Dishonored review: Revenge solves everything

It used to be that the stealth-action video game genre was reserved only for future, or near-future, settings. The “Metal Gear” series eventually gave way to “Splinter Cell,” each allowing you to fill the shoes of a grizzled soldier with a vast array of gadgets at their disposal. For a long time, the genre felt stale – until “Assassin’s Creed” showed gamers and developers everywhere that silenced pistols and night vision goggles aren’t prerequisites for stealth-based games. Now the stealth genre has been shaken up once again, this time by a game with an enormous amount of buzz, yet somehow still isn’t on everyone’s radar – “Dishonored.”

Developed by Arkane Studios and distributed by Bethesda, “Dishonored” is set in a world that could be ours, but is vastly different. You take on the role of Corvo Attano, former trusted bodyguard of the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin and her daughter Emily. At the game’s outset, Corvo is returning from a lengthy journey outside the city of Dunwall to seek aid from nearby nations. Upon his return, he is quickly framed for the murder of the Empress and the abduction of the Princess. Luckily, a group of Loyalists orchestrates Corvo’s escape from prison and soon he is gifted a set of supernatural powers by a mysterious entity known as The Outsider. With a new group of allies, Corvo now has the means to take revenge on the Empress’ murderers and rescue Emily.

Dunwall, capitol of the island nation of Gristol, is the seat of Imperial government for The Isles, a group of four islands including Tyvia, Morley, and Serkonos. Situated in a vast ocean, the main source of energy used throughout the world is oil derived from the booming whaling trade. Resembling a Victorian-era British city in the throes of an industrial revolution, Dunwall is dark and grimy, overrun by street gangs and a fearsome plague attributed to the growing rat population. The City Watch is charged with maintaining order in Dunwall and utilizes the ingenious inventions of Anton Sokolov, creator of numerous devices and mechanical contraptions that are also powered by whale oil. The City Watch is run by the Lord Regent, the man behind the murder of the Empress and the framing of Corvo. Though there are numerous different themes and ideas that make up “Dishonored’s” story, they all gel cohesively, creating an immersive, thoroughly alive world – a world that your actions directly impact.

Tallboys are only one of many imaginative inventions created by Anton Sokolov.

“Dishonored” is a first-person action/stealth game. The gameplay is mission based, though completing each mission can take hours and hours of time due to how many sidequests and actions you can embark upon. Though Dunwall isn’t open to you at all times, each mission brings you to a different part of the city, giving you ample room to explore and plan your course of action. At the end of each mission, you are given a number of stats pertaining to your actions, like number of kills/takedowns and how many times you were seen. The most interesting stat details how much chaos you caused over the last mission and is impacted by factors like your tactics in completing a mission or the consequences of your methods of completion. For instance, taking the time to move carefully, remain hidden and avoid killing enemies during a mission will result in a lower chaos rating than if you kicked in the front door and fought your way to your target, leaving numerous dead bodies in your path.

However, the chaos you cause has a larger impact than just on your post-mission stats. As you play, the more times you are seen killing or using your powers and the more dead bodies you leave in your path has a direct effect on the city around you. As the city becomes more chaotic, you will encounter larger quantities of plague carrying rats, rats who become more emboldened to attack when gathered in large enough groups. More chaos also brings about the presence of more Weepers – humans who have become infected with the plague but not yet succumbed to it. Weepers are dangerous as they can easily disrupt your sneaking and are just gross to deal with in general (what with their blood vomit and insects that live in their skin). More chaos also means more City Watch who will stop at nothing to overwhelm you if you are caught.

As you could’ve guessed, “Dishonored” isn’t a particularly happy game. The citizens of Dunwall live in utter squalor, alongside a hideous plague, while the rich and well-off nobility hide behind barriers, protected by the City Watch. The bleak, dreariness of the city is aided by the game’s interesting art style of clean lines, bold colors and exaggerated character designs, making people look as though they’d seem right at home in the “Aeon Flux” cartoon.

