Trials of the Thief-Taker

I really enjoyed Trials of the Thief-Taker. It's probably the first ChoiceScript game I've been engaged by and replayed several times. I was initially drawn to it because of my love of historical London, and it doesn't disappoint.

Thief-Taker isn't really as open world as it purports to be in the description, which actually works in its favor. While the game is an episodic string of catching outlaws, there's a compelling linear story throughout, mainly involving the two possible love interests. Romance isn't a big focus, but I found there was just enough here to be satisfying.

Most every choice you make affects your stats, and there were times when I genuinely found the game difficult, which was surprising. The story is very responsive to choices, with events playing out differently based on previous decisions. And it's possible to role play a character; I enjoyed playing as a now penniless member of the landed gentry, who's still a snob despite being destitute, has a fancy flat, an obscene amount of debt, and spends money foolishly when he does manage to earn some. Luckily, thief-taking can pay very, very well.

Some negatives: it's a little odd for the story to play out the same regardless of how good a thief-taker you are or not; some parts assume the PC is at least a decent thief-taker, even if your targets apprehended is, erm, zero.

At one point you leave town for a bit, and have to choose how much money to bring with you. Even with -£8 to my name, I was able to bring half of it; it goes without saying that being able to bring -£4 with me doesn't make much sense.

Finally, horse buying: I would have appreciated a straight forward list of horses for sale, instead of choosing an intention for how much I might want to spend. Basically, a little more heads up when I'm about to be spending £100 on something.