Just finished Dishonored last week, and I have to say, it was an absolute blast. Dishonored casts players in the role of Corvo Attano, royal protector to Empress Jessamine Kaldwin who presides over an empire seated in the city of Dunwall. Within moments of starting the game, Empress Kaldwin is assassinated before your very eyes. Her daughter Emily, is spirited away, and you are framed with the murder of your beloved ruler. And so starts our revenge-fueled tale of Dishonored. Corvo must escape prison and use his talents (and some pretty wild magical powers) to track down the conspirators and free Emily. Image may be NSFW.
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Dishonored unfolds in a linear fashion, with players often traversing from point A to B. Despite being fairly straightforward in that manner, where Dishonored really shines is is the fact that it often allows multiple ways to complete an objective, or even traverse the map in general. Unlike most games, I felt Dishonored actually made sense in terms of how it utilizes its space – buildings really feel like buildings, with rooms that serve a purpose rather than a backdrop for the player’s actions.
Dishonored is a stealth game, and a fine one at that. Players can go in guns blazing, or take the quiet approach (which I personally found to be more satisfying). From there, players can go the lethal or non-lethal route. I chose the latter, as I certainly found it to be more of a challenge. What I didn’t like about the non-lethal route is that it’s clearly the method the developers wanted you to take, with multiple reminders (in-game, mind you) that players will get a better ending by killing less people. I don’t mind that the non-lethal route leads to a better ending, I just found it going against the sense of freedom that the game strives to provide. It felt a little odd.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
That aside, the only other qualm I had with Dishonored was the fact that a few times, I’d accidentally kill someone. I’d then reload the game and complete the level, only to find that my attempt to go non-lethal was in vain… the stats would show a kill or two. Unfortunately, this is a common glitch that has never been resolved (on any platform). If you get spotted, or kill someone, and don’t want to do that, you’re better off starting the entire level over. So people going for certain cheevos, well, you have been warned.
Visually, Dishonored isn’t the biggest stunner, but the aesthetics have a certain charm. The characters and environments look like they’re part of a painting, with broad brushstrokes giving bits of color. So even though it may not have the visual fidelity of say, Battlefield 4, Dishonored is pretty in its own right, reminding you that you’re in another time and place, certainly not of this world.
Dunwall also stands out, with Viktor Antonov, (the man who designed Half Life 2’s City 17) responsible for the city’s design. Like I said above, it felt natural and organic – like a real city. Dunwall’s a character all on its own, with fleshed out nooks and crannies that make sense and actually serve a purpose. Grim and worn, Dunwall seemed like a city on the cusp of great technological change. With the occasional haunting musical score, I was getting some strong Soul Reaver vibes. And that’s not a bad thing!
The city of Dunwall isn’t all there is to the world of Dishonored, there’s other, more mysterious countries outside its borders. Players get a sense of that from conversation and the various books peppered about in-game. Arkane’s writing department gets mad props in that they really created a living, breathing universe here. Players can find works of fiction, essays, and all sorts of writings that really give a sense of a complex foreign world. I really liked that, and hope to see some of these places in subsequent installments. Honestly, reading about the culture of Dunwall and the various bits about the world and its inhabits were probably some of my favorite bits of the game. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I also felt most of the characters were interesting, from the main rogue’s gallery your face, to the few allies by your side. In-game dialogue complemented by various journals, notes and books added a bit more depth to the characters in Dishonored than your typical game. Coupled with the fascinating world, this was another fine point that really made the game shine. As a result, I found myself taking my time with the game to explore every inch of the world. Whether intentional or coincidental, this was one of the game’s strong suits as anyone who’s played a stealth game knows, there’s a lot of creeping about, which can be quite boring. But that wasn’t the case with Dishonored. The team at Arkane really did a good job, and crafted a title that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. It was probably one of my most favorite titles of the year, and certainly merits another play-through or two. And let’s not forget about it’s story-based DLC, the Knife of Dunwall and the Brigmore Witches, that add yet another layer of complexity to the rich story of Dishonored. I’ll definitely be looking out for sales on those two!
Do yourself a favor and check out Dishonored, it’s certainly worth your time.
Images courtesy of Dead End Thrills.
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