Title: Thief (Gold/The Dark Project, The Metal Age, and Deadly Shadows)
Media: video games
Approx length: varies depending on how you want to play, but I think Gold/TDP took me about 8 hours. If, unlike me, you don't examine every nook and cranny, you can probably get one game done in less than that.
Where to find it: All three games are available on Steam for fairly cheap ($7-9 each).
What is it, in summary?: It's an atmospheric video game about a master thief stealing everything that's not nailed down and being inadvertently dragged into history-defining intrigue. It's spooky at times and silly at times, and generally a lot of fun.
What do you love about it?: I love the atmosphere--very steampunk without being obnoxiously so. I love the protagonist, Garrett, who is a wiseass struggling not to be roped into saving the world and failing miserably. I love that exploration is highly rewarded--maybe you'll find some wedding rings for your friends hidden in somebody's parlor, or maybe you'll find a pile of bodies hidden under a workshop. I especially love that there's literally no fighting required--you can fight if you choose to do so, but I suck at it and made it through three games without having to stab a single person.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Garrett whump! I'm especially fond of bad ends for poor Garrett, and I like the main villains as well.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Any one of the games should stand on their own (I played The Metal Age long before Gold, which is chronologically the first game in the series, and understood most of it).
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Non-graphic violence, but that's easily avoided and also very low-fi, given the games' resolution. There's also horror elements that are less easily avoided, particularly in Gold. Those haunts give me the heebie-jeebies.
Thief
Media: video games
Approx length: varies depending on how you want to play, but I think Gold/TDP took me about 8 hours. If, unlike me, you don't examine every nook and cranny, you can probably get one game done in less than that.
Where to find it: All three games are available on Steam for fairly cheap ($7-9 each).
What is it, in summary?: It's an atmospheric video game about a master thief stealing everything that's not nailed down and being inadvertently dragged into history-defining intrigue. It's spooky at times and silly at times, and generally a lot of fun.
What do you love about it?: I love the atmosphere--very steampunk without being obnoxiously so. I love the protagonist, Garrett, who is a wiseass struggling not to be roped into saving the world and failing miserably. I love that exploration is highly rewarded--maybe you'll find some wedding rings for your friends hidden in somebody's parlor, or maybe you'll find a pile of bodies hidden under a workshop. I especially love that there's literally no fighting required--you can fight if you choose to do so, but I suck at it and made it through three games without having to stab a single person.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Garrett whump! I'm especially fond of bad ends for poor Garrett, and I like the main villains as well.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Any one of the games should stand on their own (I played The Metal Age long before Gold, which is chronologically the first game in the series, and understood most of it).
Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Non-graphic violence, but that's easily avoided and also very low-fi, given the games' resolution. There's also horror elements that are less easily avoided, particularly in Gold. Those haunts give me the heebie-jeebies.