I have greatly enjoyed playing this campaign, despite numerous bugs, glitches, and gameplay problems that forced me to re-load my saves because I couldn't progress further. Yet there was something captivating about Shadow of Doubt that made me continue. Many of these issues are to due the fact that everything was made in Old Dark, but as far as I know some problems were already nagging players when the campaign was released. Bugs and gameplay deficits aside, Shadow of Doubt is worth playing for its superb atmosphere. There is something very nostalgic about Sperry's style that newer and seemingly more polished missions often lack. The campaign is fulled to the brim with dark, grim, eerie, autumnal, and austere medieval vibes that characterise OMs such as Lord Bafford's Manor, Cragscleft Prison, and Bonehoard. When I was playing Shadow of Doubt, I felt as if I was transported back into the late 1990s when Thief: The Dark Project was released.
The town in "Walking the Edge" was so atmospheric and well-designed (especially the chapel and the museum) that at some point I hid in a dark spot and took a few minutes to appreciate this, sipping my cup of tea in silence. In "Tears of Blood", Garrett has to escape from the Hammerite Prison. This is another great mission. Even though "All Astir" is a rather mediocre and small level set on a pirate ship, it has its specific charm. "The Broadsword of Sheol" is very innovative in terms of gameplay; it features novelties such as detachable ladders and unique enemies. This is also one of the scariest missions I have ever played. When I was exploring the dark spider tunnels, the atmosphere was so tense that I was wondering if I ever come out of this forlorn cavern alive. The keyhunt was fun, to say the least. It took me almost three hours to finish "Nightcrawler" and unfortunately I had to look for clues on TTLG because I got stuck in a few places. Despite that, I loved everything else about this mansion break. I did not play "Tuttocomb's Tomb" (the bonus level), but I have heard that this is a pretty good level so I might finish it one day.
Highly recommended. But if you are not patient with bugs (I am very patient in this matter, so I rated the campaign high), I suggest you to wait till Sperry updates this otherwise excellent campaign.
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star 9 / 10
This campaign has its ups and downs. I believe Tears of Blood is the shining gem, where despite it's very early FM-era simplicity it shines in almost every other facet. Broadsword of Sheol is another solid mission, a bit overhyped but definitely an atmospheric and engaging mission from start to finish.
Then there are the other missions... Walking the Edge is fine for what it is, but nothing special. It feels a bit underwhelming when compared to its contemporaries released around the same time, so this drags it down quite a lot. It does have some absolutely gorgeous lighting that really sets a dreadful tone, and I personally love his little touches for things like that. It also suffers from some gameplay faults (which I will get into later on another certain mission). Al Astir is cute, but ultimately pointless and dull. Could have been cut entirely from the campaign and nothing would be lost (perhaps the same can be said for Sheol as well, but at least that attempts to be a mission of some value). I do look forward to his remake of the level to see what can be done years later.
But then there is Nightcrawler, which might be one of the worst experiences I have had playing Thief in... Well, ever. Keyhunt, keyhunt, keyhunt, no hints, that absolutely HORRENDOUS gas arrow puzzle solution ( like ???????????) and to top it off, sound errors + leaks everywhere and the aesthetic of the mansion is just god ugly and terrible. In hindsight, I could have happily just continued on with my life imagining Garrett had just gotten his revenge off screen rather than having to have gone through that experience. Really drags down the rest of the campaign, which is otherwise a very positive and enjoyable experience. It's like a bad aftertaste that just lingers around and soils the experience.
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