There haven’t been a whole lot of stealth-focused games in recent years. Especially not in the turn-based genre. So I was very excited to get a chance to try out Spirited Thief by the solo developer at Koi Snowman Games. Let’s take a look at this tactical turn-based stealth game and see if it’s any good.
Story
Elaj (the unlucky thief) and his partner Trin (who’s a spirit) work for a ruthless Thieves Guild. Or at least they are trying to. This poor duo just can’t get a break. Elaj and Trin do their best to steal the top loot from some of the richest people around. With some occasional help along the way, they find all sorts of treasure, secrets and trouble.
Gameplay
The goal of each level in Spirited Thief is to get in and out as smoothly as possible with as much treasure as you can find. In order to do that successfully, it is important to take your time. There are two phases per level. The scouting phase and the stealing phase.
In the scouting phase, you play as Trin. As a spirit, you are not burdened by a physical form. This means you can float through any open window or keyhole to explore the location. You aren’t invisible though, so you have to make sure you don’t get spotted by the guards on patrol. If they do spot you, then you have to start back at the beginning of the level.
The goal with Trin is to find all the treasures and secrets before Elaj goes in. You also have some special abilities that can really help Elaj out. Such as tagging some of the guards that are wandering around, so you don’t lose track of them.
Once you have found all there is to see on the level, then it is Elaj’s turn to go in and steal everything. Now, Elaj has his own abilities such as knocking a guard out so you can get past them. You are able to purchase even more at the shop, like a rat that steals treasure for you. Even the companies later in the game have abilities that can be very handy on some of the missions.
The levels are all unique and continue to increase in difficulty as the game progresses. There are often traps or challenges that Elaj will even need a partner to get past. Taking your time to get past the guards unseen is important. Don’t take too long though. More guards will start patrolling the longer you take.
If all goes well, then you will get Elaj and his companions to the exit with all the treasure. At the end of each level, you will get a report showing how many guards there were and, of course, if there was any treasure that you missed. If you are like me, then you aren’t moving on until you find all that wonderful treasure.
Visuals
I really enjoyed the art direction that was chosen here. All of the characters and rooms are a nice pixel art with lighting effects that really bring the game to life. Everything is nicely color coordinated from the movement distances to the red-shaded view cones of each of the enemies. Even the keys are all color-matched to their locks so that it is easy to know what goes where. If you like pixel art, then I think you will like the visuals here.
Conclusion
So, with all that said, was it any good? I think it was. To me, Spirited Thief was very enjoyable. I was looking forward to giving this game a go since I saw it announced and it didn’t disappoint.
I had a lot of fun trying to master each level. Even if it took me a couple of tries to get everything. The gameplay and controller were simple, which meant that you could focus on getting a perfect run rather than worrying about clicking the right buttons. More importantly, I enjoyed the story. The story is always an important factor to me, no matter what style of game I am playing. Elaj really is an unlucky thief, and I felt compelled to stick around to see if things were ever going to turn up for him.
If you have been looking for a good stealth game, then give this one a go. If you simply just enjoy turn-based games, then make sure to add this one to your collection. I think that stealth and turn-based are a great pairing. Hopefully, Spirited Thief will start a trend of more turn-based stealth games that we can enjoy in the future. Make sure to check out Spirited Thief on Steam.
Thank you to Koi Snowman Games for the review key.
