Moments away from capture


Watching Oswald do his rounds


Security is heavy in this bakery

Review by Anarchic Fox

Mission Name: Oswald's Patisserie
Author: Pseudonymouse
Mission Type: Neutral Bakery
Map Size: Tiny
Difficulty: Moderate

No. Times Played: 3
Difficulties Played: Normal, Hard, and Expert
Loot Found: 725 out of 825
Secrets Found: 0 out of 0

Pros: Interesting setting, good gameplay, various neat details

Cons: Tiny level, somewhat disappointing architecture

Bottom Line: A fun mission, worth the time it takes to play... but there's nothing memorable about it.

Brief Description

Basso, now retired from his criminal life, wants to open a bakery. As a result, he wants you to do something about Oswald's Patisserie, his main competition... a bit of theft, blackmail, and sabotage should be enough to put Oswald out of business.

Overview

The first thing to note is that Oswald's Patisserie may be the only fan mission to date set inside a bakery. The design of the level is as novel as its setting, with a wide open, dangerously exposed upper level, and a catacombs-like basement. The mission is quite tiny, however (sporting about four guards), and for the most part the architecture and gameplay are good but unexceptional. As a result, the mission may easily be a fun heist, but it won't leave any lasting impression.

The above-ground architecture is good, though unfortunately once you've seen the main room you've seen the best the level has to offer. The lower level, in contrast, is plain and blocky. As mentioned before, however, the mission takes so little time to complete that this lack won't have time to wear on your nerves. The level's space is poorly designed for gameplay; the bounds of the 64^3 contest don't leave room for many of the wide open spaces that Oswald's Patisserie uses.

The gameplay, however, is quite good despite the minimal space in which it occurs. The patrols (especially that of Oswald) create a nice challenge, especially if you try to ghost the level. Shadows and floor surfaces are well-designed; the tile-floored upper level, in particular, is a challenge to move across. There is a scripted (and potentially quite startling) event that happens in the basement, deepening the mission a bit. There are also a couple of secrets to be found. There is also the fact that the objectives go beyond the simple steal-this-object goal (adding in addition to the theft of a recipe book the finding of blackmail, and the ruining of Oswald's current batch of pastries). The gameplay is thus above-average, though there isn't much of it.

The story is unusual, but nothing really exciting, and is both somewhat silly and rather out of character for Garrett. Its strongest point is the multiple objectives that come from it. There are numerous small touches which add to the interest of this level - the baking paraphernalia, the displays, and the gingerbread taffers, for instance. They emphasize this mission's status as a novel, fun, but not at all exceptional effort.

Analysis

Story: 3 -- Well-described, but silly and out-of-character... and of course it's not developed during the level

Atmosphere: 4 -- It doesn't have the time to build, and there is no special effort to amplify it

Gameplay: 6 -- Good use of lighting and loud surfaces, well-designed patrols, and numerous objectives

Architecture: 3 -- The upper level looks alright, but the lower area is blocky and uniformly textured

Reviewer's Score: 4 bronze (4 on the ten-point scale)


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