Dishonored is a first-person stealth-action game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. You follow the protagonist, Corvo Attano, titled the Lord Protector for the empress, on a journey to rescue Emily, and to restore her rightful spot on the throne as the new empress. He must overcome all odds after being framed as the one responsible for the murder of the first empress by the Spymaster.
The game takes place in Dunwall, a city plagued by rats. The art style of the environment and atmosphere is unique and pleasant to look at. In many areas of the game, it feels as if you are controlling your character inside of a water painting. The buildings portray Victorian London very well, and the characters have distinct personalities when you interact with them.
There are two ways to approach this game. One is stealth, and the other is combat, or a combination of the two. Depending on what your balance is between these methods, the ending will vary. First off, lets talk about stealth. Corvo has an arsenal of tools and powers that will allow you to sneak past an area full of guards. Some of these powers include mind possession, teleportation, x-ray vision, and time control. These supernatural powers are endowed upon Corvo by a force known as the Outsider. The number of times you can use these powers is limited by a spirit gauge, which can be replenished with a remedy, just as you can replenish Corvo's health with elixirs or food. On top of that, Corvo can purchase sleeping darts from a merchant. If you plan on completing the game in stealth, you will probably want to sneak past guards or knock them out rather than killing them. Some common ways to do this is to simply crouch towards an unsuspecting guard and strangle him until he is unconscious. Another way would be to possess his body, make him walk somewhere safe, and then knock him out. Of course, these are just a couple ways to go about it, out of the many options the game gives you. If you want a comparison, I can say that the stealth elements in Dishonored share some similarities with Assassin's Creed and Batman Arkham Asylum. Additionally, Dishonored features a couple unique recon tactics where you can peek into a keyhole to observe what is inside the room before entering. You can also lean out behind cover without being seen. However, amidst all these useful skills, you may want to dispose of an unconscious or dead body, because if another guard happens to pass by he will be on alert. The game lets you move bodies around, and also loot them. One useful ability Corvo acquires will have the bodies disintegrate after death. Since the stealth and recon way of playing the game is no easy feat, the game allows you to save at anytime when you are not in combat or in a cutscene.
On the other hand, if you want to go about the campaign performing more combat and kills, Corvo's abilities will allow you to take on a number of enemies at once, but depending on the difficulty you have chosen, it can be quite challenging. First, lets talk about the basic physical skills. In the left hand, Corvo carries projectile weapons and supernatural powers...and in the right hand he carries a sword. The basic actions are block, counter, attack, and throw or shoot. Corvo can block incoming sword attacks, and if timed correctly, he can stun the enemy and counter attack. Basic physical attacks are done with the slash of the sword. As for projectiles, you have a number of weapons to choose from which include a crossbow with normal bolts and incendiary bolts, a pistol, spring razors, and grenades. All of these gadgets and ammo can be purchased from a merchant with coins found throughout the game. They are all upgradeable in terms of power, range and accuracy. On top of lethal gadgets, Corvo also possesses lethal supernatural powers. These include summoning a large gust of wind, and a swarm of rats to devour the enemy.
One of the most unique aspects about Dishonored that gives it the leap from great to excellent is the fact that it allows the player to take all of these techniques, and combine them in the most creative way imaginable. Usually when games allow this much creativity, glitches are encountered frequently, but not in the case for Dishonored. Things are smooth, with minimal glitches. Some creative methods I found was summoning a swarm of rats, then attaching a couple spring razors to them, and then luring the guards over into the trap. Another fun method is to stop time while projectiles are being shot at you...then possess a guard, then move them in front of the projectile, and watch the magic happen.
With all of these powers and weapons available, it is very important for the game to have a shortcut system for fluent access. And a great shortcut system it does have! On the PC version you are able to map out a total of 10 powers and weapons to shortcuts which makes swapping easy and fluent. On the console you can map 4 on the d-pad. There is a decent amount of extra content in the game. These include side quests, audio logs and letters found throughout the game that give more depth to the story and characters.
Overall, this game will give you a very unique first-person, action-packed experience, with a large variety of weapons and abilities...and a good amount of collectables... while it immerses in an interesting plot, filled with deep characters.