Dishonored 2: Everything a sequel should be

By NICK McCOY

Tiger Media Network

“Dishonored” is a game I reviewed a good while back, and still stands as one of my all-time favorites. With its interesting story and characters, great world design, fantastic gameplay emphasizing player freedom, unique chaos system and endless replay value, “Dishonored” is an amazing example of the immersive sim genre, and genuinely one of the best stealth action games on the market. 

Given the success of Arkane Studios’ breakout title, a sequel was inevitable, and fans got that sequel in 2016 with “Dishonored 2.” With the massive critical and commercial success of “Dishonored,” expectations were undoubtedly high with the next entry, but Arkhane once again proved they knew how to make an excellent title. 

Even with the high bars set by the first game, “Dishonored 2” does so many things right. It greatly expands the world and characters adds even more choices with two main protagonists, and substantially improves the combat and stealth mechanics. Basically, it’s everything a good sequel should be. 

Release and additional info: 

• Released on November 11, 2016 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PCs. 
• Once again developed by Arkane Studios, and published by Bethesda Softworks. 
• Began conception during the production of the DLC for the first “Dishonored.” 
• Many changes were made following the first game, including giving previous protagonist Corvo a voice, and giving the game two playable protagonists. 
• A standalone expansion, “Dishonored: Death of the Outsider,” was released in 2017. 

“Dishonored 2” takes place 15 years after the events of the first game, and primarily takes place in the city of Karnaca, in the country of Serkonos; The first and final chapters take place in Dunwall, the first game’s main setting. It focuses on a now adult Emily Kaldwin, the new empress of Dunwall, and the previous game’s protagonist and her father, Corvo Attano, serving as her Royal Protector and Spymaster. During a ceremony in commemoration of Emily’s mother Jessemine’s death, the duo is attacked by Deliah Copperspoon (Last seen in “Knife of Dunwall” and “Brigmore Witches”), a powerful witch who, with the help of Duke of Serkanos Luca Abele, usurps the throne from Emily, claiming to be Jessamine’s half-sister and the rightful empress. 

Players are given the option of playing as either Emily or Corvo; whoever they do not choose is turned into stone and captured by Delilah. Corvo/Emily escapes from Dunwall with the help of a mysterious woman named Meagan Foster, who takes the protagonist to Karnaca. Bent on taking back the throne from Delilah and saving their captured family, Emily/Corvo targets Delilah’s key allies, uncovers the truth surrounding the Crown Killer, and discovers the reality regarding Delilah’s origins and powers. Corvo or Emily also (at the player’s choice), receive assistance from the mysterious Outsider, who grants them various otherworldly abilities. 

With the already strong story and characters of the previous game, Arkane absolutely outdid themselves when it came to the game’s narrative and cast. All of the previous characters present are given so much more depth to their motivations and place in the world, making them so much more interesting than they already were. Easily the character who gets the biggest upgrade is Corvo, with his previous life in his home of Karnaca, his relationship with Jessamine and Emily, and his overall personality being greatly expanded. He’s also no longer silent, instead being voiced by the excellent Stephen Russell, best known for his role as Garrett in the stealth series “Thief,” one of “Dishonored’s” greatest inspirations. 

Emily is also given a much greater role, going from an innocent child in the first game to a young leader in the sequel, struggling to adapt to her new role as Empress. Anton Sokolov, now much older and frail, also serves as a great moral compass throughout the game, being the one most affected by the player’s decisions. All of this is helped by great voice performances all around, including the aforementioned Russell, Erica Luttrell as Emily, Rosario Dawson as Meagan Foster, Vincent D’Onofrio as Duke Luca Abele, and Robin Lord Taylor as the Outsider. Erin Cottrell also gives a great performance as Delilah, giving her a menacing and otherworldly presence in the game. Actors Pedro Pascal and Jamie Hector also provide compelling performances as leaders of warring groups who, despite only appearing in one chapter, provide some great insight into the world and are interesting in their own ways.

The world of “Dishonored” is also greatly expanded in “Dishonored 2,” with its new setting keeping things fresh. In comparison to the dark, dreary industrial setting of Dunwall, Karnaca is a much brighter, livelier city on the coast, heavily inspired by places such as Greece and Spain. Exploring Karnaca in between missions really shows how the citizens live their lives day to day, and how much they’re affected by the Duke’s tyrannical and unjust rule. It being Corvo’s home country also adds plenty of personal stakes. The game’s world and levels are also greatly enhanced by its excellent art style, inspired by oil paintings and sculptures. “Dishonored 2’s” aesthetic not only makes it stand out amongst the hyperrealistic games being released nowadays but also helps become much more timeless. 

