The strength of this mission lies in its variety. There is so much to see in Life of the Party. I remember being disappointed with the linearity of the first half, four years ago. However, while it is linear, there's much to explore and to find here.

There are many nooks and crannies to stumble upon, and they all provide something meaningful: handy items, worldbuilding, or secondary routes leading to your destination. It isn't too hard to traverse the rooftops, save for some treacherous jumps. When exploring the small interiors you can enter through windows, the guards become more of a danger.

The real danger happens at Angelwatch, however. The second half of this level is pretty big, and for its time, very impressive for being only half of a mission. Though the rooms inside are somewhat lacking in purpose (the place is somewhat maze-like and "liminal space-esque" for being a headquarters of a human organization), exploring the place is exciting and challenging. You are highly encouraged to visit all floors in order to achieve what you're set out to do.

The varied amount of setpieces allows for good expansion of the Thief setting, and the plot itself comes with some creative twists and details. This makes the mission excel in both gameplay and story.

Only the last stretch of the approach is linear, the vast majority of it isn't.

Best mission in Thief II. Period.

It's linear in that you cannot just tackle different objectives at your own leisure; you have to get to Angelwatch. Progression-wise, it's linear. There's multiple ways of taking this route, but you have to take this route, and will likely visit most of the same places others do, in the same order others do.

Not a bad thing, though.