Arkane Studios keeps to the strengths of first game in Dishonored 2, but keeps the weaknesses of the first game too.
Dishonored 2 same as its predecessor struggles with the story, it is slow and at times just boring, only towards the second half of the game the story picks up. Also it is not that different from the first game, again there is a coup and your loved one is imprisoned for the lack of a better word, and with the help of a mythical creature known only as “outsider” or you can refuse his gifts and play without powers if you are looking for a challenge, you must make things right. Where the game excels is in the game play mechanics, play-your-way the world will react approach of the first game is doubled if not tripled, each mission has so many ways you can go about finishing the objective that no two play-throughs are going to be the same. Each Chapter has a feel of an open world where you can get lost and find something unexpected, like giving a coin to a beggar reveals the plan on robbing the black market. You can play the game with stealth and not killing a single person or you can kill everyone you see and the world will react by shifting ever so slightly towards chaos or more relaxed state, but even if you choose stealth and you are not that good at it don’t worry you can always escape or stand and fight, that’s one of the reasons why I love this franchise it is a game where stealth and violence go hand in hand and it’s perfect for people like me who like stealth but usually are not that good at it.
All images courtesy of dishonored.bethesda.net
From the start you have a choice to play as Corvo or Emily which doesn’t impact the story all that much. Corvo’s powers are unchanged really and after playing through the first game 4-5 times I felt like I should start with Emily, her powers make for some interesting combos. I keep finding new and inventive ways to take down enemies but that was one of the problems with the game in later chapters as i was experimenting and dying to silly mistakes like misjudging my far reach(Emily’s teleportation power) or pulling aggro from too many enemies at once without even realizing there was that many of them. Difficulty feels same way as in Deus Ex Mankind Divided was as in even on harder difficulties it becomes easy when you acquire a set of powers that you are comfortable with and know how to use well enough. Then it just becomes a murder sandbox with more and more elaborate ways of killing or incapacitating enemies which is not a bad thing as this is one of the most fun aspects of the game. One of the most memorable moments was the clockwork mansion, an always changing house was a puzzle to navigate and it presented one of the most interesting challenges in the game (still not sure how I found my way to the laboratory). It also made me more familiar with my powers as I was using them in ways I haven’t tried before that. Even with all the flaws of the story and the lack of challenge at the later stages in the game it is one of the most fun I had with the stealth game in a long time and I will be exploring new paths in every chapter as Corvo very soon.
source: dishonored.bethesda.net
I would recommend this game for anyone who liked the first one and for people who wanted to try their hand at stealth games but don’t want to worry that much about being sneaky.
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