Dishonored: A review.

Eugene · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 2:32 am Post subject: Dishonored: A review.

Dishonored is a game that I have been waiting a long time, and the best part is that I didn't know. Originally I believed it to be a nice diversion, a crappy story with some interesting game play in a steam punk environment. I was somewhat right, and I am happy for that.

Story: The premise is shown within the first few minutes and you have all the motivation you need to do what it you plan on doing. You are Corvo, a royal assassin who is framed for the murder of the Empress and the kidnapping of her daughter; after breaking out of prison you are set on a quest to rescue the daughter and take out the men who planned this whole thing. Also you are visited by a dark being named The Outsider who gives you supernatural powers.

Overall, the story is eh. You can see every major twist coming, and the Outsider felt more like an explanation for your powers and not an actual storyline. However, they do a beautiful thing with the story: they let you choose if you want to rush through the game or immerse yourself in the world. You get a variety of tools, and books that will teach you more about the world, the place you are in, and even the backstory and thoughts of other characters. If you determine a game's strength on story as a major part: Fuck off and go read a book or watch a movie, I play games for gameplay, story and lore are an added bonus.

The Characters: They do a good job of giving you the right emotional connection with the right characters. There are your targets, there are your employers, and then there are the people you care about. Hell, even some of the targets made me think twice before I did my thing.

The World: Whalepunk. Actually, you get a good feeling of how much trouble the city is in, and more importantly you will always find a new crevice or open window to climb into for your missions. I had a TON of fun, finding out new pathways to targets. The scenery is different through out the game, and you most of it helps you paint a picture of the world. I wish it was more open, but I love what I had access to.

Gameplay: Take a deep breath, no seriously do it. Okay, good? Morality system.
Yeah... it has a gorram morality system. It's called Chaos, and it affects how the city looks! "Guys, guys it has no affect on the ending." Well except for one ending has a dark look and one has a light look, one has a dark future and one a positive one. Seriously fuck the morality system. See this is a game, where I can stop time, blink into a pack of baddies, set up a trap that DICES the shit out of them, and blink out. Fucking sweet, eh? Welcome to High Chaos. The game gives you OP supernatural abilities and you are punished for using most of them with High Chaos. Basically, they did this because the game is so short, that they want you to do two playthroughs. Does this take away from the game? No, there is its own challenge in doing low chaos runs (no-detection, no to low killing), and then of course fucking everyone up in super high chaos.

In all seriousness, this game is fun. You can do stealth all the way, and then go into sword to sword combat if you mess up. This is one thing most stealth games miss: If I fuck up, I should be able to fight back, Dishonored knows this and has a decent combat system (sword clashing and dodging).

There is also a collection element in finding things called runes and bone charms, and while they make the game easier you can go out of your way to find one a level and not miss much. They help you, but they are not super-crucial.

The best thing about dishonored is how awesome you feel during levels: I just finished my second playthrough which was a no-kill/no-detection, and while very challenging it did the best thing a game I have gone through a second time has done for me: It shows me more of the world. I am not talking doing this allows for A, I am talking about seeing a path, not knowing it was there before and being able to do my thing. The game feels fresh, past the first playthrough.

My biggest complaint with the game is that the supernatural powers are too broken: Stop Time, see through walls and see what people can see. Just with these two, you can make it so you never get detected. But that is an option, you do not have to get it at all. This complaint comes from me being attracted to OP things (like demo, boobs, and the Siren in Borderlands 1), and its my fault if it ruins the game for me.

Morality system=bad
gameplay in general=God-tier.

Should I play this game? Yes. If you don't like stealth-based games, play this game. If you love stealth-based games, play this game. If you game at all, play this game. This game has its flaws, but its solid. This is my game of the year for 2012. Hell, I finished my 2nd playthrough and I am itching to go back to it, and try out new things.

I am sure we will see this game on sale for thanksgiving or the holidays, do yourself a favor and pick it up.

TL;DR: Good game with flaws, overall: A