The words "Streamlined" and "ambitious" fit this fan campaign perfectly in my opinion. Thief 2X feels streamlined compared to the two old Thief titles. There is less jank and less confusion (with some exceptions). On the other hand, missions are often smaller and more straightforward, less mysterious and more "on the nose". I did miss this feeling of intrigue at times. On the other hand, missions were still great fun to play. The atmosphere and story, while less vague and less puzzling, are still strong here. It does its own thing, while adding to the world of Thief.

This works well, thanks to the fact that you play as a different character. Zaya, while not super interesting, works well enough. Her motivations, though simple, provide an effective way of driving the story forward. Zaya is an outsider to the City, and sees the place through a different perspective. But facts don't lie. She witnesses the changes that befall the City , even though she has never been there before. This was my favorite part of the story. T2X shows these changes from the first to the second game in a more gradual manner. Zaya's personal story is a bit less interesting. Also, when faced with places and situations that could have lifted straight out of hell, she somehow manages to blurt out some witty lines regardless. This made her feel kind of like a psychopath.

The missions get bigger later on, and when they do, they are just as well-realized in their level design as the missions from Thief II. And when the missions are smaller, they are nonetheless well-put together. These missions did feel rather easy, though. This is countered by the second thing that defines T2X: ambition. There is much to see in these levels. The locations are creative, the variation between missions is huge, and there are new enemies to encounter. On top of that, fully 3D-animated cutscenes are shown between each mission, really adding a finishing touch to this campaign and upping its production value. Missions sometimes feature interactive "cutscenes" that go all out in setting the scene. Readables are expansive and written well, often providing just enough information about the settings you visit or the characters in them. The voice acting is pretty nice, too. Guards are often very funny; exactly as it should be.

Overall, this campaign is just great. Here and there, I had moments of frustration or annoyance. But they are minor in the grand scheme of things. I would say this game is just as good as the first Thief (which I love, just not as much as Thief II), but in different ways and for different reasons. Getting lost barely happened here, and I missed that at times. This often made the missions feel snappier, however. With one exception, they all took me less than an hour to beat. And that's good. T2X doesn't overstay its welcome, and what's there, is of high quality.