Review

Developed by:Bethesda Published by:Arkane Studios Genre(s):
  • Action Adventure
  • Stealth
  • Platform:
  • Microsoft
  • PC
  • Sony
  • Cost:$59.99 ESRB Rating:MATURE Players:1 Release date:October 9, 2012 Reviewed on:PC
    9.2

    Dishonored

    Launching a new IP (Intellectual Property) in a sea of popular franchises is risky business. Launching a new IP at the end of a consoles life, well…that’s just crazy talk. Its good thing the folks over at Arkane Studios are raving mad; their new title Dishonored gives one of the best first person experiences this generation!

    Dishonored is a first person stealth game that follows the story of Corvo Attano, a former bodyguard turned assassin. After being wrongfully accused of murdering his previous charge Empress Kaldwin and kidnapping her daughter, he was thrown into jail to await his execution. The day before his sentence was to be carried out he was freed by an underground group of loyalists. They knew that someone set Corvo up to take the fall and were prepared to back him in his quest for answers. Now it is up to Corvo to put things right; find the true heir to the throne and get his revenge, of course.

    Moving away from the story for a second, Arkane has done a wonderful job creating an immersive stealth title in Dishonored. To understand why I say this, you’ll need to understand how the game works. On a basic level, you are given assignments by the loyalists at a central location. They usually require you to investigate or to eliminate a threat to their cause. After receiving the assignment you’re ferried back to the main part of the city. Finding out where you need to be, how to get there, and what needs to be done once you arrive are all up to you. None of which you should take lightly; the choices you make not only affect how people perceive Corvo, but they also have long lasting effects on the story.

    One thing that makes this title more immersive is the feeling that you are Corvo. The game gives you all of the decision making power; a crazy sense of freedom. Because of this I easily spent hours just completing the first mission There was so much to do and so many points of interest around every corner, that I couldn’t bear not checking everything out as I went along. This first assignment was to take down a High Overseer (high ranking government official). The game started me off at the docks; I had to find my way through the streets without being noticed by the guards. I was given the general location of the building where the Overseer would be meeting other officials that night. On my way there, I ran into a group of thugs who were harassing a man. I could’ve just walked by, but me being the would-be hero, I took them down with sleeping darts to the neck. Saving this person, granted me access to his shop where I could purchase more of these awesome sleeping darts. Again, your actions lead to big changes within Dishonored’s world.

    Even my choice of entry into a key building had different effects on the story. Entering through an unlocked window allowed me to eavesdrop on some guards talking about a ritual that was performed anytime a High Overseer was to be excommunicated. This gave me another option; instead of killing the Overseer, I could get rid of him in a different manner. This brings me to another aspect that helps with immersion; essentially how the Dishonored allows you to tailor your experience. There were many things that I could have done differently that would have changed the way the mission unfolded. If I’d never found out about the ritual, the only option would have been to kill the Overseer. Something I may or may not have wanted to do. Not only that, but the missions are altered before each playthrough. Meaning that some elements are randomized to make each time you play feel unique. Everything from clues and secondary objectives to important items and enemy positions can change, resulting in different outcomes. My experience differs from others not just because of the choices I was free to make, but also because of the choices I‘d be forced to make given the available options due to the randomized mission structure. While I don’t believe there are an infinite amount of possibilities present, I’m sure there is enough to warrant a decent amount of replays.

    In addition to randomized game elements is the intelligent AI. Sneaking around and finding your own way through a given area wouldn’t be nearly as exciting if the enemies were complete dolts. Guards don’t stop to admire the architecture of excluded passageways for ridiculous amounts of time like in other games. If they do pause it’s to look out over a balcony or talk with someone; you know…realistic reasons. Not only that, they tend to notice little things that most NPCs miss. I remember sneaking up on a guard and taking him down with a sleeper hold from behind. Once unconscious, I was able to steal his key and unlock a door to be used as my escape route. Moments later another guard, who was patrolling an area nearby, noticed that someone was missing and went to investigate. Since I had not yet hidden the body, it was likely that this nosey sentry would cause trouble. Once a guard is has discovered foul play, they do not calm down. They’ll move around the entire area looking for Corvo, alert other guards, and just be an all-around pain. This will also make taking them down quietly more difficult since an alert guard can better defend themselves against a sneak attack. Good thing I had spare sleeping darts on hand!

