The idea is solid: reuse a mission from Thief 1, and expand it, transforming it both to something reflecting Thief II's themes, and showing how the enemy faction literally transformed it to suit their needs. This could have made us feel a lot of things: sorrow for how the ancient and intriguing Lost City was completely corrupted into something suitable for the heinous Mechanists. Awe, at just how resourceful the Mechanists have become. Or even excitement, about potential new parts of the city we never explored in the first game.

This mission somehow fails to invoke any of these feelings. The only reason as to why could be a lack of time and resources. I just cannot imagine Looking Glass Studios actually being happy with the end result.

First, what we got in The Lost City just isn't very recognizable in here. The textures are similar, and the layout probably is, but it's hard to really notice that the arena was once the arena. This is in part because of the lack of detail The Lost City contained, so it's not entirely the fault of this mission. However, things could have been done to make the comparison stand out a lot more. The in-game map used for this mission is entirely different, which doesn't help.

But yeah, where's the tower which held the Fire Talisman? That could have easily been converted into some kind of awesome watchtower. The old tombs (do we even visit these? I couldn't tell) could have emphasized the lack of care the Mechanists possess for the old ways. Rows of coffins being dumped into some kind of hole, while the tombs themselves have been converted into a long series of barracks. Small pockets of the old city could still exist, trying to fight back in some way or form. A hidden part of the city that hasn't been converted at all, possibly hiding a Burrick nest. A part where Mechanists try to explore one such part, but are besieged by traps (or worse, Fire Elementals). Much more care could have been put into actively highlighting the nature of the changes made to this ancient city, in all sorts of ways.

Now, what's left is a series of rooms separated by tunnels, filled with guards. It's boring to explore, boring to sneak around in. The guards oftentimes pop up around corners without you expecting them. The lack of detail makes you run out of patience quickly. The thing with Cavador walking around isn't great either. Four years ago, it took me two hours to find him. Now, it took me two minutes. Once you take him down, you have to haul him around through more boring tunnels. Finding the scripture involves more travelling through boring tunnels.

The best part is the beginning. The converted temple there does a better job at showing a contrast between the once-great Karath-din and the soulless contraptions of the Mechanists. A shame. The original Lost City mission is flawed, but actually more fun to play than this one.