Coming off fresh from finishing the mission:
I entered the mansion through a balcony, then proceeded to knock a guard flat on his face. Hearing the clatter of footsteps I had to quickly shoulder the body as a guard emerged from a corner. With many lights around I had to creep past him, body in tow, as I frantically searched for someplace safe to store my sleeping friend - I came to stash him in a privy after a mad dash to keep safe. This mission oozes tension and doesn't let up!
The layout of the mansion is intricate, with plenty of electric lights to keep you on your toes and many corners to hide in. It's labyrinthine in the same way Thief's missions were and while that level design always tethers on the edge of irritation through information overload(I'm looking at you, Thieves Guild), I'm glad to say this FM doesn't grate or overstay its welcome. Still, I would've liked one or two more readables to break up the core gameplay. I actually enjoyed the general lack of them - not every average Joe in the mansion's gonna spill their thoughts in their little diary - but in hindsight a pinned note or two here and there would've made the estate feel more lived in.
The readables that are in there serve their purpose well enough. The mission's gameplay is hard but not irritating. If you need to find a key, there's probably a hint in a readable and some map reading to set you on your path. Your goals are always simple enough to remember in the back of your head while you focus on the gameplay and I appreciate that.
The aesthetics and color choices felt a bit off to me... I can't quite put my finger on why. The architectural side of this mission is top notch, hear ye hear ye, but traversing the mansion multiple times over left the impression of it being too... monochromatic? This problem isn't present in the crypts, however, where this mission's spirit feels much more at home.
Some things I liked in no particular order are: the inability to tell a guard's patrol route easily, the (limited) usefulness of rope arrows inside the mansion, the decals when the switcheroo happens, the architectural accents like coffers and truss in the crypts. Overall, I think this is a solid mansion FM through and through, well worth the play-time. Thank you for making it!