DISHONORED (X360)
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Publisher: Bethesda Studios.
Developer: Arkane Studios. Released: October 2012. Genre: Stealth Adventure. Other versions: PS3; PC. Posted 20th September 2014. By Shane Battams © 2014 |
The stealth genre has been a bit hit-and-miss of late. While Metal Gear Solid, Hitman and Splinter Cell all found success during the sixth gen, some have struggled to find their footing in the seventh. Hitman smashed it with Blood Money before going into a six year hiatus, Splinter Cell polarised fans with Conviction, and while Metal Gear Solid 4 was excellent, Tenchu Z killed the series. But out of the shadows steps a new contender, one with a pleasing amount of freedom and strong, smooth gameplay. Dishonored stands among the class acts of 2012.
You take the role of Corvo, a close friend of the current Empress. But when she is brutally assassinated and her daughter Emily is kidnapped, Corvo is framed and incarcerated. But thanks to a gift from an outside friend, you are able to escape and essentially dragged into a resistance movement attempting to ensure Emily’s place as the new Empress. The story is better than most, with strong characters you'll enjoy conversing with, but it feels a bit lightweight, and is let down by a flat twist and lack of development into the mysterious friend who helps you out. Multiple endings are available, but both don’t quite hit the spot.
You take the role of Corvo, a close friend of the current Empress. But when she is brutally assassinated and her daughter Emily is kidnapped, Corvo is framed and incarcerated. But thanks to a gift from an outside friend, you are able to escape and essentially dragged into a resistance movement attempting to ensure Emily’s place as the new Empress. The story is better than most, with strong characters you'll enjoy conversing with, but it feels a bit lightweight, and is let down by a flat twist and lack of development into the mysterious friend who helps you out. Multiple endings are available, but both don’t quite hit the spot.
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The look the Ed. will be rocking in about five years time.
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Dishonored takes place over nine levels; one serving as a tutorial, the remaining eight as expansive levels around the fictional city of Dunwall. Missions tend to revolve around assassinating key figures involved in the tyrannical scheme, but levels go far deeper than that. Side missions are plentiful, and there are an incredible number of paths you can take to mission completion. Targets can be taken out with both lethal and pacifistic methods, such as branding one character a heretic and causing him to become banished from society. No two playthroughs are alike, and you’ll certainly return for seconds. There are also tons of hidden treasures in each level, ranging from paintings, runes and bone charms which improve Corvo’s abilities and powers. That being said, the game is still a touch on the short side, taking less than ten hours to complete on your first playthrough, and even less when you know where you’re going.
Arkane Studios deserve credit for making one of the tighter stealth games in recent memory. You can take advantage of lighting, hiding behind boxes to conceal yourself, as well as throw objects to distract guards. This doesn’t become a crutch though, as guards become more suspicious and quicker to detect if you repeatedly cause a ruckus. Like most stealth games, you can perform lethal or non-lethal kills from behind, and must hide bodies lest you alert the guards. The cool thing about Dishonored is its verticality, allowing you to perform aerial kills on guards. As you upgrade Corvo’s standard abilities, he can even begin to perform multiple death from above kills, which is really satisfying. A couple of issues crop up, such as some silly A.I. and being unable to destroy some lights, but overall Dishonored contains some of the most satisfying stealth gameplay in recent memory.
Combat works really well too. Corvo acquires a range of weapons, including a crossbow, pistol, trip mines and grenades, and he is equipped with a sword too, which comes with a basic block and counter system. The swordplay can be a bit clunky and easy, as on lower difficulties the A.I. becomes easy to predict and counter. What bolsters combat are the slew of supernatural powers Corvo can unlock through Runes stashed in each level. One of the initial powers allows Corvo to quickly dash between gaps, which in itself is awesome. But eventually, you can increase vitality, summon a horde of flesh-eating rats and slow down time. These supernatural powers can be used for both stealth and shooting, and of course, you can avoid them altogether if you desire.
