Worst Level Design in the game- the Choir room

[VALIS]

Near the end of the sewers I encountered a brute in a short proximity. Albeit a short while before the ladder to escape it was still definitely intense. What you mention there as a far less spacious and claustrophobic area would be relative to the invisible monster water chase near the beginning of the game. I'd imagine that a different interaction with the brute would just become another one of the chase sequences, there would be no other way to do it I think.

I think with the Choir room they wanted to obscure your vision and make you sneak around to put a different pacing on the fear that you build up, just to add more variety.