It's a great time to be a fan of both Thief: The Dark Project and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. A Thief remaster from Nightdive—which features a new campaign—is coming next month , while Dark Messiah is getting a Ubisoft-approved community edition that adds co-op, new modes and more. There are also numerous spiritual successors in the works for both games, such as the dark and Thief-y Gloomwood and the Dark Messiah-inspired Fatekeeper and Alkahest.

Until earlier today, I hadn't seen a game inspired by both Thief and Dark Messiah at the same time (apart from Dishonored, I suppose, though that was made by Dark Messiah developers Arkane, so I'm not sure that counts). But that all changed when The Citadel Project snuck through my eyes and booted my ignorance right out of my brain.

Created by solo outfit Reliquary Software, The Citadel Project synthesises the designs of Thief and Dark Messiah with first-person indie gaming's current fascination with megastructures. It casts you as a sickle-wielding prisoner trying to escape a sprawling medieval fortress prowled by shambling undead guards.

The Citadel Project's Thief leanings are most obvious at a glance. Environments are shrouded in shadow, stealth is your greatest asset, and your character carries a crossbow that can fire various kinds of bolts—including water bolts and moss quarrels. The Dark Messiah DNA, meanwhile, is most prominent in the physics engine. Alongside being able to slip past enemies, your character can give them a hard shove in the back, shunting them off ledges and into conveniently placed spike traps.

Source link