Dishonored Review
Developer Arkane Studios
Publisher Bethesda
Platform PS3, Xbox360, PC
Release Date Out Now.
It is well over two years ago since we sat in a small dark room with two very excited members of the Arkane Studios team, founder Raphael Colantonio and co creative director Harvey Smith are on hand to show for the first time this new IP they had been working on.
This was of course Dishonored and instantly the game jumped out at us with its iconic Steam-punk styling mixed with smooth crisp gameplay and the promise to “play how you want to play”.
I guess the first thing you will notice is that Dishonored has inherited a lot from the other games the team members have been involved in. The one that jumps right out at you is of course Bioshock, not only that our hero uses a two handed approach with a weapons in one hand and being able to wield a power with the other, but also in its styling. Arkane were heavily involved in a lot of the art and styling on Bioshock 2.
Once you start playing the game you see the more direct influence of Harvey smith’s rich experience soaking through into the gameplay as it “feels” like Dues ex. It is no coincidence that it is the same Harvey Smith who was lead designer on Dues Ex.
The third big influence is Half Life and again it is no coincidence as the visual design director is none other than Viktor Antonov the creator of City 17 who has done an amazing job in creating the stunning whaling city of Dunwall. Thankfully all involved have not only been able to recapture that magic but to also enhance it to create something staggeringly impressive.
In the main story you play the role of Corvo, the personal bodyguard of the Empress of Dunwall. Dunwall which is based on a Steam punk variation of a 1600’s London is after falling foul of a deadly rat plague. Corvo has just return from an aid expedition to try and get some help for the town, while meeting with the Empress she is assassinated and her daughter lady Emily is kidnapped.
Helpless to protect her Corvo now finds himself as the chief suspect and is sentenced for execution. In his cell you learn of the plot to frame Corvo and also find you have new allies who hope to aid your escape so you can exact your revenge on those who double crossed you and return Lady Emily to her rightful place.
It is a classic tale of espionage and revenge but it is so brilliantly told throughout the game without having to rely heavily on cut scenes that you do get totally engrossed in the game. This isn’t a game that depends on cut scenes to deliver a “cinematic experience” it delivers it by having a story that draws you into the experience.
The city is not open world but it is also far from liner, the designers had promised us that “you could play this any way you choose” and this turns out to be very true. You can go in all guns blazing and rush through the game but why would you? When that leaves so much of the city and story unexplored. While the game as a direct narrative that you must follow it also has plenty of excellent discoveries and side quests for those willing to move off the main path. The best advice when playing is to turn off the indicators and just explore the world for yourself.
If you want to go the direct route you can, but if you want to take the stealthy option (or even mix the two) they are all equally as good. You choose how you want to play and you choose how you want to approach a level. The gameplay style and the path you choose are all interchangeable and this is ever before we start to look at mixing in the supernatural powers.
You gain certain powers in the game such as the “blink” power which allow jumping across distances that are far too large for you to normally jump. This is finely balanced to make you feel powerful but is not something overly abused to make you a super hero. In fact all the powers are balanced quite nicely including when you control time or knock people off their feet. You can even possess the body of a rat or even a fish to allow you to go undetected around the city (well as undetected as a dirty plague riddled rat can be).
The sound design is quite an achievement also, the sound effects that are used to create the ambiance mixed with the dynamic music soundtrack all mixed together with the impressive cast of voice actors including some big names like Carrie Fisher, Susan Sarandon and Michael Madson all fits together to enhance the experience.
Overall: Dishonored has its roots in many fine titles, and while it has resemblances to other brilliant games it is still a solid new IP that the team should be very proud of. It is story driven, allows the player to have the freedom of play styles and offers tons of replay-ability.
Everything is pretty flawless from the design to the execution.
SCORE 9/10
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