In the Thief mission ecosystem, Mechanists occupy the same evolutionary niche as Nazis do in film: they build elaborate facilities where something goes wrong, and they mess with forces that are not to be messed with. They are, also, not particularly missed when something inexplicably starts massacring them. This makes Mechanist missions great for survival horror, and survival horror rarely gets better than this small Mechanist-themed mission set on a derelict steamship, which gets everything right.

We must mention the atmosphere above all: with similarities to Brainchild, System Shock 2, and The Builder’s Paradise from the TMA contest, the level offers a cramped, exquisitely detailed mechanical environment. The Mech assets are not easy to work with properly, but in this mission, the author brings out their best. The attention to fine detail and scene composition is exquisite: here are rooms full of whirring machinery, retro-futuristic lounges with Art Deco interior decor, and hellish steam tunnels that lead to horrible nightmares. Scenes of upheaval, devastation and carnage are constructed with a sure hand. Flickering lights and the glow of consoles barely illuminates the surroundings, but there is enough to find your way and explore the ship interior and witness its horrors. It is show, not tell – indeed, the mission probably has about one or two readables at all, but the environment tells the story quite well. All this is rounded out with well-picked ambients, constantly good throughout. You will have to listen to the noises to survive (no spoilers here).

There is nothing particularly revolutionary about the stealth gameplay. It is just polished and properly tense, with the right amount of metal and softer surfaces. There is a loot hunting element, which is not too hard if you pay attention, and an objective that is fairly simple. This is quite right for a small mission – as is everything else. Well, almost everything: the particle effect at the beginning/end can produce a terrible slowdown on even a strong PC. But that is all. This mission looks well, sounds well and plays well. It understands survival horror and excels at it. Well worth playing.