hyaerthia: fantasy

, by hyaerthia

Dishonored, since its release in 2012, has been one of my absolute favourite games ever, so needless to say I was both insanely excited and nervous for its sequel. (I was in class, Chemistry to be exact, when the trailer was released at E3 in 2015 and my friend and I squealed and almost cried in excitement as we watched it, how embarrassing omg… )

Dishonored 2 takes place fifteen years after the events of its predecessor and follows the protagonist Corvo and his daughter Emily, who are getting ready for a ceremony to honour the late Jessamine, immediately drawing parallels to the first game. The events of the game begin straight away when an unannounced guest arrives and with them a coup. It is here that the player must choose to play as either Corvo or Emily as they work to unravel the conspiracy and take back the throne.

On my first play-through I wasted no time clicking on Emily and beginning my journey through Dishonored 2. I felt, and still feel, that this is Emily’s game, especially after playing as Corvo, who I thought would bring back some nostalgic memories, but ended up feeling wrong. I think this is because Corvo is already known to us in detail, but having aided in saving and raising Emily, its more interesting from both a narrative and player perspective to see how she has grown from the events of the first game, and to see how she grows from what has happened to her in the second.

As a whole, the narrative flow of the story seemed rushed, especially considering there was no prior introductions to characters besides Corvo, which made the betrayal of the Guards, the death of Alexi and the choice of protagonist no where near as climactic as it could have been. The guards seemed to give up searching/investigating as easily as in the first game, the side characters felt distant in comparison to those of the Hound Pits Pub, and the ending left a lot of ambiguity - which could be used for a DLC or sequel, but bothersome all the same. Also, though I wouldn’t consider it a bad thing; you have to play the game a few times through to completely understand the plot, the conspirators, and the side stories that are interwoven amongst it all.

The voice actors felt disjointed to the story at times, however I adored Emily, especially High Chaos Emily. Corvo felt odd to be voiced and The Outsider seemed too vague and careless, he seemed to contrast in my opinion to the characteristics of the original as a result. On the other hand I did like that The Outsider was given more human actions and expressions, and not just scowling with his arms crossed. Also the glimpse into his backstory was fascinating and both explains and adds wonder to his character.

What was immediately clear was the upgrades to the AI. I wouldn’t say they were smarter, however more perceptive than in Dishonored. Leaving doors open will alert guards, as will leaning out of cover or taking cover under an object that does not completely shield you. I found this out the hard way. The combat system was also enhanced to allow non-lethal drop assassinations and mid-combat take-downs. As a no kill player these upgrades were awesome, and saved the amount of sleep darts needed for later. The addition of quick save saved my life so many times, especially during my ghost run through, and the option to navigate the world with no powers was intriguing and a nice twist to the story. There were also neat little equipment upgrades such as the howling bolt, and bottles of chloroform that worked just as well as sleep darts.

The powers of Dishonored 2 still held the same feel as Corvo’s did from DH1, however operated on a branch that made choosing which powers and upgrades to use far more significant in comparison to the rune to power ratio. The continuation of multiple options to complete each mission, alongside the interaction between characters and use of The Heart to eavesdrop gave more depth to the world of Dishonored. As a result this, along with the addition of BoneCharm crafting, allowed a more unique gameplay experience and encouraged replays.

The design of Dishonored 2 has stayed faithful to its predecessor, however improvements in detail are clear through both the character animations and setting. Level design was a highlight of the game, providing unique and memorable missions such as The Clockwork Mansion and Stilton’s Manor missions, which focused on figuring out puzzles and using time to both navigate the levels and execute the objectives. Karnaca, in its design, feels both familiar to the world of Dishonored, whist being different to Dunwall with its own lore, systems and people. The use of vertical enhanced exploration in this game adds to the depth of the game and creates more options for players, whilst the addition of bloodflies echoes that of the rat plague but allows a different, fun and sometimes risky weapon to play with.

Like its predecessor, Dishonored 2 makes you consider the impact of your actions. The chaos system remains and with it, the consequences of the choices made. I particularly adored this element of Dishonored in comparison to other games because not only was I able to see how my actions reflected on both the people, world and story’s outcome, but the way it impacted on how I played through the missions as a result. The thing that I love about the Dishonored franchise is that you get to watch your character grow and learn from their mistakes, whilst consequently doing the same as a player. Choices are a major element in these games and they are impacted by the gameplay; even small things like holding a guard in front of you as a shield was reacted to by the guard that shot their comrade, or the conversation between two civilians in an abandoned building about finding food to survive (or who weren’t there on a second play through, but corpses on their mattresses instead.)

As a whole, Dishonored was a blast, ensuring the continuity of its predecessor whilst providing new and improved gameplay, setting, graphics and characters. Whilst the narrative was a let down, the game makes up for it through its ability to ensure an individual play-through each time with its open level design, power and weapon upgrades and chaos system. Overall a fantastic sequel worthy of the popular claim of Game of the Year.

Gameplay = 4 STARS

Aesthetic = 4 STARS

8 STARS

Love, Natalia

xx