Developer: Arkane Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Rrp: £19.99 (Steam / Bethesda Store)
Released: 14th September 2017
Available on: Steam and the Bethesda Store
Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard
Approximate game length: 10 hours (depending on play-style)
I love the Dishonored franchise, everything from its lore down to the actual mechanics of the game appeal immensely to me. So when I saw that this game existed I bought it as soon as I was able.
You take on the role of Billie Lurk a character who should be familiar to anyone who has played the two storyline DLC’s from Dishonored or has played
Dishonored 2.
Billie is an assassin or an ex-assassin depending on your view point and she’s on a mission to find her lost… we’ll call him a mentor for lack of a better term.
This game is actually an ‘expand-alone’ that takes place not too long after the events of Dishonored 2, as such it is much shorter than one of the mainline
titles, in fact its not all that much longer than one of the story DLC’s for the original game.
Billie has less powers than either Daud, Corvo or Emily available to her (once she acquires them). But what powers she does have are quite versatile. However, unlike previous protagonists, these powers can’t be upgraded. Certain bone charms can increase their functionality (such as lowering the amount of energy required to use them or increasing the range of a power) but the powers don’t actually change.
These powers that you attain are a bit different than the ones to be found in the mainline games. Displace takes the place of blink except it allows you to set the location of your teleportation and perform other actions, which is perfect for a quick escape. Then there’s semblance where you steal the identity of a living person for a short period. Lastly you have foresight which allows you to scout ahead and even tag targets that will continue to be visible to you even when the power is disabled.
As with the previous games, the story is separated into missions. Within each mission there are also a number of contracts that you can collect from the black market. If any of these contracts is completed they will grant a bonus such as coin or bone charms once the mission is over. However you can’t always complete these contracts if you are doing a specific type of playthrough. For example, you can’t eliminate a target if you are trying to do a no-kill run.
It must be stated that this is a comparatively linear experience when set against it’s predecessors, but that should be unsurprising given that this game is much shorter in scope than the others. The missions don’t have the same level of size and complexity, although given how convoluted some of the levels were in Dishonored 2 that’s not really a surprise.
If I do have a bone to pick with this game its that, unlike the previous games, how you complete the missions has no lasting impact on the game or the ending.
This game is a bit of a strange one, its a stripped down version of the previous games, mechanically speaking, which somewhat alienates the more hardcore
fans. At the same time what it adds to the overall story of Dishonored’s world can’t be ignored. Personally I enjoyed that game and actually found it more challenging than its forbearers.
If this appeals to you perhaps try;
The Thief franchise
Styx Master of Shadows
The Dishonored Series
