Circle of Stone and Shadow series are usually known for the second installment - Mission X, grandiose and posh casino/hotel heist and sabotaging. The prequel, Gathering at the Inn - is much smaller and less discussed among players, and I think it deserves a bit more recognition. The plot here is about some kind of initiation of young Dante, who wants to join eponymous Circle of Stone and Shadow and therefore must pass some trial run - to rob small snowed inn and its inhabitants of scepters and some additional coin. Nothing to write home about at first look, but there could be some unobvious plot turns.

The mission is not big - 30-40 min at max, - small inn in the middle of some district, and the district itself is not much populated. But the inn itself is made with true attention to detail - plotwise (lots of stuff to read and to analyze, and even including high-quality videos - intro and outro, which help to create very special winter noir feeling) and gameplay-wise (secret ways between rooms of inn's lodgers, auto-updating notes, keyring), and has several exits - some were very unobvious for me at first run. Some small side quests also helped in building immersion. As for nitpicks - aside from mentioned emptiness of city section - I would say, that some people who do not like ghosting at all, would find GatI less pleasant due to high amount of guards in KO-immune helms. Some quests are a bit complicated (like Lady Verilli's one). This mission really demand from player to read of auto-updating notes, and read attentively as well as to pay attention to seemingly unrelated folks and locations, surrounding the inn. In general, surprisingly complicated small mission.

The production quality of this one is certainly admirable. I liked the city section and the multiple entrances a lot (even with its emptiness you mentioned), also - the overall atmosphere is really great. Haven't played the second part yet, but found the mission design very dragged here though. I bet ghost runners - or just... more patient players than me, apparently- can enjoy it more. But even with that, I agree that the mission deserves recognition.

Yes, finding ways into some rooms and to solve some quests here could be quite difficult and obtuse - especially if play 1st time.