page on 10/2/2020 at 11:23

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A mission that earns respect in later playthroughs. Some of my observations below:

1. First and foremost: I love the reasoning behind this multifaceted level. Prison break mission is one thing, but climbing there is a whole different story. So we get sunken tunnels, zombie mines, then we reach the nail-biting factory level... and only then we can carefully maneuver to find Cutty (and Basso). It's like unraveling the story bit by bit, getting to understand Order of the Hammer, harsh reality of thievery and supernatural elements of the setting in a most immersive way. No exposition, pure action. Another bonus points for logical continuation of "Bafford's plot" - stealing the sceptre is dope, but you have to get PAID to really score a Win. Going down to Cragscleft is admittedly much more ballsy than any mansion Garrett may have plundered up to this point.

2. Atmosphere is strong in this one. Hammerites are no joke, they fight the undead, work 16 hours shifts, penalize the lowlifes and leave no trace of hope. The mission takes place during a day, but what difference does it make? The tunnels are grim and deadly, while the prison has no windows whatsoever; no wonder some inmates are losing their minds and deteriorate so quickly. It's all rock, stone and iron, mixed with religious chants and tortured screams. Unsettling but immense.

3. Then we have the readables and tiny little secrets, one of my favorite aspects of Thief missions. We get to know some details on Prison life, dirty deeds of all convicts and what fate they're facing now. Gruesome treatment of Cutty really makes me sorry for the old chap. We also get additional objectives on Expert and perhaps my favorite scene: the deceased escapee in the sewer (Nammon?), I believe he carried Felix's notes - first mention of Bonehoard in TDP. Neat. In any case, Cragscleft delivers some food for thought and leave me guessing on this or that, another plus.

4. To wind up, some of the textures and interiors were really raw and dull, especially the mines looked dated. On the other hand, I didn't mind the repetitive stone walls in prison itself and dormitories; most of details and "decorations" fit my idea of Hammerites base. Perhaps there should be a bit more luxury or "oomph" in the chapel part. Factory is a bit of a chore, but nothing too tricky; I always felt it's more tiring the second time around, with Basso on your back. Thus I will deduct a little from a final grade.

Really atmospheric and deep mission, great idea for a level, decent execution. Definitely needs some time to grow on you, I needed 3+ runs to fully appreciate it.

Grade: A-
(Tiers: S / A / B / C / D / F)

Galaer on 21/2/2020 at 18:50

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To be honest I don't really like the reasoning of this mission. So our fence Cutty has been arrested. So what Garrett should do? Of course go to another fence. There just can't be the only one fence in the whole city. But he decided to break into well protected prison to save him. I guess, Cutty really is the only one fence in the whole city. And then Cutty dies. Awesome. And he tells us to collect Horn of Quintus. But wait, if Cutty was the only fence in the whole city, then how Garrett plans to sell Horn of Quintus? This story is really full of holes.

As for the gameplay, I would say it's the first difficulty spike. Mines introduce zombies and also platforming. Hammerites feels like they are more sensitive than guards in previous mission. Mission feels OK, but prison is a bit too dark. What I don't like in this mission are cameras. They are barely visible, so the first time I played, I had no idea what launched the alarm. Also mechanism behind opening cells in prison is stupid. I mean these levers aren't labeled. So I have no idea which lever open which cell. I believe this also cause a lot of problem for Hammerites. Too be honest this lever system is something that I decided after so many years figure out together with trap mechanism in Masks.

Grade: B from me.