A detailed city mission, although a little rough around the edges, with an individual feel and very well-executed traditional thiefy gameplay.
Final Score: 7 Hammers
A certain Cooper Barlett tried to have Garrett killed but failed. It's time for revenge. Barlett has managed to piss off the Downwind Thieves' Guild as well and you have made a deal with them - kidnap Barlett and drop him off in their capable hands. However, Barlett decided it would be a good idea to go underground for a while and left the City, so you need to find him first.
Unfinished Business is the sequel to SlyFoxx's first FM called Fletcher's Final Mistake. Playing that mission first gives a sense of continuity, but isn't strictly necessary as the introduction provided with the readme of Unfinished Business quickly fills you in on the previous events.
You've followed Barlett to a small town called Dunshire, so it's fitting that this mission has its own style when it comes to visuals. Architecture is generally decent and detailed, although some choice and alignment of textures is questionable. Even the streets have received a fair amount of attention: many of them are uneven to walk on or consist of a pathway with raised edges. Lighting is generally used well enough, with a good balance of brightly lit areas and shadows, but the coloured lighting is way overdone in certain areas.
The mission's strongest appeal is its variety of traditional gameplay styles. The layout is excellent, using all three dimensions and offering several routes to choose from as you proceed. I particularly appreciated the roof-hopping. The guards are not too difficult to avoid but still provide a decent challenge, making stealth fun even for someone as blackjack-happy as me. The goals are varied and there are also a whole four secret bonus objectives to find.
Overall though, the mission is a bit unpolished. While it's a solid mission in most respects, it suffers from little technical glitches and inconsistencies (albeit ones that are easily overlooked). For example, the artefact that is the goal for one of the objectives can be dropped from the inventory, the use of ambient sounds seems a bit random, and although I got the impression that Dunshire is a small town, the sky art shows a big city.
Storywise, there's much intrigue in this small town. All the characters in the mission have their own backgrounds and motivations, and many of them are involved in tonight's events in way or another. Even the guards have names and are mentioned in readables once or twice. This kind of attention to detail is rare and commendable, but it's a pity that most of the information comes in the form of diaries, which makes the presentation of the story a bit one-dimensional. The mission also suffers from a bad case of "bad guy needlessly writing down incriminating information in diary", which reduces the credibility of the characters in question. This is especially an issue in the case of the judge; he of all people should really know better. Additionally, many texts seem like they are there just for the sake of the player.
Still, don't let the previous paragraph keep you from giving this mission a try, for the gameplay is certainly worth it. Unfinished Business is a fun mission to play, offering an hour or two of good thiefy entertainment. The lack of restrictions combined with the different routes to choose from should appeal to a wide range of players with different playing styles.
Up on the rooftops you can get a long view of most of the map. In some places this can cause weirdness on your screen or even make the game crash.
There's a long conversation that starts once you get close to Barlett, but it triggered only once during the three times I played through the mission.
Although I never encountered this particular problem, some people have reported that the mission won't end for them due to the kidnap objective not ticking off.
The layout is great, dimensions are appropriate and the visuals are alright overall, although the outdoor areas tend to be better than the interiors. However, some of the coloured lighting looks more appropriate for a disco and use of textures is odd at times. Also, sound propagation is problematic in some locations, including a couple of silent doors and sounds being heard clearly through solid walls.
The backstories of the inhabitants are often implemented into the mission itself, which helps bring the town to life and gets the player involved. However, the view from higher places makes it pretty clear that you're in an enclosed space, although at least the edge of the world isn't seen. The ambient sounds used are few and the implementation isn't optimal, but surprisingly this has little consequence for atmosphere.
All characters have their own little stories and most of them are tied in to the main plot in one way or another. Unfortunately, the writing itself could use some work, with more variation in the types of readables. Diaries are used almost exclusively, often with incriminating information written down despite the obvious risks, which reduces their believability.
Gameplay is a lot of fun, plain and simple. There are several ways to proceed, stealth is enjoyable and there's plenty to do. The many options for dealing with the guards give room for variety when it comes to playing styles. It's even possible to go on a murderous rampage if that's your thing. As a final touch, figuring out what to do for those bonus objectives will keep you busy for a while.
Final Score: 7 Hammers
