Filcher
- August 24, 2021
- Johan Hjärpe
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Get on itch.io Store"Filcher is a single-player simulation game with an intriguing story and smart, immersive gameplay. As a freelance thief in a noir-style 2.5D world, players must use stealth and cunning to avoid detection and settle an old debt. With outstanding graphics and a dense atmosphere, Filcher offers a top-notch stealth experience, despite some minor flaws."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Filcher captures the essence of classic Thief games with its engaging stealth mechanics and atmospheric noir aesthetic.
- The level design is tight and encourages exploration, with various routes and secrets to discover, making each mission feel rewarding.
- The game successfully builds tension through its lack of mid-mission saves, forcing players to master each level and approach challenges strategically.
- The absence of a save system can lead to frustration, as players must restart entire missions after a single mistake, which can be tedious during longer levels.
- Some gameplay mechanics, such as auto-closing doors and the lack of verticality, can detract from the overall experience and lead to unfair situations.
- The game lacks voice acting, which could enhance immersion and character development, leaving the experience feeling somewhat empty.
- story145 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Filcher" is described as engaging and well-integrated into the gameplay, featuring a simple yet intriguing narrative presented through comic-book-style cutscenes and environmental storytelling. While the missions are compact and offer replayability, the lack of mid-mission saves can lead to frustration, as players must restart entire missions upon failure, which detracts from the exploration and discovery aspects of the game. Overall, the narrative is appreciated for its noir aesthetic and character development, but some players feel it ends abruptly and could benefit from voice acting to enhance immersion.
“The story is short but brilliant, just enough to keep you hooked to the very end and yearning for more.”
“The writing and environmental storytelling hit all the right notes.”
“Filcher is an absolute triumph that also manages to stand on its own with a fun story and deeply appealing art-deco/noir aesthetic.”
“The story is relatively anemic and ends on a severe anticlimax, and there is no voice acting of any kind (except for guards' lo-fi grunts and yawns), undeniably hurting the personality that would have otherwise been provided by Steven Russell's gravely goodness.”
“But when I have to replay a mission 10 times or more because making a mistake is so punishing, the only feeling I'm left with when all is said and done is frustration.”
“The challenge that Filcher offers was especially prominent in my 'ghost run' of the game, which was simultaneously a fun, sometimes frustrating and rewarding experience that, as I noticed throughout my playthrough, was balanced by the relatively small mission sizes and the fine-tuned enemy and light/shadow placements each map featured which accommodated a 'ghost' playstyle, something that many of the missions in the Thief games lack.”
- gameplay62 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Filcher" is heavily inspired by the classic "Thief" series, featuring solid sound and light-based stealth mechanics that create an engaging atmosphere. While it successfully captures the essence of stealth gameplay with its noir aesthetic and level design, some players note a lack of flexibility due to missing features like mid-mission saves and advanced movement options. Overall, the game offers a challenging and enjoyable experience, though it may frustrate some with its simplified mechanics and absence of certain conveniences.
“Filcher nails the sound and light-based stealth mechanics that Thief: The Dark Project did so well, pairing it with retro-noir styling that fits its moody atmosphere and tense gameplay like a glove.”
“The mechanics of the game, particularly its use of the classic light and sound systems, are solid, making up a fundamental part of the minimalist first-person stealth gameplay that defined Thief: TDP/Gold and TMA and which has been inherited by Filcher.”
“Combine the ageless gameplay of the original Thief games with the art style of Batman: The Animated Series and an exciting take on 1950's crime noir, and you get Filcher, a unique stealth game that is challenging and fun!”
“But Filcher misses many of the nuances that make Thief more flexible in gameplay, lacking features like mantling, water/rope arrow equivalents, or even a map or mid-mission saving.”
“At its best, Filcher is fun and engaging, but at worst, this type of gameplay loop can become a chore, imbue minute-to-minute play with stress and anxiety (not the fun kind), and make finishing a mission feel like more of a relief than an accomplishment.”
“Also, the lack of saving mid-level is not an issue in the start of the game, but near the end it is quite frustrating when most of a level is very easy and then there is one very hard part, meaning that you need to redo ~10 minutes of gameplay until you can reattempt the hard part.”
- graphics37 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Filcher" are characterized by a distinctive noir aesthetic that evokes classic film styles, blending art-deco elements with a comic-book presentation. While some players appreciate the game's unique charm and atmospheric lighting, others criticize the inconsistency in sprite detail and the simplicity of the visuals, which can detract from immersion. Overall, the art style is seen as a strong point, contributing to the game's identity, though it may not meet the expectations set by more graphically advanced titles.
