Dishonored Review (sleepydogboy)
Tried to get into this game like half a dozen times as a young'un and I always bounced off it pretty quickly. I don't think this game puts its best foot forward—such a replayable game is preceded by some mind-numbing unskippable sections, and if you tend towards a nonlethal playthrough (as I think many players are inclined to on a first playthrough) you're essentially giving up 80% of your tools and the game's systems get flattened quite a bit as a result. More than any of this, I was simply too inexperienced with games to realize just how many options Dishonored was offering me.
Now a bit older and more creative, giving this game another chance has been lovely. This is a really, really great modern immersive sim. The game's powers and tools synergize together in compelling ways. See a group of enemies? Sure, you could always run right in and swordfight them, but why not:
- Freeze time, shoot a crossbow at them, and stick a spring razor to the bolt in suspended time
- Throw objects and use possession to distract and pick them off from the shadows one at a time
- Pull out the whale oil tank fueling their alarm system and throw it at their heads
- Summon a swarm of hungry rats at their feet and throw a grenade in the midst of the chaos
- Simply use your environment to subvert them entirely by climbing rooftops or crawling through sewer drains
Dishonored excels at open design like this (reinforced by some exceptional level design), and a major portion of player motivation comes not just from accomplishing the game's prefabricated goals, but accomplishing your own self-motivated goals of "this would be cool as hell". On top of that I really enjoy the game's artstyle and general tone, the music and sound design is memorable, and the story was surprisingly serviceable. The two story DLCs are great in their own right as well. I wouldn't say either of them are quite on the level of the main game, but both have some good levels and new mechanics and I enjoy the character the DLCs center around. Dunwall City Trials is aight... if you don't plan on getting the achievements.
The whole game holds up remarkably well through a modern lens and I'd highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre