My initial impressions of this mission were mostly negative. Increased vulnerability in the dusky setting, ledges you can easily slide off, frustrating falls that make it easy to alert nearby AI, linear design with your prospective routes forward blocked off, a counter-intuitive way to proceed (there is a way that seems logical but isn't, and a way that doesn't seem logical but is). Not a good introduction.

I was almost ready to put it away, but fortunately, I persevered and the mission got much better as it opened up. There is a lot of clever puzzle design in the central city area, and the mini-missions are just the right length/complexity. It also feels great traipsing around on the rooftops and finding new places to break into, or figuring out puzzle solutions using environmental cues. It is not always standard Thief gameplay, and the ledges are a bit convenient, but it is very entertaining. I loved the bank missions, the electric fence, and the little touches like the back garden and window-crashing a prostitute's room.

After the middle part, the problems start cropping up again, as the mage's house and the sewers are less interesting than the urbancrawl elements, but the mission remains decent and ends on a good note. There is also the mood, a lazy, late-afternoon-in-a-Spanish-city feel, which is nicely helped by the music. Just like the enormous spaces and dizzying heights, BCD's style reminds me of Being Thief 2, although this is a better mission, where the scale is mostly right (it could be built a little tighter, but that's just me - NewDark certainly makes this style of building possible), and the objectives are less artificial. Less, but they still feel forced, and can result in a large amount of backtracking. I understand the reasoning, just don't agree with it.

All in all, this is slightly uneven, but the good parts can be really good.

I thought I saw a reference to something magical to be found in the wizard's house that might help with the sewer full of rats.