King Gaming Review
Dishonored 2 is a stealth action game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The sequel to the first Dishonored game, it follows the same format as its predecessor by presenting players with an open world environment, in which they can choose how they want to proceed through missions. However, what sets this series apart from others of its type are the many different ways in which players can approach each mission. Rather than simply letting you play as either protagonist Corvo Attano or his daughter Emily Kaldwin (depending on which version you buy), Dishonored 2 has been designed in such a way that each one of them have their own unique abilities that affect how they complete objectives and interact with NPCs throughout their journey across Karnaca (a fictional city based on San Francisco).
In Dishonored 2, you play as either Corvo Attano or his daughter Emily Kaldwin. The story takes place 15 years after the original, with you returning as royal protector Corvo Attano or his daughter Empress Emily Kaldwin. She's been dethroned by an otherworldly usurper and the two end up working together to take her back. It's all told through gorgeous cutscenes with some of the best performances in any video game I've ever played; every character comes off as real and fleshed-out rather than just tools for advancing your plotline.
The actual gameplay is split into three different styles: mobility-focused stealth (with all its various upgrades), bonechilling combat that lets you use magic spells to summon rats and other creatures at your command (a la XCOM), and finally supernatural abilities like time manipulation (this was my favorite). All three work together beautifully thanks largely to how well they were designed around each other - while there are plenty of levels where one style will get more use than another, no matter how much sneaking or fighting I did I always felt like it was an integral part of whatever situation presented itself in front of me at any given moment - never forced upon me just because "that's what this level is about".
If a game has a stealth system I tend to lean towards that kind of playstyle, and it helps this game scales its difficulty based on your approach. Turning up the difficulty increases enemy numbers and makes them more alert. However, choosing to be more aggressive and loud means you'll have a tougher time finding places to hide and sneak around.
I'm a stealth player. When a game offers me the option to play stealthily, I lean towards that kind of playstyle. Dishonored 2 is no exception, and it's designed around making the most of your sneaking skills. The game rewards you for being sneaky by allowing you to take out enemies without alerting anyone else in the area (which usually means not having to fight that many people). However, choosing to be more aggressive and loud means you'll have a tougher time finding places to hide and sneak around—and if you do manage to find them, they're likely guarded by multiple enemies who will hear or spot your presence on their own initiative anyway.
This dichotomy adds another layer of strategy: Do I go in guns blazing? Or do I try my luck at remaining undetected? If I go loud now but get spotted by one guard nearby, will someone else become suspicious about the noise? Is there another pathway where I won't have security cameras watching my every move? It's all part of what makes Dishonored 2 such an engaging experience: There are so many ways into any given situation that each mission can be approached differently based on what tools/abilities/level layout is presented at hand.
The story takes place 15 years after the original, with you returning as royal protector Corvo Attano or his daughter Empress Emily Kaldwin. She's been dethroned by an otherworldly usurper and the two end up working together to take her back. It's all told through gorgeous cutscenes with top quality voice acting.
The story takes place 15 years after the original, with you returning as royal protector Corvo Attano or his daughter Empress Emily Kaldwin. She's been dethroned by an otherworldly usurper and the two end up working together to take her back. It's all told through gorgeous cutscenes with top quality voice acting.
You can choose whether to play as Corvo or Emily in each chapter and they have slightly different abilities: Corvo has more combat skills while Emily is better at stealthing around levels undetected. The good news is that this game lets you switch between them whenever you want!
This is all aided by the returning Blink ability which lets you quickly teleport a short distance by pressing a button. Blink is incredibly useful for moving about without making noise, reaching high up places, and even getting out of trouble if detected during a stealthy run. It makes traversal feel really fluid as there are no loading screens mid-mission and you can jump between areas seamlessly instead of having to wander through corridors like Assassin's Creed.
Blink is a teleportation ability that lets you quickly teleport a short distance by pressing a button. It's incredibly useful for moving about without making noise, reaching high up places and even getting out of trouble if detected during a stealthy run as it makes traversal feel really fluid as there are no loading screens mid-mission and you can jump between areas seamlessly instead of having to wander through corridors like Assassin’s Creed.
The controls are also very responsive and easy to use, with a smooth combat system that lets you jump, duck and roll around enemies while swiftly dispatching them with your sword. It feels similar to the combat in previous titles such as Black Flag but
Conclusion
Dishonored 2 is a great sequel that improves upon the first game in many ways. The gameplay is fluid and satisfying, and the level design provides plenty of options for how to approach your objective. The story may be a little convoluted at times, but it's still an enjoyable one with plenty of twists and turns along the way; characters are well-developed enough so that you'll become emotionally invested in their fate by the end. From start to finish, there's never a dull moment in Dishonored 2 thanks to its variety of locations and exotic locales, which come together beautifully thanks to some fantastic art direction from Arkane Studios - especially when combined with some excellent voice acting from all involved parties (especially if you're playing on consoles).
This game isn't perfect though - occasionally bugs will pop up here and there (although nothing too major), plus some missions do feel more like filler than anything else since they don't really offer much challenge or progression towards completing your primary goal other than just going through them normally similar as before without having any real change besides a few minor tweaks here or there rather than actually changing things up entirely like other levels do (like when entering into another area where time flows slower than normal). One thing I also noticed was how long it takes for enemies' bodies disappear after being killed off which makes sense given how we see corpses lying around everywhere else but not necessarily what happens off-screen while fighting against someone else nearby). Aside from these issues though? You may want consider playing this title before diving into other similar games such as Dishonored 1&2 (+ DLCs)