Thief's soft, silent shoes. Meticulous stealth gameplay, excellent level design, and creepy enemies are all great reasons to give the game a try. Whether one is an old-school Thief veteran or has never played a stealth game before, there are a few tips that are sure to make one's journey through the shadows easier. Here are some tips that every Gloomwood player should know.
5 Avoid The Guards
Why does the player need to sneak around in stealth games? Sometimes the answer is simple: the player will automatically fail and be forced to repeat the level if they're detected. Other times being revealed by the enemy means a physical confrontation that the player may or may not be prepared for.
While combat is an option in Gloomwood, a head-on attack is never the best idea. Battles aren't particularly smooth, but that's fine, because the player shouldn't be getting in them that often if they're doing things right. One enemy is a threat, and if more than one joins the fight, the player can quickly become overwhelmed. Keep an eye on enemies' eyes: a green glow means the player is undetected, a yellow glow means the enemy is suspicious, and a red glow means the player has been discovered.
4 Backstab
If enemies are so dangerous and fights are such a bad idea, why does the player have a sword? For backstabbing, of course. Like any good rogue, the player comes equipped with the ability to settle things violently if necessary. Open combat is loud, messy, and dangerous, so it should never be the player's first solution when trying to make their way through a level, but open combat isn't the only kind of violence available.
Backstabbing enemies is an excellent and at times necessary method of advancing. While a prolonged fight puts the player at risk, a quick sword-poke in the back is a great way to dispense with an enemy quickly and get moving again before the player is discovered. Just make sure that no other guards are about to wander into the area, as backstabbing isn't easily explained away. Gloomwood isn't a terribly long game, but there's already plenty of depth in it when it comes to avoiding the attention of guards and escaping alive. When possible, dispatch with enemies stealthily.
3 Lean For Intel
Intel is one of the most crucial aspects of any stealth game. The player's knowledge and the enemy's knowledge are in a constant tug of war with one another. The further the player advances into the level, the more they learn about building layouts, enemy positions and patrol routes, key items, and other important facts that will make the whole business of skulking around far easier. Looking around, as simple an activity as it is, can be highly dangerous.
Stepping out from around a corner to get a better look risks exposing the player to the enemy, and that can be enough to mean a quick death. Fortunately, Gloomwood takes this problem seriously and gives players the option to lean around corners instead. Peeking out from around corners to quickly and stealthily gather information is a great way to assess enemy movements and plot one's course through upcoming areas without exposing oneself to unnecessary risk, and its something that every player should get comfortable doing.
2 Study The Environment
Rushing headlong through rooms in Gloomwood is a bad idea, and not just because it means the guards will poke the player full of holes. Keys, levels, climbable chains, levers, breakable barrels, and countless other important items are scattered throughout levels, easily missed if the player is moving too quickly or is unobservant. Though there will be moments in which the player is inclined to hurry forward, patience is always preferable.
Take the time to soak in every detail of the surroundings. One of the most important parts of this activity is the assessment of patrol routes. Guards are scattered throughout the levels just like important items are, and only through careful observation can the player assess where they will go next and thereby plot their own route accordingly. Gloomwood, like other great stealth games, is played one carefully wrought decision at a time. Rushing through the level, failing to watch and listen for enemies, and overlooking the small things are all decisions that will spell disaster in Gloomwood.
1 Hide The Bodies
There are plenty of games that don't think twice about what happens once an enemy is dead. Sometimes the body disappears in a puff of smoke or a shower of sparks. Sometimes the body turns into a ghost and floats up into the sky. Sometimes bodies pile up on the floor until the game can't render them all, and other times they simply disappear as if they'd never been there in the first place.
Gloomwood and other games like Thief take a more realistic approach. One dead enemy equals one dead body that will lie on the ground. That may not seem important, but in a stealth game with patrolling guards who will have a thing or two to say about finding one of their comrades stabbed on the wharf, the presence of bodies matters. The player's solution is simple: dispose of them. Pick bodies up and chuck them somewhere. In the water is a great choice, but anywhere out of the way is better than wherever they happened to fall.
Gloomwood is available now for PC.