A shadow-walking success
Dishonored 2 offers a rewarding experience whether you choose a stealth or combat-focused approach.
REVENGE is one of the oldest and most pervasive storytelling themes found in literature, film and theatre.
Videogames frequently trade in this convention as well, giving players the tools to pursue justice unbound by the restraints of law and order.
Arkane Studios has made the conceit the calling card of its Dishonored series, preserving the quest for vengeance as the sequel’s central theme.
Fifteen years after ascending the throne following the assassination of Emily Kaldwin’s mother, Dishonored 2 begins with an unexpected (and abrupt) coup.
Depending on the choice you make in this pivotal turn of events in the throne room, either Emily or her father, the original Dishonored protagonist Corvo Attano, must voyage to the southernmost point of the empire to unravel the conspiracy of this successful putsch and exact vengeance.
Dishonored 2 wisely preserves the brilliant play style flexibility of its predecessor, but better balances the scales between choosing a blood-soaked, high-chaos approach and a nonviolent, low-chaos solution.
Whereas the first game failed to deliver a compelling progression for stealth-minded players, the distinct powers Emily and Corvo wield are equally useful for avoiding detection and taking a pound of flesh from every enemy you encounter.
Stealth-minded players will also appreciate the addition of non-lethal drop takedowns and a small timing window that allows you to choke out enemies after stunning them during combat.
Corvo retains the same supernatural powers as the first game – allowing him to bend time, sic swarms of rats on enemies and possess other humans for a brief moment – but each skill is now upgradable using runes you can find hidden throughout the levels.
Emily, on the other hand, brandishes a suite of brand new abilities. The doppelganger and mesmerise powers are useful diversions, and the shadow walk skill makes her much harder to spot when moving through heavily patrolled areas.
Domino effect
Each of these has value, but the star power of the game is domino. Once fully upgraded, this power allows you to tie the fates of several enemies together via a psychic bond.
Incapacitating or eliminating an entire room of guards in one fell swoop always feels like an impressive accomplishment.
You cannot unlock every upgrade for either character in a single playthrough, which makes the weight of runespending decisions heavier and encourages replayability.
The addition of bone charm customisation and a “no powers” mode also give you variables should you choose to play through the game multiple times.
The story is largely the same no matter which protagonist you choose, but Emily and Corvo’s unique voiceovers give new perspective to unfolding events. Also expect to stumble upon nooks and crannies you may have missed earlier.
Whatever approach you choose, Dishonored 2 rewards situational analysis, patience and experimentation with the supernatural powers at your disposal.
The game shines when you treat each enemy encounter like a puzzle, discerning whether to lure enemies into traps, pit them against one another or evade them altogether with some deft navigation and sleight of hand.
The excellent level design plays a large role in creating these improvisational opportunities. Dishonored 2 is at its best when it pushes beyond its comfort zone and embraces ambitious level design.
The two standout missions, which take place in the Clockwork Mansion and Stilton’s Manor, introduce roomand time-shifting mechanics that increase the navigational challenge and open up new opportunities for clever takedowns.
Tale of two cities
The island city of Karnaca feels radically different than the cold and foggy industrial capital city of Dunwall, and its locales are much more diverse.
The city is under the thumb of an overzealous ruler, but with no rat plague depopulating the isle, many environments bustle with civilian activity.
Eavesdropping on passersby gives more colour to the experience and Arkane deftly created several navigational puzzles that must be solved to reach the location of the various runes, bone charms and lore.
The minute-to-minute experience isn’t radically different than the first game but feels honed.
Given the excellent environmental storytelling, the rushed and underdeveloped main story beats surprised me. From the abrupt usurpation of the throne to the final showdown, the game never slows down enough to create meaningful context to the events or banter between the main characters.
When another claimant to the throne appears out of nowhere, we are expected to believe the entire Dunwall court just takes her word at face value and abandons its ruler as thoughtlessly as a dim guard abandons investigating the shadowy figure that just darted past. The narrative isn’t bad, but could have been much more impactful with better execution.
The ending is largely the same no matter how much blood you spill during the course of your revenge campaign, but the epilogue cutscene that follows has several permutations based on who you killed and who you spared.
In general, the chaos system seems more forgiving than the previous game; killing particularly devious people does not penalise those who otherwise show compassion and restraint.
The only tonal imbalance in the game comes from looting, which does not factor into the chaos. The leaders of the empire can steal from the poor and the rich alike with no consequences.
Since coin plays a critical role in upgrading weapons and replenishing supplies, you are essentially encouraged to embrace the life of a burglar.
End game
Dishonored 2 successfully builds on the solid stealthcombat foundation of the original while introducing enough fun new gameplay concepts to feel fresh.
Whether you prefer sticking to the shadows or gutting every co-conspirator in the land, the game offers a rewarding experience with attractive upgrade paths.
The narrative can’t match the high bar of the gameplay and world building, but Arkane Studios nonetheless delivers a must-play revenge tale among the best in its class. – Game Informer Magazine/Tribune News Service