I like classics. I don't really enjoy mainstream. I'm not a fan of popular culture or the woke agenda. I'm obsessed with classics. I often revisit them. I mostly enjoy music, cinema, shows, and games from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s era.

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When it comes to music, I'm into underground titles. I enjoy ambient, experimental electronic, industrial metal, future fusion metal, and neofolk genres. My top bands are Coil and Godflesh. My top musicians are Peter Christopherson and John Balance.

1. Coil – Stolen & Contaminated Songs (1992)
2. Autechre – Amber (1994)
3. Aphex Twin – Drukqs (2001)
4. The Threshold HouseBoys Choir – Form Grows Rampant (2007)
5. Godflesh – Pure (1992)
6. Breach the Void – The Monochromatic Era (2010)
7. Shadow Domain – Digital Divide (2018)
8. Sybreed – The Pulse of Awakening (2009)
9. Fear Factory – Archetype (2004)
10. Mnemic – Passenger (2007)

(full list) [rateyourmusic.com]

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When it comes to cinema, I'm into cult titles. I enjoy ancient rome, thailand, meditative, experimental, avant-garde, whodunnit, medieval, body horror, classic horror, and soft sci-fi genres.

1. The Name of the Rose (1986) [www.imdb.com]
2. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) [www.imdb.com]
3. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) [www.imdb.com]
4. Altered States (1980) [www.imdb.com]
5. The Matrix (1999) [www.imdb.com]

(full list) [www.imdb.com]

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When it comes to shows, I'm into cult titles. I enjoy Ancient Rome and historical genres.

1. Rome (2005–2007) [www.imdb.com]
2. I, Claudius (1976) [www.imdb.com]

(full list) [www.imdb.com]

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When it comes to games, I'm into niche titles. I enjoy stealth, walking sim, and dungeon-crawler genres. My top games are Thief, The Dark Mod, Sanitarium, NaissanceE, Arx Fatalis, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, and Ultima Underworld. My top studio is Looking Glass Studios.

1. Thief 2: The Metal Age (2000)
2. Thief 1: The Dark Project (1998)
3. Thief 3: Deadly Shadows (2004)
4. The Dark Mod (2009) [www.thedarkmod.com]
5. NaissanceE (2014)
6. Sanitarium (1998)
7. Arx Fatalis (2002)
8. Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (2006)
9. Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds (1993) [www.gog.com]
10. Ultima Underworld 1: The Stygian Abyss (1992) [www.gog.com]

(full list) [backloggd.com]

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Just some playlists.

Songs I like
Industrial music (avant-garde art)

🔥

If I had to pick only one game series, it'd be Thief, the pinnacle of the stealth genre.

There's something truly special about sneaking through shadows, stealing valuable loot, and disappearing without anyone noticing. Each step you take makes you want to explore further while staying alert to everything around you.

Stealth in Thief isn't just about being unseen, but also about seeing everything. Thief teaches you patience and observation, not aggression. It makes you a vulnerable and clever human, not a superhero. Unlike other stealth games, that's why Thief is called pure stealth.

The City is a built from gothic architecture, noble manors, abandoned cathedrals, and haunted crypts. A city divided by magic, religion, and technology mirrors our own world. In the City, patience is your greatest weapon and shadows are your closest ally. The way Thief blends mechanics, storytelling, and world-building is unlike anything else.

Garrett. He's not a hero. Not trying to save the world. Only himself. He's smart and humorous. As for the soundtracks, they're unmatched and perfectly fit the atmosphere. Thanks to voice actor Stephen Russell, composer Eric Brosius, and all others who contributed.

You can still see Thief's influence through many stealth and immersive sim games today. Without Thief, there'd be no Dishonored, Gloomwood, and many more titles. For over two decades, the community and its fan missions have become the keepers of the series.

To me, Thief isn't just the best game ever made. It's a timeless work of art. It gives me a vibe I can't really explain. Nothing else has ever made me feel this way. It haunts you forever, even long after you stop playing.

We must be grateful to Looking Glass Studios and their brilliant team for creating something rare.

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Thief is a pure stealth series set in a dark, gothic, steampunk world, starring Garrett, the master thief. The games focus on sneaking, avoiding enemies, and completing missions quietly. They offer an immersive experience, allowing freedom to approach each mission in different ways.

Thief games released to date.
Thief 1: The Dark Project (1998)
Thief 2: The Metal Age (2000)
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows (2004)

Essential unofficial patches.
TFix: The unofficial patch for Thief 1 [www.ttlg.com]
T2Fix: The unofficial patch for Thief 2 [www.ttlg.com]
Sneaky Upgrade: The unofficial patch for Thief 3 [www.ttlg.com]

Optional mods.
Mod list [www.ttlg.com]

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The Dark Mod is a free, open-source pure stealth game and a spiritual successor to the Thief series. Once a total conversion for Doom 3, it's now a standalone game. It comes with three official missions, including a training mission. It's built on missions created by the community.

The Dark Mod can be downloaded from its official website.
The Dark Mod (2009) [www.thedarkmod.com]

Optional unofficial patch.
The unofficial patch [forums.thedarkmod.com]

Optional mods.
Mod list [forums.thedarkmod.com]

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Fan Missions for Thief 1, Thief 2, Thief 3, and The Dark Mod are custom levels created by the community. There're over 1500 missions available since 1999, and the number keeps growing this day. They expand the series with new stories, characters, and maps beyond the official content. Fan missions keep Thief series and The Dark Mod alive and constantly growing.

The newest and modern fan mission loader.
AngelLoader [www.ttlg.com]

Fan missions are widely regarded as unofficial canon.
The Black Parade [www.ttlg.com]
T2X: Shadows of the Metal Age [www.ttlg.com]

Other fan missions are also worth playing.
Death's Cold Embrace [www.ttlg.com]

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Unlike the general audience, I've always preferred daylight missions over dark ones. They're not perfect, of course, but I love the feeling they give me. I revisit them from time to time. They bring me a sense of peace that I can't find anywhere else.

My top fan missions.
Melancholy in Porto [www.ttlg.com]
The Quiet Heat [www.ttlg.com]
Stowaway [www.ttlg.com]

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Alongside long-time members, newcomers are also learning and creating their own missions. You can learn and create yours too.

DromEd mission editor for Thief 1 / Thief 2.
DromEd Discord [discord.gg]
Absolute beginner's guide [nickdablin.wordpress.com]
Complete tutorials YouTube

DarkRadiant mission editor for The Dark Mod.
The Dark Mod Discord [discord.gg]
Complete tutorials YouTube

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If you consider yourself a real Thief fan, I ask you to avoid the 2014/2025 reboots. They have nothing to do with the original Thief games. They are only cash-grabs that disrespect the legacy. Casual games are unnecessary. Thanks to a dedicated community still creating new missions. The true spirit of Thief will live on, carried by its loyal fans.

✨