Nov. 26, 2023, 10:56 p.m.   (Last edited: 1 year ago)

I must say I am surprised at the number of the highest accolades this mission pack has initially garnered because this is clearly a beginner effort although with sparkle and many clever ideas. The pack gives heavy nod to some of first Thief's most loved missions of which I would specifically point out Cragscleft and The Sword and especially the first mission feels like a lovechild of both, and cleverly uses for background a specific part of the first game's mystique and mystery around its otherworldly physics and natural elemental magic. The amount of surreal and bold design are in nice balance here and can fascinate to an extent that I as well was at one point willing and considering a very high rating of around 9 no less - until I realised the many dead ends and that the seemingly branching dichotomies in navigating the level always end up in the same place, namely the next larger area following the current larger area that did the same to the previous larger area, or that we are being led on a roundabout. Then there's things that don't make any sense at all (in the original everything did within its premise) and feel just like a momentary fluke, the extremely high loot requirement of nearly 90% at sparse loot that easily forces you to do the roundabout twice or thrice and the novelty effect wears off and these beginner effects overwhelm. The second mission in contrast underwhelms, here we meet a very weakly designed mansion with badly designed entry points (especially in the first aspect actually the worst I have seen in a long time and definitely below OM par) followed by equally underwhelming and unnecessarily protracted ruins to the final location where we get stuck on terrain glitches a fair amount of times until the final prize - there are some nice visuals and loopback to some areas we could get a glimpse of in the first mission but couldn't reach but that's it. Overall a very nice beginner effort especially in the first mission (some areas of which I even liked better for their surreal vibe than in its later 4-pack version which in turn added more interesting scripted situations while trying to make the said areas more "normal" - I would prefer keeping this original version map PLUS the new scripted scenes) with the charms of an obscure FM from circa 2000 that works although in its own mysterious ways and doesn't have to explain itself, but definitely no masterpiece some authors and reviewers most of which I highly value and respect (see, a nice flame there) would like us to have.