The Black Parade is not only full of well-designed missions with gorgeous textures and intricate architecture, it is also quite simply innovative - thanks to Firemage's incredible work with scripting, new meshes and objects, it really feels like the Dark Engine was given new life in this campaign. The campaign stands out from others in how alive it feels, how there are so many unexpected things happening as you're playing. I found it nearly impossible not to be transfixed by this feeling of perpetual novelty unfolding before my eyes and ears in my playthrough. I agree with the other reviewers who said they have felt overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the campaign (I certainly took a lot of breaks, some long ones even, myself) but I also think that precisely because of such complexity the The Black Parade deserves great attention and patience on part of the player, so that every detail can be savoured.

If I were to single out a few flaws, it would be that mission 5 (The Brand) didn't have quite as much substance as the other missions and felt like it couldn't decide whether or not it wanted to be a full fledged City/Sealed Quarter mission or a more narrative-advancing one. And yes, the story itself is slight (though still engaging) and not quite as integrated into the gameplay as I think it could have been. But there are so many more awe-inspiring moments in The Black Parade I couldn't count them all. It is in a league of its own, truly.