Thief

Thief is a first-person stealth action game developed by Eidos-Montréal, serving as a reimagining of the cult classic franchise. Players assume the role of Garrett, a Master Thief who returns to a dark, Victorian-inspired metropolis known simply as 'The City.' Ruled by a tyrant called the Baron and ravaged by a mysterious sickness called the Gloom, the setting provides a gritty backdrop for heist-oriented gameplay. The narrative drives players through shadowed alleys and gothic mansions as Garrett becomes entangled in an ancient conflict, forcing him to step out of the shadows to uncover the truth.

The gameplay distinguishes itself by prioritizing evasion and silence over brute force. Players are encouraged to 'ghost' through levels—completing objectives without being detected or killing enemies—utilizing an arsenal of tools like water arrows to douse torches and rope arrows to reach high vantage points. While the reboot saw mixed reception regarding its linear level design compared to the originals, it remains a staple in the stealth genre. It is also well-known in the PC community for featuring a comprehensive built-in benchmark tool, which was widely used for years to test hardware capabilities due to its consistent and replicable testing scene.

Technically, Thief runs on a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 3, pushing the engine to its limits with advanced lighting effects, contact-hardening shadows, and tessellation. While it is well-optimized for modern hardware, it was historically demanding on CPUs due to asset streaming and AI processing. For gamers benchmarking this title, the 'Shadow Quality' and 'SSAA' (Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing) settings are the most performance-intensive; lowering these can significantly boost FPS without ruining the atmosphere. Today, most entry-to-mid-level gaming PCs can handle the game at high settings, but it remains a solid test for older hardware configurations.