    Now you may be wondering why I just didn’t kill the guards and anyone else that got into my way. Well, that goes back to the story and how it changes based on my actions. You see the city of Dunwall  has been stricken sick with the plague. Large, flesh eating rats have spread the virus all over, causing the overzealous government to quarantine large sections of the city. Most of these quarantined areas are impoverished and people living there are treated harshly just because they lack the proper social status. Those who survive the infection  slowly turn into Weepers. These sad victims bleed from the eyes, become hostile to everyone, and are downright creepy. Increases in violence and killing, specifically by  Corvo, will cause the level of chaos in the world to rise and somehow increase the rat and Weeper populations. Friendly NPCs will treat you differently (or outright hate you) and the story will develop in a more sinister manner. Although an increasingly dark and sinister environment is an interesting story element, it almost negatively impacted the gameplay; heightened chaos meant much greater difficulty. I like a challenge as much as the next person, but it seems silly going the extra mile to make things more difficult for myself. More enemies popping up, NPC’s refusing to help me, dirty looks from children…why would I want any of those things to happen? And while being stealthy is difficult, it’s never the “bad” option to take within a mission. Killing opponents isn’t worth the extra difficulty.

    Another reason going Rambo didn’t appeal to me was because the hand to hand combat can be brutal. Don’t get me wrong, the combat elements are well implemented. Covro can use one hand to hold his sword and the other to shoot a firearm or cast magic, allowing you to alternate attacks on the fly. A well timed parry or counter allows you to deliver a vicious blow to finish off an attacker in seconds. Fending off a group of attackers can still be quite tough since only a few hits are needed to kill you as well. On top of that there are certain enemies that are really difficult to defeat on their own, let alone in groups. On one hand this makes the fights exhilarating; I enjoyed the times when I was spotted and had to defend myself. On the other hand, going about things this way doesn’t result in the same rewards that the stealthy players get. The payoff of a tough fight is usually less health or items needed to complete the mission. So as fun as it was just trying to survive an aggressive encounter, I would avoid it; why get punished unnecessarily?

    Regardless of how you approach a given situation, Corvo has a decent amount of tricks up his sleeve to help you be successful. Take the use of magic for example. During a dream sequence, we learn that there is a powerful being known as the Outsider. This entity bestows Corvo with a mark that grants him special abilities. Teleportation, possession, and summoning are some of the available powers. Need to get into a heavily guarded place? Summon rats, possess one, and then sneak right past the guards. An open window that’s too high to climb too? Climb up as high as you can and then teleport the rest of the way. Finding runes scattered around the map can be used to upgrade skills or buy new ones. Adding to the magical elements are firearms and other upgradable equipment. Just like the runes, there are blueprints scattered about that once found, can allow the purchase of better gear. For instance, adding a zooming lenses to Corvo’s mask will allow him to see further. This also makes it easier to eavesdrop; Corvo can overhear conversations from a great distance using his upgraded mask.

    There are so many different aspects within Dishonored. Even with all of that’s mentioned, I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’m a huge fan of the art style and overall visual quality presented here. Graphically, Dishonored is quite awesome. The voice work is just as pleasing; all of the lines are delivered expertly. The music helps create an overall mood for the world while the sound effects make the onscreen action feel more exciting. Just like the different game mechanics that complement one another, the visuals and sounds really help to immerse the player. Speaking of game mechanics, there are a lot of things working under the hood here. Being able to manipulate a world that feels real is more than just a novelty feature on the back of the box. The smart AI seems less scripted and more “alive” here than any title I’ve played before. Outside of the game pushing gamers towards a certain way of playing (using stealth is way better than being combative) and besides the fact that none of the available endings are as satisfying as I’d hoped, there isn’t much to find fault with. Dishonored isn’t perfect, but it is definitely GOTY material!

    Gameplay:

    9

    Dishonored is an immersive and fun title that should be played by all gamers.

    Graphics:

    10

    Corvo’s heavily stylized world is a sight for sore eyes!

    Sound:

    10

    The voice acting is top notch. The music fits the narrative; creating an overall “mood” to the events on screen.

    What's New:

    9

    The way the world reacts to you actions makes what you are doing seem real. Arkane is on to something here.

    Replay Value:

    8

    The way the missions are randomized, there is good reason to go back once the game is completed. That said, due to the game’s somewhat unrewarding nature you’ll most likely choose to be stealthy again.

    Final Score:

    9.2

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