Dishonored

This week, I was flooded with new games to review, as well as finally getting my hands on all of the GBA Pokemon games (jealous?), so the fact that I have a review ready to go is amazing to myself (especially when all these new releases hit shelves on Thursday). So, let's get on with it!

STORY
Dishonored takes place in the steam-punk, alternate world Victorian-London-esque city known as Dunwall, where the population is being overrun by plague infested rats. Those who have succumb to the plague become weepers; zombie-like beings who weep blood and attack uninfected citizens.

In this world, you control Corvo Attano, former royal protector to the empress and her daughter. After an assassination attempt sees him framed for regicide, it's up to Corvo to regain the missing heir to the throne and take revenge on all those who put you in prison. Along the way, Corvo enlists the help of a band of Loyalists, and a mysterious being known only as the outsider.

It's refreshing to be presented with such a unique world that feels as though it could all be real, while still maintaining an air of fantasy and wonder. It's citizens all feel like a product of this cursed City, and there are some really memorable characters to meet, such as Slackjaw and Granny Rags.

There's really no complaints that I feel I can level against the story told here. A lot of games use stories purely as the scaffold for the gameplay, but Dishonored has a great story to tell, and it compliments the gameplay, instead of being tacked on.

PRESENTATION
Dishonored has a great visual style that fits somewhere between Fable and Bioshock, with character models being stylized, but not quite cartoony. The level design is intelligent, allowing multiple approaches to any given situation, while still making sense visually.
The stages all have a victorian-london vibe to them, while some also have a very industrial look as well. There's a distinct feeling of hopelessness and ruin in the City, and it really sells the state of Dunwall.

The voice acting is superb in Dishonored; all characters, main or supporting, sound like real people who exist in this depressing society, from the creepy Granny Rags, to the snooty aristocrat Lord Pendleton. The game also features such talent as Susan Sarandon and Chloe Grace Moretz.

The music is fittingly tense, and picks up nicely once your cover is blown. To describe it in a word, I'd call it Tension-Building (it's one word If I hyphenate, so shut up).

GAMEPLAY
Dishonored's gameplay is based around Corvo's quest for redemption, which is presented as a series of attempts in getting rid of anyone who had a hand in his framing. Each of the game's missions is set in a mini sandbox, complete with multiple approaches to the mission, side missions and collectables.

The game provides you with a vast array of weaponry with which to take on the evils of Dunwall. Mini-Crossbows, Swords, Pistols, Proximity Mines and Grenades are all provided to make mincemeat of your enemies. That said, however, you're completely able to do a non-lethal run, with the use of strangle-holds and sleeping darts.

Corvo, as a player character, feels fast and fluid, due to his own personal agility, and the special powers bestowed upon him by the Outsider. Being able to jump, mantle and sprint across the mini sandboxes is a perfectly acceptable form of traversal, whereas you could also Blink (teleport) across the rooftops in a stealthy approach.

That's the beauty of Dishonored's gameplay. While many games will attest to being all about player choice, very few deliver. Dishonored does however. Do you spend all your Runes on powerful abilities like the Wind blast or killer swarms to kill all who stand in your way? Do you upgrade your blink and dark site to disappear and reappear across the city without alerting anyone?

Now most games would give you at least that much choice, but Dishonored also gives you multiple ways of dealing with Key targets. Non-Lethal playthroughs are truly non lethal, and Dishonored rewards you for exhausting all options. Do you poison your targets drink? Wind blast him out a window? Or do you brand him a traitor and have him shunned by the community, effectively neutralizing him.

It's one of the best games I've seen, not only when it comes to player choice, but also when it comes to first person stealth. It's clear when you're being seen by enemies, and just because one guy saw you, doesn't mean all his mates will too.

In all, Dishonored's gameplay is a good mix of simple stealth, solid combat, robust upgrades that tie in with your choice of play style, and the great level of choice that's on offer. Occasionally the controls will make you accidentally expose yourself to guards, but that may have been partly due to user error. My bad.

REPLAYABILITY
Dishonored isn't the longest game, as there are really only 9 main missions. The lastability of this game comes from the sheer amount of choice available to you, as far as how you approach these missions. Multiple variations exist on each mission at different aspects. How do you infiltrate the area? How do you make the assassination? How do you escape? Plus there are side missions that offer new information relating to each mission.

For example, I went for a non lethal first playthrough. Next time, I intend on cutting a bloody swathe through Dunwall. And it'll be awesome!

OVERVIEW
I want to cut straight to the chase here. Dishonored is shaping up to be my favourite game of this year. I love a great stealth game, and Dishonored is just that. It's also a solid First Person Action game. It's also a decent RPG. Add to that, the fact that the tale of Corvo Attano is an interesting one, and the City of Dunwall is a unique, living, breathing place to play.

The depressing, run down visuals really sell the feeling of desperation that the citizens of Dunwall have to be feeling, but the visuals are stylized enough that it doesn't just become grey and boring. It truly is a great game. It's an example of the best that games can be in this day and age. The choice, the solid mechanics, the story; I found it all to be quite superb.

Next time, I'll be reviewing XCOM: Enemy Unknown. See you next week!