Dishonored

Aaah Dishonored. Where can I start?

This game has kept me transfixed in the coincidentally short fortnight I have had this game. I have Completed this game twice, each time exploring the world inside out. By saying I have completed this twice you would assume that this is a short game (especially if you're used to titles such as Fallout, Skyrim & Deus Ex: Human Revolution, they're actually just really long), but I can assure you this is not. My first completionist playthrough clocked in at about 17 hours or so for me, and the second being around 15, as the replay value is unparalleled, which leads me to the actual game.

You play as silent protagonist Corvo Attano (badass name), just back to give the empress some news concerning the plague rampant in the city. Assassins appear and murder the empress, though only you are found with her lifeless corpse. Corvo takes the blame. This leaves a foundation for a simplistic yet furiously entertaining story of revenge.

One thing I adore about Dishonored is the gameplay. It feels so original, organic, and so unlike anything else; it's immense fluidity makes a simple act such as scaling a building incredibly satisfying. As Corvo you do feel like a supernatural assassin (just as well as Arkham City made you feel like the Batman), your arsenal consisting of: a sword, crossbow, pistol, and many magnificent otherworldly powers, to dispatch your target in any way you see fit. And I mean any way.

Dishonored is everso non-linear, with three or four ways at the very least to complete your objectives, and tenfold that to reach them. Dishonored's non-linearity extends also to the way you play; you can: murder everyone, murder noone, go in guns blazing, go in completely unnoticed, or don't go in at all.
It makes Mass Effect appear to be a Call of Duty campaign, a bold statement I know, but a way to give you an idea. The game has a 'Chaos' system, by which if you kill lots of people, or many notice you, it will reflect how much 'Chaos' you've made, which will effect the games later levels and it's resolution.

The world of Dishonored has now taken the spot as my all time favourite game world, and whatever it lacks in detail it more than makes up for in character, culture and aesthetics. The best way to explain it's setting would be a Victorian City 17 (Half Life 2), with a very pagan feel to it. It's amazing lighting and soft textures are amazing, and work very well with it's vibrant colour palette. All the characters fit in perfectly with the surrounding, run-down cityscape, and are expertly voice acted (Including the talents of Susan Sarandon, Lena Heady, Carrie Fisher & Chloë Grace Moretz).

With Arkane Studios consisting of people who worked on the original Deus Ex, Bioshock & Half Life 2 it is really no surprise that such a twisted, absorbing, dark, mature and organic experience was delivered. This makes Dishonored my second favourite game this generation (Beaten by Red Dead Redemption), and trust me, I play a lot of games.

Overall: 10/10

You have got to buy this.

When reading reviews for games i guess i must be a glass half empty guy because it is the criticisms that stay with me even if i have read lashings of praise for a game. With Dishonored there was an air of disappointment that stuck like fly paper on my brain along with many moans about the game length.

I picked up the game recently and if you are willing to immerse yourself into a world of secrets, lies and searching for combinations to safe boxes then so should you. Dishonored is one of the best games i have played in ages.

At the time of this review, both on amazon and even on the PSN store the game sells for under £20 which is frankly a steal for the gaming entertainment on offer.

Weak Graphics?

The art style of Dishonored very much reminds me of the Arkham Horror board games; individuals with wearisome and often times bulbous features that are not quite caricature's. The City of Dunwall which you discover from the sewer up and within which the games levels are set is a rotting, oppressive city that exists in a steampunk world at the grubby end of the 19th century and shares common DNA with Half-Life 2's City 17.

I have read complaints about the graphics of Dishonored which i really don't get. There are definitely some flat, low resolution textures but for the most part it looks like any other game using the Unreal engine and the wonderful art design does an excellent job of not just holding the game up but making it sing.

Game Length?

Yeah you could blow through this game i guess, head straight for the main objective waypoints and reach the end credits in the eight or so hours i have read others have done. My first playthrough took me well over 20 hours. I replayed sections of the game that will account for some of that time (by choice) but mostly i explored, enjoyed the game world that was on offer and completed every side quest i could - side quests that you could bypass entirely, which involve complete maps with their own story, challenges and intrigue, not just simple fetch quests.

I listened, i read, i found secrets and looked for clues, i learned about Dunwall and the Isles and best of all i enjoyed myself.

As a gamer with a large collection of shamefully unfinished games, Dishonored is completed but not wrapped up. I am already on my second playthrough and can't wait to snap up any dlc that is made, the first of which is dirt cheap and offers tremendous value.

Dishonored is creative and fun. Wide open levels that are sculpted for you to immerse yourself within should you wish it. Turn off the objective markers, turn off the over large health and mana bars and play...see what happens because the game is full of surprises.

One Last Thing.

I was on a killing spree in an early level, my cover blown by my own misuse of the environment. During a side-quest i had raided a doctors house and already dispatched three guards. A fourth along with a maid were chatting on the next floor and were not long for their world. As their exposition filled chat came to a close and i prepared to make my move the guard remarks to the maid "Is this what our marriage is going to be like?"

A young couple in love and engaged to be wed. I held my blade, got my stealth act together and with a soft, warm smile i choked them both into sweet unconsciousness.

That is just one of my Dishonored tales, but Arkane Studios gave me many more. And at half the price for most newly released games too.

Dishonored is a great game with sandbox gameplay within separate areas of the city. It's not open-world as such, but you'll still be spoilt for choice in how to approach your objectives.

The game is set in the fictional city of Dunwall, which is a cross between the England of the Industrial Revolution, Bioshock's rapture, and a few elements all of its own. The steampunk, industrialised setting is really immersive and jarring details are kept to a minimum (only the walls of light and 'tallboys' stand out as being a bit too sci-fi in my opinion).

You can battle your way to your objective quite quickly, but this means that you will have a shorter game experience, and the city you're trying to save will suffer as the plague spreads even faster due to the additional bodies in the streets, which in turn increases the number of plague rats. Alternatively, you can sneak your way in and the whole game can be completed non-lethally by the most skilled players, but this really does take some doing. Most players will tread a 'middle-ground', and take advantage of chance oppotunities as they come along.

Take time to explore before rushing to your objectives, the game-world is rich and deep, but the best paths and side-quests are off the beaten track.

Graphically, Dishonored is very stylised. It isn't competing on pixel-counts, details or shaders with other AAA titles - but has a unique approach of its own. One review site mentioned this game as looking like a 'painting in motion' - this goes a little too far, but the visuals have a soft well-lit quality that is coupled with great art direction to quickly establish the feel of the game.

Well worth buying, dive in and enjoy.