Arkane Studios deserve credit for making one of the tighter stealth games in recent memory. You can take advantage of lighting, hiding behind boxes to conceal yourself, as well as throw objects to distract guards. This doesn’t become a crutch though, as guards become more suspicious and quicker to detect if you repeatedly cause a ruckus. Like most stealth games, you can perform lethal or non-lethal kills from behind, and must hide bodies lest you alert the guards. The cool thing about Dishonored is its verticality, allowing you to perform aerial kills on guards. As you upgrade Corvo’s standard abilities, he can even begin to perform multiple death from above kills, which is really satisfying. A couple of issues crop up, such as some silly A.I. and being unable to destroy some lights, but overall Dishonored contains some of the most satisfying stealth gameplay in recent memory.
Combat works really well too. Corvo acquires a range of weapons, including a crossbow, pistol, trip mines and grenades, and he is equipped with a sword too, which comes with a basic block and counter system. The swordplay can be a bit clunky and easy, as on lower difficulties the A.I. becomes easy to predict and counter. What bolsters combat are the slew of supernatural powers Corvo can unlock through Runes stashed in each level. One of the initial powers allows Corvo to quickly dash between gaps, which in itself is awesome. But eventually, you can increase vitality, summon a horde of flesh-eating rats and slow down time. These supernatural powers can be used for both stealth and shooting, and of course, you can avoid them altogether if you desire.
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It gets tiring explaining to every tourist the reasons why the water is brown.
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What this all means is that Dishonored becomes a veritable playground of fun. There’s no one way to finish a mission, and you are never punished for attempting missions in different ways. In fact, you are rewarded with satisfying changes to the game world. In particular, depending on your kill count, the entire world of Dunwall shifts. Those who finish the game with little-to-no kills will notice the world remains vibrant, alive and clean. However, those who kill a majority of the enemies will the city become dark, death-addled and plagued with rats, disease and weepers, which are poor, infected NPCs. The city itself is noteworthy too, being a hybrid of the new and old as well as technology and the supernatural, to create something unique. Though texture pop-in and other issues can be disheartening, Dishonored is still a visual treat.
The game is also bolstered by stellar sound. You may not realise it, but a star-studded cast brings each character to life and adds immense personality to each one, including fantastic voice work from Brad Dourif, Chloe Grace Moretz and Susan Sarandon. The music is pretty sparse, but works well enough when required, while the sound effects are strong, with powerful firearms scaring the life out of you and cool-sounding powers.
Dishonored succeeds in a myriad of ways. Its gameplay is rock-solid, but it scores a ton of points for being very flexible. There’s flexibility in every mission, and how you decide to play doesn’t just change the stat screen. Every action you take begins to shift the world around you. Become a malicious killer, and Dishonored turns dark and diseased, but play with non-lethal methods, and the world remains just as enticing. There are some minor flaws here and there, but none of them are severe enough to spoil the experience. It’s one of the best stealth games in recent memory, and absolutely worth a look for any fan of the genre.
The game is also bolstered by stellar sound. You may not realise it, but a star-studded cast brings each character to life and adds immense personality to each one, including fantastic voice work from Brad Dourif, Chloe Grace Moretz and Susan Sarandon. The music is pretty sparse, but works well enough when required, while the sound effects are strong, with powerful firearms scaring the life out of you and cool-sounding powers.
Dishonored succeeds in a myriad of ways. Its gameplay is rock-solid, but it scores a ton of points for being very flexible. There’s flexibility in every mission, and how you decide to play doesn’t just change the stat screen. Every action you take begins to shift the world around you. Become a malicious killer, and Dishonored turns dark and diseased, but play with non-lethal methods, and the world remains just as enticing. There are some minor flaws here and there, but none of them are severe enough to spoil the experience. It’s one of the best stealth games in recent memory, and absolutely worth a look for any fan of the genre.
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VERDICT
Visual: 8/10
Audio: 8/10 Gameplay: 9/10 Longevity: 7/10 OVERALL: 9/10 |
OTHER STEALTH ADVENTURE CLASSICS REVIEWED
Metal Gear Solid (1999, PlayStation)
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Mark of the Ninja (2012, Xbox 360)
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