The first Thief Simulator essentially let you become one of the Wet Bandits: roaming around neighbourhoods in your car, scoping out the houses you were going to rob, and then contending with their security measures as you snuck in and pilfered everything of value. But just as Harry and Marv expanded their operation in Home Alone 2, Thief Simulator 2 will include new types of location to rinse, including restaurants and banks. In your downtime, you'll also be able to go around pinching cars.
Crap cars at first, but you'll work your way up to sports cars as you improve your thief, stripping them for parts and XP. This doesn't appear to be a revolutionary sequel, but there will three "unique" environments in which to ply your sneaky trade, as hinted at on the game's Steam page. It's great to see banks as a new type of building in there—surely the ultimate challenge for any thief—and it will be interesting to be able to rob them in the modern-day. How will they compare with Thief's fantasy bank, or Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's giant cyber-bank?
Thief Simulator 2 is due next year on PC (with console releases to follow in 2023). It's not being made by the original studio, Noble Muffins, but by developer MrCiastku. Meanwhile, Noble Muffins is working on American Theft 80s, which looks like Thief Sim if it was recorded onto VHS. You'll be pilfering VHS players and CRTs in that one. American Theft 80s is scheduled for release this year.
It began with Thief Simulator, however, a game that Chris Livingston had some fun with a couple of years ago.
"Despite the terrible AI," Chris said at the time, "I sorta like Thief Simulator. It's consequence free—if the cops do manage to catch you, it just reloads the last checkpoint—and it's fun sneaking around in darkened houses opening drawers and filling your pockets with whatever crap you find."
