Tricky Thief Review | TheXboxHub

Have ice-sliding puzzles all the time been this well-liked? I’ve been reviewing Xbox video games for a while now, however I don’t bear in mind a sustained interval of sliding video games like this one. Each week it seems like I’m enjoying a brand new one: from Rytmos to sCATch: The Painter Cat, all the best way to Webgeon, Cronostase, Tremendous Ninja Miner and The Blind Postman. Possibly I’m simply unfortunate. Or the ice-sliding puzzles appear to naturally slide in direction of me. 

We will toss Tough Thief onto that pile. To its credit score, although, it’s making an attempt one thing totally different. As a result of somewhat than merely slide about on the ice within the cardinal instructions (which it undoubtedly does), Tough Thief throws in some enemies to make issues devious. You’re not simply discovering an exit in Tough Thief; you’re avoiding the po-po as you do it.

Think about the scenario. You’re a crim, and the police are on the hunt for you. You possibly can see the exit, however the police are strolling backwards and forwards on the identical patrol routes. Now, right here’s the issue: you’ve obtained a really explicit hindrance meaning you may’t simply cover in a field and Metallic Gear Strong-your-way out of the scenario. You possibly can solely transfer north, south, east and west. Plus, everytime you transfer, you retain going till a wall stops you. You’re on rollerskates, successfully. 

That makes thievery troublesome, no? So troublesome, in truth, that you just wonder if a lifetime of crime was the suitable choice for Mr Tough Thief. Possibly a profession with Deliveroo would have been a greater wager. 

Worse nonetheless, Tough Thief can’t simply skate to the exit. Oh no. For some cause, the exit is barred till ALL of the treasures in a room have been robbed. Which is the reverse of how safety measures ought to work, proper? 

You’ll need to go away your vital colleges at residence with this one. However Tough Thief does create a somewhat compelling state of affairs. You’re sliding from wall to wall, choosing up cash till the door opens, and then you definately’re skitting by the exit as shortly as you may. In the meantime, cops and peculiar beacon/CCTV issues are on the hunt for you. 

Puzzles begin with some easy cash to select up. However then the degrees begin to combine within the cops, who stroll on routes which might be helpfully painted on the ground (not the most effective crime-prevention concept). Then round, pulsing entities (CCTV? Turrets?) get thrown in too. These throb, with a field-of-view that grows and shrinks over time. Lastly, there are ranges which might be at nighttime, solely permitting you a restricted view, and crates that explode as quickly as you slide into them. As soon as they’re popped, they gained’t cease you any extra. Which is a little bit of a mangling of the Pringles catchphrase. 

Tough Thief doesn’t strive something extra sophisticated than that. It’s an very simple recreation which makes use of solely the instruments that we’ve described to you. There are fifty ranges to play, and also you’ll cease getting achievements after about twenty-five of them. Meaning 1000G after, ooh, forty-five minutes and little or no issue, which could perk up a number of ears.

It’s your quintessential low-cost indie recreation from Eastasiasoft, then. A twist on a standard style, a gimmick thrown in for good luck, and it’s throughout earlier than you may say ‘1000 Gamerscore’. However it’s additionally functionally sturdy and lacking the depth and curiosity that will actually make it a real advice. 

Don’t get us improper, we loved our time with Tough Thief. Ice-sliding puzzles have turn into second-nature to us, so we slipped into its footwear with ease. However by including in enemies, it seems like an excessive amount of will get compromised. 

The maps aren’t actually puzzles any extra. That is smart: if there have been each enemies AND an advanced maze to navigate, then it’d get an excessive amount of. However it signifies that the degrees aren’t a problem within the puzzling sense anymore – which form of rips the guts out of an ice-sliding recreation. 

What it turns into as a substitute is a ‘time your run’ recreation. You’re ready… and ready… for the suitable second to zip throughout the extent, as soon as the patrol routes coincide with one another. That’s fantastic in principle, however is a bit tedious in observe. Too typically, we had been nestled within the nook of a room just like the Blair Witch had obtained us, ready for the suitable second to maneuver. Which isn’t notably thrilling. 

There are a number of ranges, notably in a while, when it feels just like the enemies are secondary to the puzzling, and they’re when issues get fascinating. The destructible crates, specifically, are an indication that issues are getting extra intricate. However we realised that we had been hankering for a fundamental ice-sliding recreation, which erases the explanation why Tough Thief exists within the first place. We may have been enjoying  Rytmos, sCATch: The Painter Cat, Webgeon, Cronostase, Tremendous Ninja Miner or The Blind Postman.

Tough Thief is ok, if a bit unremarkable. We appreciated that it makes the hassle to boost the ice-sliding recipe with some enemies, however we spent so lengthy ready for these enemies, that we obtained wistful for less complicated, gimmick-free ice-sliding puzzlers – and there’s a good few of these on Xbox.

You should buy Tough Thief from the Xbox Retailer