Thief: Deadly Shadows is a
first-person and
third-person 'sneaker', similar in gameplay to the previous games in the
series. The player takes the role of Garrett, an independent master thief who aims to steal his way through the City, using stealth, devices and weapons, in order to complete objectives and make profits on the side. The player may steal from or mug innocents for loot, and avoid, distract, attack or
knock out guards. Loot and weapon ammunition may be stolen simply by 'touching' it, when close enough. Locked rooms and chests can be broken into after completing a
lock-picking minigame. Mission
levels may be traversed by sneaking through the shadows, since walking or running will alert nearby guards, who detecting the presence of a vandal will search around for an unknown face. Upon discovering the player, the guards will give chase and possibly hunt them down. In order to make minimum noise, the player must actively monitor the noise each action creates. The player may usually view a hand-drawn map of the immediate surroundings; realistically, the player's location is not indicated on the map and must be deduced from the surrounding landmarks. The game has a fairly
open-ended structure, allowing the player to approach every objective in multiple different ways. Upon completion of all objectives, the mission ends and the plot is further revealed through
cutscenes. Due to limited
memory, city and mission levels are divided into parts connected by load zones. After each mission, the player reappears into the nearest district within the City, which may be freely explored by foot. Most civilians do not recognize Garrett as a criminal, although wanted posters are frequently visible on City walls. City areas unlock as the player progresses through missions. Within the City, the player may sell previously stolen goods on the
black market to
fences, for gold, which can be used at various shops to purchase weapons, equipment and supplies. Special loot such as artifacts cannot be sold but are involved in the objectives and plot. As they are collected, loot, gold, equipment and weapons are retained in the player's inventory through the game, making it possible to 'hoard' for later use. While exploring the City, the player may break into homes for additional loot, spy on and steal from the townspeople, and complete the occasional side
quest. Allying with major factions will motivate its members to fight alongside the player, against the City Watch guards. Both the PC and Xbox versions of the game are relatively easy to play, with conventional and reconfigurable
shooter-style controls. The first mission is an interactive
tutorial that guides the player through a typical robbery, set in an inn. The player may
save progress at any point, and must do so manually from time to time, since the game never autosaves. The Xbox version has considerably more tactile controls since it uses a
game controller instead of an
all purpose keyboard. Within the lock-picking minigame, a
rumble effect can be felt based on the relation between the lock picks and tumblers. Movement of the right
analog stick also allows Garrett to turn his head while picking locks, allowing the player to survey their surroundings and pick locks simultaneously. Moving the left analog stick gently makes Garrett creep, and forcefully makes him run. ==Plot==