Also for: Windows, Xbox 360
Welcome to the city of Dunwall, capital of Gristol, The Empire of
the Isles. If you accidentally call it England no-one would blame you. It is
basically a dark steampunk fantasy about the old empire, mixing and matching
dramatic events and landmarks from British history into an oppressive
hellscape. Dunwall itself feels like a twisted version of 17th-century London,
with its own palaces, mansions, factories, and slums lined with brick
buildings. The smog hangs thick in the air. Rats litter the streets.
The police monitor the populace from towers, keeping them in check through
fences of electric beams. The members of the aristocracy conspire amongst
themselves and the restless workers moan about it all in pubs. Dissent is
brewing, and the law keeps its guards up. The city is cut in half by the
Wrenhaven River. Please be careful if you go swimming there, because the fish
might bite your balls off. Also keep away from the huge ships loaded with
whale oil, rats and a horrible disease called the Rat Plague. Many buildings
are quarantined, and the bodies pile up in the dumps.
I apologize if this review wallows in details of Dishonored's
world design, but it truly belongs to the upper echelons of immersive game
universes. Designed by the brilliant Bulgarian art director Victor Antonov, who also helped create Half-Life 2, Dishonored's world seems
like an authentic place with a proud history, now reduced to shambles. It
ranks alongside Bioshock's Rapture or Dark Souls' Anor
Londo as artificial places you need to see before you die, regardless of your
interest in video games.
It's the perfect setting for a Shakespearian story about political intrigue
and revenge, as told through the eyes of an assassin. And the way you
meticulously explore it makes it even more memorable. You assume the role of
Corvo Attano, the Lord Protector of the Empress and her daughter, although he
might not keep that title for long. Maybe "Jack the Ripper" would be more
fitting?
After being framed for regicide, you are imprisoned and tortured before
finally escaping captivity by sneaking through the sewers. Looking down from
the sewage pipes, you get a view of rat swarms attacking pursuing guards in a
scripted event. This clues you in on both the danger these plague bearers
pose, and how they can be used to your advantage. It is but one example of how
Dishonored brilliantly uses story details as a game mechanic.
Like fellow immersive sims like Deus Ex and Thief, Arkane Studio's Dishonored sets up its
world carefully in symbiosis with its gameplay. You make progress by exploring
your surroundings, looking for hidden pathways and tools to help reach your
objective. As a bonus you soak up atmosphere and details about the culture.
You eavesdrop on informative conversations, read important documents and learn
about enemy behavior. It's all part of the same, neat package.
The game eases you in on the extent of Corvo's abilities. Unearthing the
possibilites is almost intoxicating. As tools of your trade, you
carry a gun, a blade and a crossbow. In an early dream sequence, you encounter
The Outsider, a spirit of mysterious origins, who also shows you how to unlock
your magical powers. One of them allows you to blink in and out of the enemy's
view, killing him or putting him to sleep. In the eyes of the enemy you become
some sort of Boogeyman.
You can basically play Corvo as two different kinds of avengers: V (from
V for Vendetta) or Batman. Will you be unforgiving or benevolent? Avoid
combat or kill them all? After each mission, the summary informs whether your
actions steered the city towards low or high chaos. This is no new concept,
but I appreciate the way it affects your playstyle - even how you choose to
develop your abilities - rather than reducing it to a few story decisions.
Although hardly a flawless experience, Dishonored absorbs me with its constant
suspense and intricate plot. I sneak around in the dark, constantly on high
alert, scouting my surroundings for clues and alternate pathways. I skim
through documents, looking for compromising info on my targets. A guardsman
surprises me so I put him out with a sleep dart, and use my powers to slow
down time for all but me, giving me a chance to escape. All the while the
tension is through the roof. I feel like the owner of my playthrough. This is
my story.
Free and open-ended games like these often perform poorly in some departments.
That is not the case with Dishonored. While not exactly groundbreaking, even
melee first-person combat feels satisfying, especially the parry and counter
mechanic. You can potentially use every tool in any encounter, turning combat
into something of a puzzle. My only gripe is the price you pay for overusing
it. Since killing makes the world darker, it's designed to be a last resort
unless you really crave a bad ending.
But maybe that's a price worth paying. In Dishonored story and gameplay merge
into an inseparable unit. It doesn't dilly-dally with forced side quests to
prolong the running time - it's straight to the backstab. Kill or defame your
target, grab his journal, learn the location of a prisoner, and on it goes.
Apart from the well-earned downtime between missions, it never rests on its
laurels, nor does it overstay its welcome. Instead it brings a lot of replay
value. I could spot a handful of different approaches right away - not by
quest markers, mind you, but by world design - and I am eager to return and
delve deeper into the ones I skipped.
As technological advancements leave some good games by the wayside, Dishonored
remains strong because of its absorbing world and visual design. This is one
of this year's most cherished games for me, eight years after its initial
release. It's a shame I ignored for so long. I think the bland cover art put
me off. But, to paraphrase Morrissey: the more you ignore it, the
closer it gets. And ignoring Corvo Attano is a mistake that will cost you
dearly.
[Screenshots from MobyGames: www.mobygames.com]
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