BUILD THE WALL

Dunwall’s murk is presented in an almost painterly texture style. But it’s riven with strange technologies and billboards for exotic products, brought to life with the use of light and shadow to pick out important features. Visual designer Viktor Antonov, who was art director on Half-Life 2, also brought with him a knack for creating cities which tell their histories through their architecture, but all these details would have little substance if they weren’t reflected in Dishonored’s systems. They all give context for the factions who inhabit Dunwall: the City Watch are nearly at war with the Overseers. Aristocrats try to continue their lives above, the Bottle Street Gang runs below, and assassins and witches watch from the sidelines. Even with so many of its residents dead, Dunwall is surprisingly alive.