Gameplay-wise, “Dishonored” still remains as one of my favorites to play, and really made me appreciate the immersive sim genre. With “Dishonored 2,” Arkane kept the core gameplay intact, while also expanding on it and making it even better than it already was. One of the biggest changes already occurs with two protagonists, Emily and Corvo, having two distinct styles. Both of them wield a retractable sword, pistol and crossbow, with Corvo retaining all of his abilities, such as Blink, Dark Vision and Possession. 

Meanwhile, Emily has her own unique set of abilities, differentiating herself from Corvo, the only ability they both share being Dark Vision. For starters, she has her own mobility tool, “Far Reach,” sending out a vine-like appendage that propels her towards distant surfaces. Her other unique abilities include “Domino,” allowing her to link enemies together so they all get taken out when only one of them is attacked, and “Shadow Walk,” a special form that allows Emily to quickly slip past guards without being seen. Arkane put a lot of effort into making both Corvo and Emily stand out, making repeat playthroughs that much more rewarding. 

Outside of the two protagonists, there are so many other things that make “Dishonored 2” great to play. For starters, the amount of options the player has at their disposal is dramatically increased. The ability to reject the Outsider’s powers near the beginning already shows the game’s higher emphasis on player freedom. Once you get into the game world, those choices become even more apparent. “Dishonored 2” once again allows players to either kill everyone in sight, or sneak through areas without killing a single person. 

These choices are put to the forefront with the return of the Chaos System, where the world and characters are greatly affected by how many bodies Corvo/Emily leave behind. Higher chaos results in changes to the Karnaca’s environments, namely more enemy patrols and a greater population of bloodflies, dangerous parasitic insects that make nests in various abandoned buildings, who will swarm the player when they get too close. In contrast, lower chaos results in much less bloodflies, lower guard presence and a much better ending. Just like the first game, multiple playthroughs are necessary in order to experience everything “Dishonored 2” has to offer. 

Of course, much like the first game, options go beyond just a simple kill/no-kill run, with each mission presenting multiple options of approach. You can go full guns blazing and take out every guard out in the open, or stick to the shadows and avoid them altogether. When it comes to overcoming an obstacle such as a security checkpoint, you can either remove its power source, rewire it so it targets enemies instead of you, possess a Guard as Corvo and walk through it harmlessly, and so much more.  Even something as simple as a locked door has several solutions; you can either look for the key, find an alternate path around the door, or simply destroy it with your pistol. Exploration and navigation are greatly rewarded as well, as you can find black market shops, where you can buy new equipment and purchase upgrades, as well as Runes and bone charms, which you can use to upgrade your powers and give you specific perks, respectively. 

The biggest improvement “Dishonored 2” makes is in regards to stealth. My biggest criticism towards the first “Dishonored” was the lack of options for ghost playthroughs, with only a few tools really tailored towards a stealthy approach. In “Dishonored 2,” not only are there much more options for stealth and non-lethal runs, but it’s also made more challenging thanks to a few new factors: 

• Sleep darts, which instantly knocked enemies out in the first game, have a short delay before going into effect. Plus, players can only carry 5 sleep darts, in place of 10. 
• Dark vision, which in the first game allowed you to see any enemy in the area, now sends out a short pulse that only detects guards in a specific radius. 
• Guards can now see Corvo/Emily when peeking around corners.
• New enemies like Clockwork soldiers, who can see both in front and behind them, make things much more difficult. 

These changes are nicely complemented by new gear and abilities that make stealth so much more varied and interesting. 

• Players can perform non-lethal takedowns from above, known as “Drop Takedowns.” In the first game, drop takedowns were only a lethal option. 
• Players can knock out/kill enemies from the front, if they’re quick enough. In the first games, takedowns/assassinations could only be performed on an enemy with their back turned.
• More non-lethal crossbow bolts are available, including bolts that temporarily blind enemies or cause them to flee, alongside new Stun Mines, which knock out enemies in close proximity. 

There are also many other things that “Dishonored 2” does incredibly well 

• Fantastic and unique level design for each mission 
• Truly clever ways of talking out targets non-lethally (i.e. Convincing the Duke’s body double to take over in his place). 

Really, the few criticisms I can level towards the game are nitpicky, at the least. 

• Slow loading times on occasion 
• AI is improved, but can still be pretty stupid at times (Much like the first game, this is more hilarious than anything)
• The overall narrative can feel a bit loose at times.

At the end of the day, “Dishonored 2” is an absolutely amazing game and a truly great sequel. It takes everything great about the first title, expands upon it, and in some cases, does things ever better. Any self-proclaimed fan of the immersive sim genre should undoubtedly play this, and those new to the genre can find a great starting point here. It’s another game in Arkane’s resume that proves just how talented the studio really is. 

Nick McCoy is a senior at Fort Hays State University, studying digital media and journalism. An avid gamer and music listener, he reviews video games and songs and hosts the radio show “The Understanding of Nick” for KFHS.