Filcher

A fun stealth game sampling the DNA of Thief & Thief 2 while keeping its own gimmicks... like crossbreeding a new plant or something; This is a good thing, mind you. I love moss so much. If you wanted more Thief beyond diving into the plethora of custom campaigns for a nearly 30 year old game, this is a good stop. The lack of a saving system before the 2026 update was completely serviceable. The levels really are built to be learned and perfected without it; each level can take a hour or two to learn, but truly takes 15 minutes to complete. As a result I only saved during the most arduous levels while trying to "lab" them out on my first runs. That being said, there is nothing lost by implementing saves and exceptional convenience given to those who need it. Encouraging players to not save scum and roll with the punches is a fantastic idea that games should have adopted by now, but unfortunately the scoring achievements pushed me to instead agonize in perpetual pursuit of a perfect performance (Nothing could hold a candle to the fifth level in this regard, as ghosting it almost made me put the game down hehe haha). This will only be to the detriment of moronic achievement hunters—NORMAL people will be much happier.

If you want more Thief after playing Thief 1 & Thief 2, play this. Only thing missing is climbing over objects, but you get used to it.

This one is a nobrainer for any avid stealth enjoyers, especially the taffer kind who love Thief and take ghosting seriously. But even those less obsessive about victory condition and studying patrol patterns shouldn't hesitate much to try Filcher: The upcoming beta finally introduces a save system into the game, which was I think, like many other players, a sorely lacking feature to make this rough jewel actually shine. Filcher could be summed up as "film noir Thief": It takes most of its artistic inspirations and gameplay from Looking Glass Studios' classic, but taking place in a more contemporary setting, where European medieval castles are switched for modern buildings. Sporey's Cuban heels resonate as loud as Garrett's orthopedic shoes, but in fancy art déco suites rather than throne rooms. It's really faithful to its revered predecessor, but manage to do it well without being a soulless clone. It plays essentially the same, down to the type of gadgets you can use to ease your way in or out a facility, but without climbing. Sporey can dash though. The whole art direction is quite simple, which is to be expected for a one-dev project, but everything fits together nicely. The simple textures work really well with the dramatic lighting and cast shadows. Same for the minimalist design of the faceless guards. The music, again simple but terribly moody, evoke buried secrets, lurking silhouettes and empty display cases. I could nitpick a few things but honestly it's pretty solid. The game gets tough as ball pretty quickly if you're aiming for the "ghost" rank which basically requires you to find all loot and secrets, without being seen, and without saving. For everyone else, it proposes a nice challenge, even while using save. I quicksave a lot in those games, because I care about exploring, enjoying the atmosphere and finding secrets a lot more than studying for hours how guard patrols coordinate. In short it was, until recently, a game that could have been very good but was terribly frustrating for most people despite its quality, now it's a very good game, full stop.

Thief we have at home, but really, REALLY good. Movement feels alittle stiff, but that's not a bad thing! You move when you want, and you don't move when you don't want to. Sharing some sounds and textures inspired by Thief, the vibes are immaculate. The simple sound design is eerie and very effective. Only completed one mission so far, but I will be finishing this came at the earliest opportunity!

As someone who loves Thief, this is the best I've seen a game emulate that experience by far. Its fully focused on the stealth and thievery (filchery?) and I'd say even goes a step further by excluding combat altogether, and it's designed in a way that encourages ghosting every level. I also really love the dos noir aesthetic, this game feels old in the best way

[h2]Garrett walked so Sporey could slide.[/h2] [h3]A boldly noir exercise in classic stealth and a quaint love letter to the game design behind the escapades of the One True Keeper.[/h3]        [b]M[/b]ade with passion and admiration for Looking Glass Studios' genre-defining series, Filcher brings back the classic formula of an exploration and thievery-focused sim, repackaged into a highly stylised, charming, and almost overwhelmingly low-fi, story-driven set of 9 varied missions with a decent amount of replayability, thanks to secrets and a scoring/rank system for enthusiasts and completionists. Each of them delivers a self-contained playground built on a familiar foundation and gameplay structure, spiced up with a handful of setting-appropriate twists and modernisations along the way. Explore, analyse, infiltrate, steal and most importantly- overcome and outsmart all the obstacles along the way that stand between you and mission objectives. Mainly with the use of your cleverness, but also a handful of gadgets, and maybe a few dirty tricks.    [b]F[/b]or newcomers to the genre, it might serve well as an introductory title as long as this setting and style don't irritate you, although personally I'd recommend playing the 'Thief' series first if you haven't- it still holds up really well and is more than playable on modern PCs. Going through these experiences might make you enjoy Filcher a tad bit more, and games themselves deserve a priority position for numerous reasons.    [b]F[/b]or veteran fans of those looking for something more, and ideally after checking out all the acclaimed fan missions for the original series (and of course The Dark Mod- arguably the best rendition of this formula!)- a recommendation without any hesitation. From start to finish, it's a well-designed, honest experience that should serve well as a good appetiser before the next big stealth game, or a break from replaying the same bangers from decades past.

[h1]English[/h1] In [i]Filcher[/i] we sneak as a clandestine thief through the milieu of the underworld. Armed henchmen and guard dogs patrol the locations of our break-ins, and surveillance cameras, light barriers and automatic firing devices lurk in some corners. The city's nocturnal facades, the dimly lit rooms and corridors and the opponents, who appear as classic gangsters in suits, convey the game's strong and stylish noir theme. Even the briefings, in which we encounter mafia figures and shadowy characters, exude a darkly elegant Gotham ambiance. The sterile offices and mundane salons in pale lamplight radiate a distant, gloomy mood. There is a feeling of corruption, control and latent threat hanging over everything, especially when the mysterious, crime-themed noir sound motifs lend a queasy note to searching through filing cabinets and cracking safes. The nine missions take us through shady business and social rooms, warehouses, villas and bars, to the industrial port, the museum and the police station; at one point we even have to flee our hideout from contract killers. Apart from the overarching plot, additional lore is conveyed through documents and environmental clues. [i]Filcher[/i] clearly follows the tradition of [i]Thief[/i]. We have to avoid the gaze of guards and patrols, take into account our own noise level based on the varying floor coverings, and stay in the shadows, which are classically indicated by a brightness meter at the bottom of the screen. Changing lighting conditions are implemented in an atmospheric way, such as flashing furnaces in factory halls or the sweeping lighthouse beam at the harbor. When in doubt, enemies can be outwitted, knocked out with the blackjack and dragged out of sight; other equipment includes a stun gun, a flashlight, lock picks and some covert and deception tools. For many years the lack of a save function was a nuisance, as being detected often meant restarting the mission from scratch - the developer has since added this feature. [h1]Deutsch[/h1] In [i]Filcher[/i] schleichen wir als klandestine Diebin durch das Milieu der Unterwelt. Bewaffnete Schergen und Wachhunde patroullieren an den Orten unserer Einbrüche, an manchen Ecken lauern auch Überwachungskameras, Lichtschranken und Selbstschussanlagen. Die nächtlichen Fassaden der Stadt, die fahl beleuchteten Räume und Korridore in den Gebäuden sowie die Gegner, die als klassisch beanzugte Gangster auftreten, tragen den starken, stilvollen Noir-Gedanken des Spiels. Auch die Briefings, in denen wir Unterweltgrößen und Schattenfiguren begegnen, atmen ein dunkel-elegantes Gotham-Ambiente. Die sterilen Büros und mondänen Salons im Lampenschein strahlen die distanziert-düstere Grundstimmung aus. Über allem liegt ein Gefühl von Korruption, Kontrolle und latenter Bedrohung, insbesondere wenn die mysteriösen, kriminalistisch geprägten Noir-Klangmotive dem Durchsuchen von Aktenschränken und dem Knacken von Safes eine mulmige Note verleihen. Die neun Missionen führen uns durch zwielichtige Geschäfts- und Gesellschaftszimmer, Lagerhäuser, Villen und Bars, in den Industriehafen, ins Museum und in das Polizeirevier; einmal müssen wir sogar vor Auftragsmördern aus unserem Unterschlupf fliehen. Abgesehen von der alles umspannenden Handlung werden zusätzliche Hintergründe durch Dokumente und umgebungsbezogene Hinweise vermittelt. [i]Filcher[/i] steht deutlich in der Tradition von [i]Thief[/i]. Es gilt, den Blicken der Wächter und Patrouillen auszuweichen, die eigene Lautstärke anhand des variierenden Bodenbelags zu berücksichtigen und im Schatten zu bleiben, über den uns klassisch ein Helligkeitsindikator am unteren Bildschirmrand informiert. Sich verändernde Lichtverhältnisse werden stimmungsvoll umgesetzt, etwa durch aufflackernde Brennöfen in Werkhallen oder den kreisenden Leuchtturmschein am Hafen. Im Zweifel können Gegner überlistet, mit dem Schlagstock ausgeschaltet und aus dem Sichtbereich geschleppt werden; weitere Werkzeuge sind eine Betäubungspistole, eine Taschenlampe, Dietriche und verschiedene Tarn- und Täuschungsinstrumente. Viele Jahre lang erwies sich übrigens die fehlende Speichermechanik als Ärgernis, da das Enttarntwerden oft den Neustart der ganzen Mission bedeutete - der Entwickler hat diese Funktion inzwischen nachgereicht.