1. Cradle Snatching in Thief
Few games have ever done stealth as perfectly as the
Thief series. Looking Glass Studios/Ion Storm understood that what made for good stealth wasn't forcing in mandatory sneaking sections, or slapping a half-baked mechanic in as an afterthought to appease those bored of the constant shooting, but establishing a fluid, flexible that rewards patience and ingenuity whilst still be forgiving. Some of the best moments I had in my early PC gaming days were played out on Thief games; because there's nothing more satisfying than playing with the minds of oblivious guards.
So, what's so disturbing about Thief III? The Thief games have always managed to maintain a tense atmosphere throughout -unsurprising, considering you are relieving questionable types of their possessions - but they have a rich tradition of having
at least one utterly terrifying level per game. And although they ostensibly take place in a dark fantasy setting, they're not exactly horror games. The third entry into the series sees Garrett attempting to deal with the internal struggles of the Keeper Organisation (balance keepers of sorts), only to end up against a serial killer of legend - who turns out to be
very real. Despite this, I wouldn't say the game is particularly creepy; at least not until you go to Shalebridge Cradle. And then it cranks the
horror up to eleven. The history of Shalebridge Cradle is already dark and twisted enough to scare the beard off
Action Hank; it started out as an orphanage (check), before becoming an insane asylum/orphanage (check again) where horrific experiments were carried out on the inmates (that's a perfect trifecta), helping to establish a simmering resentment between staff and inmate that later led to an extremely destructive fire. Shalebridge is also the place where Inspector Drept, as an orphan, first encountered The Hag. So essentially, you're being asked to explore a creepy, abandoned building that has haunted written all over it. The level is known for its oppressing atmosphere, with large portions of it spent entirely alone wondering if the discordant noises are merely for ambience, or a sign that something unpleasant lays ahead. As you progress the level becomes increasingly horrific, as you encounter the inhabitants of the Cradle - the repugnant, mutilated former Asylum patients, and the ghosts of the staff - and are forced to realise that the building has some sort of sentient presence that is somehow aware of your being there. But the crowning moment of disturbing comes when you have to pretend to kill yourself by jumping out of the window. That's the only way you can escape the evil machinations of The Cradle; which is something of a metaphor for modern life really.
