A good Thief mission is like a conversation between the player and the developers. Into the Odd is the best kind of conversation, playful and engaging, and as aware of you as you are of it.

It knows you're going to catch sight of a window in the corner of your eye, a sliver of room through it (vivid tapestry, ornate relief, half of a bookshelf) and try to find a way in, whether it's related to your objectives or not. The hunt for your stuff doesn't feel like a chore; it flows from one intrigue to the next, constantly dangling little bits of interest in the paths it knows you'll take. It knows that every locked door is an invitation to find a key, as intriguing as it is frustrating. Returning to areas feels like an opportunity to go down a previously unexplored rabbit hole, not like backtracking. The brushwork is creative, with spaces that are still navigable and visually cohesive, if occasionally -- intentionally -- overwhelmingly lush with textures and shapes. The sense of scale, whether cramped or palatial, is always entirely believable. Even the platformer-y bits are effective and not too awkward. I never got stuck, and seldom fell to my death.

It's also wonderfully weird, but in a way that feels effortless and understated. I often found myself thinking, "I shouldn't be here," and even when there were no patrols in sight, "I *really* don't want to get caught in this place."

Without spoiling anything, my favorite thing about the mission is that very little of what's going on is explicit in the text; it's certainly not in the objectives. The readables are just as likely to confuse as to clarify. But by the end of it, you've gotten a solid little glimpse of a character study -- then you pass it, like ships in the night. I finished the mission with the feeling that all the strange goings-on I saw were still going on, whether Garrett was there to observe them or not. Magic.