As the first mission is just a brief
training level, this is the first real mission of Thief II: The Metal Age. It is a large level full of opportunity
for exploration, with lots of readables and conversations for story development.
This mission is key for the story development of Thief II because it introduces the Mechanists. Through AI
conversations, the first appearances of Mechanist security machines, and
ominous ambient noises, this mission sets the tone and mood of the major new
character group in Thief II, the
Mechanists.
Near where the player starts, a
Hammerite, on business in the docks, strikes up a conversation with a docks
worker. The topic of the new group in town, the Mechanists, comes up, and the
Hammerite is none too pleased to hear anything well said of these “heretics.” As Garrett enters all the areas of
the docks—store rooms, offices, and even a docked ship that’s secretly run by
pirates—he’ll encounter other foreshadows of these Mechanists. The
introductions to this group will be picked up again later in the game, when the
Mechanists are more fully fleshed out.
In an area tucked away between some
of the main buildings, players may overhear another conversation on the
Mechanists. In this case, a guard is talking to one of the staff. He describes
how the City has changed since the Mechanists began rising to power, noting the
appearance of several more smoke stacks and mechanical structures than usual.
The staff replies by describing a visit of his to the Mechanist tower in
Dayport. He was going there to deliver some packages, and noticed the
Mechanists’ security cameras—mechanical faces that watched him as he went in.
These made him realize that there’s more to the Mechanists’ than just new
technology. Indeed, the Mechanists’ are, at heart, a crazed religious order.
The player gets a subtle taste of the
Mechanists via visuals in two places in this mission. The first is when
Garrett encounters a Mechanist security camera, or “mechanical watcher” as
they’re called in the game, in one of the inner storage areas. Per the
conversation overheard between a guard and a Docks worker earlier, the
Mechanist camera is creepy, and denotes that there is “more to the Mechanists
than just new technology.” Both its face and the placement of the camera lens over
one of the eyes are ominous.
The player also gets a peek at a
Mechanist security robot. The Mechanists call these “children of Karras"; Karras is the leader of the Mechanists. One of these
robots can be seen through a slat in a large crate, should players chance
across it. A glimpse at its face and some of its front body is all that can be
seen, and thus this serves as a sneak preview for when the player begins to encounter these metal monstrosities in full, beginning in the fifth mission.
But the Mechanists’ introduction is
not the only part of “Shipping and Receiving’s” backstories. There’s also a fun
side-story about a pirate operation going on. Players may overhear one
conversation between two pedestrians about spice prices going up in the city,
and whispered words about a smuggling ring bringing in affordable spices.
Certain readables clue players into the details of the illegal operation going
on. At the back side of the docks, players can even go aboard the pirate ship,
if they wish—sneaking on board is tough, though. But, once inside, players may
find the captain’s journal, hidden treasures, and a dead body tucked away in a
crate below decks. (Who knows the story behind that?)
“Shipping and Receiving’s” premise is
that Garrett just needs to steal some quick cash from the dockyards. But our
thief’s little errand is an opportunity to be introduced to the game’s new
group, the Mechanists, and to enjoy several other backstories, such as the
pirate’s smuggling ring. As in the first Thief game, the player is gradually introduced to characters and elements in Thief's fascinating world, and in Thief II this world is undergoing some changes.
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