Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow

Shallow Pockets.

I remember being a big fan of the Thief series growing up. Thief: The Dark Project, Thief II, and especially 2004’s Thief: Deadly Shadows, a third entry in the series that fans waited patiently for. And yet, another decade later, Thief would see a fresh reboot, one that didn't sit well with fans. And, keeping with tradition, another decade has arrived, and another Thief game is here, albeit in the trappings of VR. While VR seems like a great choice for such a franchise, it's a bare bones thief game with a lacking story, dumb AI, and environments so linear you might as well be walking in a straight line.

VR and I have been old acquaintances, but less so as friends. A few titles have made me sick over the years, but it always comes down to how movement works. The titles that I've played with no issues have provided teleport movement, as opposed to freely walking around. Unfortunately, Thief VR doesn't feature any sort of accessibility options, meaning that free form movement is the only option. This caused me to play in 20-30 minute chunks due to the VR sweats taking over in minutes. If you're like me when it comes to VR, you'll easily want to sit this one out. 

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is yet another reboot, one that sees you in the role of Magpie, a mentee to series protagonist Garret. This mentorship generally feels like fan service solely to have Garret feature into the story in some capcity, even if it is through a mystical artifact. I can see some fans of the series feeling cheated out of another adventure with Garret, but ultimately, Magpie isn't a bad character, I just wish she had a better game to really connect with the audience and more to build her up as a compelling character.

Despite this, there is an intimacy to her antics of thievery here that VR is perfect for. From the delicate tug of a coin purse strapped to the belt of a clueless guard, to pinching out a candle to cover an area in darkness, to the clever systems put in play for its lock picking, and the act of actually nicking items through the countless drawers and cupboards, It all works great. 

Sadly, these are the only meaningful gameplay systems here; as the game doesn't offer up much more or any really interesting tools to capitalize on being a thief. From one locked building to the next, across a very linear path, the thrill of breaking into a place, knocking guards out, or picking a lock, doesn't really offer up any true excitement. Sure, clubbing a guard against the back of his head is dumb fun, but it does start to lose its appeal. 

As a thief, you should have options, an almost immersive sim-like experience to use your tools and abilities in ways that makes the player feel like a master thief. That feeling just isn't here. Lockpicking is fun, don't get me wrong, but you don't feel like you're solving some sort of well-defined puzzle. Dishonored took the idea of what Thief originally offered, but expanded upon it by giving you a wealth of options in your approach. The world was essentially your playground.

While some levels offer up at least a tease of new ideas, some of the game’s previous levels return, for some reason, resulting in a pretty loud sigh from me. It really felt like they wanted to pad on a few hours instead of working on making the progression throughout the game feel interesting and rewarding. That, and the final boss fight is pretty mediocre and is vastly anticlimactic.

While there is some form of combat, it is mostly regulated to deflecting swings of a baton from the guards, should you be spotted. Their AI is absolutely terrible, so it's very easy to either lose them or not be spotted and wait for their eventual back turn. This AI feels ripped right out of the Xbox 360 era and does nothing to make you feel like a master of stealth. There is also a bow to add some variety to the mix, and it actually feels really good to use.

While Vertigo Games is the publisher here, a developer that has crafted some excellent VR games, development chores fall on Maze Theory. While they have a history with VR through the likes of working on various licensed titles like Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who, they are not a studio I'm familiar with. With Vertigo attached as publisher, I had hoped some of their design philosophy would have been injected here, but that isn't the case. 

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow is a visually good-looking game, and there is a lot here that feels at home with the license. It's just a shame Legacy of Shadow is as barebones as we see with most VR titles. There is always some interesting hook that has a game built around it, but Legacy of Shadow lacks a hook to lay the foundation. The subtle nicking of items is fun, but a game built around this beloved license simply deserved more. 

Developer - Maze Theory. Publisher - Vertigo Games. Released - December 4th, 2025. Available On - PSVR2, Meta Quest 2/3, Steam VR. Rated - (T) Violence. Platform Reviewed - PSVR2. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.