Dishonored
Review
The best new IP of 2012?
by Chris Davis
reviewed on X360
A game not to die for (cntd)
The stealth, combat and the choices you make regarding your targets all tie into one final, crucial element to Dishonored’s story. Known as the ‘Chaos system’, the city of Dunwall changes based on the player’s actions. It may sound like one, but in no way should this be considered a morality system. Playing with a focus on killing or neutralizing your primary targets, keeping your body count low and aiding the various NPCs found in Dunwall will net Corvo a safer world to move in. It will also give you a less dark ending. A more violent path will result in more enemy patrols, more rats to spread the plague, and more “weepers”, plague-addled citizens that are but a vestige of their human selves.
Arkane has built an incredible amount of backstory and lore into Dishonored, filling the world with dozens upon dozens of notes, journals, books and history. The game is also filled with plenty of ‘what ifs’, leaving the player to wonder about unresolved plot elements but never in a way that frustrates you. Beyond the background stories, the player will find a fairly diverse world of morally good, evil and grey characters. Even NPCs whom are of little consequence to the overall plot will garner your attention, making you feel for their situation which makes for a very strong narrative.
Familiar, Yet Alien
Dishonored introduces us to a world remarkably alien to our own, even though it has its roots in our history nearly two centuries past. The city of Dunwall, modeled after 18th and 19th century English whaling towns, is decidedly less than your standard definition of steampunk and more of a fusion of Victorian-era design and sci-fi, raw metal oppression. From the vehicle design to the oppressive quarantine walls desperately trying to hold in the Rat Plague, Dishonored’s art design feels like Half-Life 2 if it were set 200 years in the past.
It is fortunate that the art design is fantastic, as it makes up Dishonored’s visual design. Running on Unreal Engine 3, the game shows just how dated a gaming engine it really is. Many of the textures appear muddled and bland and some of the animation work looks a bit rough at times. But where the visual design feels the pains of aging technology, the audio is simply wonderful.
Sounds pop in the right places, ambient noises draw the player into the environment and loud sounds like gunfire and explosions have a rather nice ‘oomph’ to them. The voice acting is particularly well done and draws on a phenomenal cast of actors. Actress Chloe Grace Moretz does a very believable Emily while other actors such as Michael Madsen, Lena Hedley and even Susan Sarandon make the list. The turnout for a game with such high quality talent isn’t unusual but for a unique, new intellectual property such as this, it is.
On the Cusp of Vengeance
Dishonored bears the distinction of being that one unique IP that arrives every fall and manages to surprise and exceed expectations. Amidst a sea of sequels and overused game designs, this game stands out positively radiating. It is a love letter to the stealth genre and just what a game can be if you let a development team do what they want instead of forcing them to appeal to the masses.
Despite executive producer Harvey Smith’s confliction on continuing the series, I can only hope that we see a sequel in the years to come. Perhaps one day we get to explore the other Isles or even the Pandyssian continent. For now though we have a fantastic stealth title worthy of adding to your collection.
9.0
fun score
Pros
Fantastic stealth-based gameplay, delightful powers, an engrossing universe to explore.
Cons
Unreal Engine 3 showing its age.
