So I’ve finally finished clearing the city of Dunwall from all the corrupt politicians and the plague. Well not really, actually I think I got the worst ending possible!! (Don’t worry I won’t spoil anything for you)
Dishonored takes place in the city of Dunwall, it is set in a steam punk universe where the plague has become a major problem in the city. The number of rats and people cursed with the plague is increasing each day. You are Corvo Attano, the bodyguard of the Empress, coming back from a mission two days earlier than expected. Something horrible happens as soon as you arrive, you deliver the news to the Empress and she is murdered by assassins and get daughter is kidnapped.
Small points:
The graphics are really amazing and the city has so much detail put into it. The characters have also their own personality and they are not stupid. They will know something is up when seeing a body or seeing a guy with a mask walking by. They will not just say: “Oh it’s probably just the wind that just knocked out half of my soldiers and cut my arm off” .The soundtracks and sounds are also great; they can add great suspense or beauty to a great scene.
The Story:
I must say I haven’t played a game with a story of this genre and as good in a long time. It is a story about revenge, hunger for power, corruption and having your name Dishonored (Clever way to plug the name in don’t you think? I know it’s terrible). Obviously you are accused for the murder and the kidnapping of Princess Emily, the Empress’ daughter. Your first task will be to escape prison with the help of some Loyalists who want to help the Emily regain the throne and fix Dunwall. Needless to say, you are a complete badass! I found the story to be really good and strong, very few weak points and it has you believing that you can actually do something about all the corruption and chaos. But it is short, too short in my opinion it doesn’t take much hours to complete the game. (This is not a surprise since most game these days are like that)The end of the story will also depend on the actions you took to fix the city. Did you kill every possible guard and nobleman? Did you manage to go through without killing a single soul, but punishing those who need punishment? It all affects the final outcome.
The Gameplay:
The gameplay is fairly easy, run everywhere and shot everyone or stalk your preys and eliminate them slowly without being seen. Being stealthy brings up such an amazing feeling; you are a truly badass assassin. To assist you along the way, you have some magic powers. These powers are triggered by the runes, so finding the hidden runes in the levels is important if you want to get a new skill or improve a new one. The skills are great, because they only have two levels so you don’t become extremely overpowered, but they do play an important role when you have to make it out alive of some situations.
As I stated previously how you accomplish your missions will affect the city. The more chaos you cause (by killing people or being seen), the city will be more affected by the plague increasing the number of rats and sick people. But there will also be more guards and they will be more vigilant too, because they know someone is hunting them down. At the end you will also see just how bad the city turned out to be with all the corruption, murder and plague affecting it. Play nicely without killing too much people and the city might just get a bit better.
What I like about the game, is that it offers so much possibilities, different paths and actions that it is possible to just tank your way to the goal by killing everyone, or managing to finish the mission without a single kill and without being spotted once.
Overall, I believe this game is a game worth playing, it is unique because of its style and the gameplay mechanics, but it will not alienate players that are not so accustomed to stealth-based games. I believe everyone looking for a game with a great story and seeking pure badass action will enjoy the game and hopefully recover Corvo’s honour.
– Player # 2
Player #2 