“Filcher is an absolute triumph that also manages to stand on its own with a fun story and deeply appealing art-deco/noir aesthetic.”
“In addition to these strengths, the visuals of Filcher manage, in my opinion, to be stunning in their simplicity, with the game effectively incorporating a noir art style which adds a unique charm to both its missions and the beautifully illustrated comic-panel briefings that evoke memories of the cutscenes of the first two Max Payne games.”
“A modern interpretation of an immersive sim classic with incredible noir artwork and impressive sound design.”
“The art style is not consistent at all; some sprites are way too low detail.”
“However, the graphic for whether NPCs are wearing a hat or a helmet should be a lot clearer.”
“Unfortunately, it can't come even close to copying the aesthetics.”
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Filcher" is widely praised for its captivating noir aesthetic, effectively combining retro visuals with a moody soundtrack that enhances the tension during gameplay. While some players noted the simplicity of the textures and occasional lack of sound variety, the overall setting and level design create an immersive experience reminiscent of classic stealth games like "Thief." The game's unique identity shines through its atmospheric exploration and engaging storytelling, making it a compelling choice for fans of the genre.
“Filcher nails the sound and light-based stealth mechanics that Thief: The Dark Project did so well, pairing it with retro-noir styling that fits its moody atmosphere and tense gameplay like a glove.”
“The skeletal and atmospheric soundtrack builds tension while you sneak around the beautiful film noir styled environments.”
“Absolutely perfect atmosphere and more than a fair share of charm, this is a must play for stealth fiends or indie appreciators in general.”
“There's not much in the way of music or sound atmosphere, and most of what is there is quite mediocre.”
“The atmosphere is more akin to Sly Cooper than Thief.”
“Despite the 2.5D visuals making guard vision a bit difficult to gauge and the lack of mid-mission saves, I quite enjoyed Filcher a bunch for its setting, strong atmosphere, and decently presented story and characters.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as atmospheric and fitting for its film noir style, effectively enhancing the tension and immersion in the environments. However, some users find it lackluster and repetitive, with a limited sound design that can detract from the overall experience. Despite mixed opinions, the soundtrack is noted for its ability to create a moody ambiance that supports the gameplay.
“The skeletal and atmospheric soundtrack builds tension while you sneak around the beautiful film noir styled environments.”
“The music, while sparse, is deeply atmospheric and moody.”
“Besides the gameplay, the environments you get to plunder, the excellent world-building and compelling, albeit somewhat derivative, story as well as the tight sound design and music (with the Blackburn House ambient tracks being my favorites in particular) all perfectly support the gameplay, each playing their own crucial parts in forming a 'lived-in' world and a rich soundscape that give Filcher its own distinct identity.”
“There's not much in the way of music or sound atmosphere, and most of what is there is quite mediocre.”
“Where it fails to impress is the music, which is lackluster and repetitive.”
“The soundtrack is drone-like and mainly used only for ambiance, like the first two Thief games.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers decent replayability despite its shorter length, with players drawn back by hidden secrets, mission rankings, and the fun factor. While some feel that replaying levels after completing them may diminish, the potential for high scores and exploration encourages multiple playthroughs. However, a difficulty option could enhance the replay experience further.
“I also find the length of the game to be in the sweet spot; it is not too long but not too short, and the missions offer a lot of replayability potential.”
“Even if the game is short, there's plenty of replay value due to the amount of secrets, rankings on the missions based on how well you play, etc.”
“Little replayability after ghosting all the levels, but I might replay them anyway because the game is that fun.”
“Game could be longer - although the replay value is decent thanks to well-hidden loot and secrets.”
“The game is somewhat short, but it has some replayability, especially if you want to get a high score and find all the secrets.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating due to the lack of autosave and checkpoints, which leads to tedious repetition when minor mistakes occur. The intricate and expansive level design, while impressive, contributes to the stress and tedium of having to restart from the beginning after each failure.
“The biggest fault though, and the reason I'm refunding it, is that you cannot autosave; I get it - the developer wants you to master each level and that's perfectly understandable - however, what I think they perhaps failed to understand is how tedious beating a level can become when one minor mistake sets you back to the beginning - the impressive intricacy and progressively larger size of each level only exacerbates this problem.”
“The rough gameplay paired with no quick saves/checkpoints makes for a very stressful and tedious experience.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally praised, but some users feel that the experience could be significantly enhanced with improved voice performances, particularly highlighting the absence of a strong vocal delivery that would contribute to greater immersion.
