Back in 2012 developers Arkane Studios brought out one of my favourite games of the last generation of consoles – Dishonored. Putting you in the shoes of Corvo Attano as he is framed for the murder of the Empress he was sworn to protect. It gave you a freedom games seldom do, and while it was billed as a stealth action-adventure game, it was up to you how you approach each level, and how you wanted to achieve your objective. Be it through the aforementioned stealthy route, or going into it loud and leaving a trail of blood in your wake. And while it received positive reviews and won a number of awards, I still feel that it was an underappreciated game amongst gamers themselves. Thankfully this has not deterred Arkane in bringing out a sequel. Dishonored 2 was released on November 11th, and what a fantastic game it is.
The game is set 15 years after the events of the first, with Corvo’s daughter Emily Kaldwin now the Empress. Events at the start of the game see an estranged family member act as a usurper and dethrones Emily. At this point you get a choice whether to play as Corvo or Emily. This is a choice that will you are stuck with throughout the game. For people new to the Dishonored world, you will know little of what you are actually picking here, as there is no real idea of what character is capable of what. Returning fans though, may want to go with the returning Corvo, as a familiar protagonist, or try something new with Emily. Neither is a bad choice here, but both have a different set of abilities. This lends itself to even more replay-ability value than the first, which was a game with plenty of it.
I’ve spent most of my time with the game with Corvo so far, but have dipped in to play with Emily for a short burst as well. I felt that (for the purpose of reviewing) getting back into the controls of the game would be easier to do with a character and move set that I mostly knew. While this has worked out well for me, I do wish that I had started with Emily. But there is plenty of time for me to be able to have a play through with her as well. It’s at this point that I’ll tell you that I set out with the best of intentions in my first play. After around half an hour or so, I felt it was all going so well, sneaking, killing no one, and not being detected. After dispatching my first target, everything, quite predictably went downhill. And what started as a ‘Low Chaos’ (stealthy, minimal deaths) attempt, swiftly turned in full ‘High Chaos’ as I racked up the body count, making plenty of noise as I went. The beauty of Dishonored 2 is that it is perfectly acceptable to tackle the game as you see fit. Though I will note, that a lot of the achievements require you to take the Low Chaos route, and there is always a bigger sense of personal achievement when you pull it off.
The game starts in Dunwall, the setting of the original game. But after needing to escape you find yourself trying to unravel the mysteries of the plot in Karnaca. And while it is of course prevalent to talk about the plot of the game, the real strength here is the city and the level design that has been put in place. Quite frankly each level is superb, and different in their own special way. From general layouts, to enemy types, puzzles and collectibles. It is rare to find a game that varies so wildly from level to level. And it is a huge credit to the games designers, and it forces the gamer to approach each area differently. As soon as you fall into a habit of how to tackle the game, the next enemy or obstacle will trip you up and have you wondering where it went wrong. While there are generic guards scattered around each level, there is also other enemies that are unique to each, from ‘Witches’ to Clockwork mechanical guards.
The levels themselves are the true definition of a sandbox. While this is not an ‘open world’ game, each level is its own hub of secrets. Allowing you to play through multiple times, taking different routes and tactics each time. You could decide to use your possession ability to take control of a fish in order to access new areas, or you could teleport yourself to the rooftops and find a way to the objective that way. Not to mention there will be optional tasks to complete, and hidden clues which may give you even more options to complete the mission.
I’ve not really spoken much about the abilities in this review so far, so let’s get to it. Corvo, for those of you that are familiar with the first game is mostly unchanged. There are some improvements here and there but his abilities are mostly the same – Blink, Devouring Swarm, Possession etc. All are present. And it is up to you to decide which will suit your playstyle best. Emily does have some similar abilities, but her move set is all her own. The very cool Domino allows you to link together enemies so they all suffer the same fate when you attack the one. There is also Shadow Walk and Doppelganger which will seemingly be very helpful for that Low Chaos rating. I’m really looking forward to experimenting more with Emily during a full second play of the game. On the note of abilities, it is also possible to play the game with none at all. When you meet the Outsider in the game (the interesting chap that gives you his mark so you can wield the powers), you can refuse his help. Though, I wouldn’t suggest giving this a go on your first play.
While the story here is likely stronger than the first, and features some interesting twists and turns along the way, it isn’t that which should be focussed on in Dishonored 2 – which is not to say it is bad by any stretch, it is in fact decent enough from start to finish. What should be focussed on when discussing this game is the stories you can create yourself in the sandboxes, watching how your own path and decisions develop. Seeing how different combinations of weapons and abilities work together can be both surprising, and very rewarding. A game that has different endings depending on your choices is always fun, but one that allows this much freedom in getting to that ending is a rarity. A top effort from Arkane who have exceeded all my expectations with this fantastic title.
**Thank you to XCN and Bethesda for providing review copies of this game**