"Thief purists will have options", says director

Comments from Thief director Nicolas Cantin suggest old-school fans will have the opportunity to play a more classic version of the stealth-'em-up.

In an interview on the Eidos Montreal blog, Cantin was asked whether players would be able to switch off item highlighting and Garrett's Focus ability, which looks similar to that found in Tomb Raider and Hitman: Absolution.

"All I can say now is that Thief purists will have options - those types of players will definitely be pleased," he replied, enigmatically.

Even apart from hardcore menu options, players can always make their own rules, such as eschewing Focus.

"Presently, it’s the completely the players choice to use Focus or not. If players want to challenge themselves to stick to Garrett’s basic abilities, they can," Cantin added.

Elsewhere in the interview, Cantin said the Focus ability is a limited resource; players earn it through gameplay it and must decide when to use it - and what for.

"As a player you will have to manage it wisely when you accumulate it, and really think hard about when the best time is to use it," he said.

"It depends on how you decided to use it, but for example some things like combat, marksmanship, lock picking and pickpocketing have the ability to be enhanced by Garrett’s Focus - if you choose."

One thing it definitely does not do is guide you through the game; Cantin denied Focus is tied to navigation, saying players will need to explore.

"It is a tool that can help the player, but it’s certainly not something that will hold your hand or guide you through the world," he promised.

Thief is due in 2014 on PC and next-generation consoles.

Thanks, Siliconera.