Whale oil fuels Dunwall

My favorite aspect of “Dishonored” is how it offers many different ways to complete missions. Most `missions require you to gather information on a target and subsequently eliminate that target – though your method of elimination doesn’t necessarily need to be death. Throughout the course of the game, given a bit more effort, you’ll often be given a chance to completely ruin the life of your target. Sure, killing them would be just as easy but your targets are generally those who were complicit in framing Corvo, and deserve no pity. In one early mission, rather than just killing my target, I was able to brand him as a heretic, making it a crime in Dunwall to associate with him or offer him aid of any kind. Not only was he no longer a threat to Corvo and the Loyalist resistance, but his life has effectively been ruined. “Dishonored” stays true to its tagline “Revenge solves everything.”

As mentioned above, there are numerous ways to complete each mission and sneaking through the shadows isn’t your only option. Having been the Empress’ bodyguard, Corvo is a formidable opponent in a fight – even without his supernatural powers. A sword is always equipped to Corvo’s right hand (the right trigger) and he can also block and parry blows (using the right bumper). Corvo’s left hand is where powers such as Blink (silent, instantaneous movement) or Dark Vision (allows you to see enemies and their line of sight through walls) as well as weapons like a pistol or crossbow.

This game’s greatest strength is allowing you to play in any style you choose without faulting or failing you. And don’t get me wrong, dual-wielding sword-fights are amazing but creeping through the shadows, monitoring guard activity and slipping unseen through secure checkpoints is as exhilarating as any sword fight. “Dishonored” has solid mechanics underneath its stylized visuals and plays very smoothly. You can block and parry quickly and easily during swordfights and using multiple powers and weapons during combat is effortless.

I only had occasional problems with the way the game handled, mostly pertaining to fine/delicate movements. Despite how well it usually plays, there are sometimes issues that tend to arise when including platforming elements in a first-person game (such as trying to Blink past guards only to end up in front of them or missing catching a ledge and plummeting to your death).

“Dishonored” also requires a great deal of “trial and error,” depending on how silently you intend to complete missions. If you have no problem sounding alarms and getting in huge fights, this isn’t an issue. But as someone who tends to be obnoxiously stealthy, I found myself getting irritated having to constantly reload after failing to quietly neutralize a guard or sneak quietly. Also, there’s no such thing as checkpoints in “Dishonored” so if you plan on playing stealthily, plan on saving often.

The city of Dunwall, home of the whaling trade, is a dark, dangerous place.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about “Dishonored,” though it probably won’t suit everyone. The world presented is incredibly deep and there is a ton of backstory and history waiting to be uncovered as you play. Only, a great deal of this history is presented through text and I can guess that most people don’t play video games for all the great reading opportunities. Without delving into the history of Gristol and the Isles, the themes of “Dishonored” can feel like a great mish-mash of ideas without much tying it all together. Information on the whaling trade, the decline of certain city districts, and numerous other topics can be found with a little extra effort. Though, my favorite aspect of the lore is the mysterious Pandyssian continent. The largest landmass in the world, it remains largely unpopulated and said to be home to horrible beasts that roams its dense jungles and unyielding deserts. All these topics and more can be explored if desired, though choosing not to delve deeper into the lore of the world can make “Dishonored” seem a bit of a shallow, hodge-podge of ideas and themes.

Though “Dishonored” only features a single-player campaign, you can replay completed missions for a better rating or to collect any missed collectibles. I’d also be very surprised if there isn’t some form of DLC coming to extend your time with the game.

At this time of year, it’s tough to make time for anything but the best games but if you do make time to play “Dishonored,” you will not be disappointed. It presents an incredible adventure where your actions have weight that affect the world around you. With many other blockbusters on the market (Borderlands 2, Assassins Creed 3, Halo 4 etc.) you might be running low on time and money for more games (I know I am) but if you like stealth/action games, “Dishonored” is a must-play and hopefully only the beginning of a larger franchise.