Dishonored 2: I want to play a game with real consequences.
I’m currently coming down after finishing probably my two favorites things of 2016. The series Westworld and the game Dishonored 2. That sad feeling that you know the end is near. Like a good book you can’t put down but suddenly find yourself turning the pages more slowly because you know you’re almost out. Almost out of that new experience juice. That something that is intangible until its gone and you realize you won’t get it back. That first run.
I actually slowed my play of Dishonored because I really wanted to savor the end result. I played the whole game killing as few people as possible. In a lot of cases this meant a lot of reloads, as not only is easy to accidentally kill someone but the difficulty if much higher in approaching the various scenarios the game gives you. It’s easy to toss a grenade into a room and watch the fun from 3 stories up. It’s much harder to get up close and personal to each enemies and take them out one by one. I really wanted to not only play non-lethally but also be a total ghost to the NPC. (the last part didn’t work out so well) I did however complete the game with the ‘best’ ending, as in the most positive outlook for the kingdom and our characters.
Similar to Bioshock, the game world of Dishonored was as much a character as any in the story. The streets, the sounds, the world felt alive and so did the inhabitants. The ambiance and anxiety of navigating the game world was palpable. Knowing that all guards would recognize you and know that if you did anything sketchy the civilian NPCs would suspect you. Each set of enemies and enemy types had to be approached in different ways. The game really managed to make each mission feel novel and new. Just as you mastered your powers and gain new ones, there were new challenges and scenarios for you to work through. There was no guns blazing approach here, as you can’t take many hits. Crafting your approach and potential exit if things went sideways was a big part of the gameplay. There is no guide or path at all with the powers. You can pick any you want in any order and choose how to develop your character. Your choices were really impactful, as whole approaches and skills would be locked if you went to deep in one direction. At the same time, it’s really not realistic to choose all powers superficially and not upgrade them further. I really enjoy these kinds of choices.
Speaking of choices, your choices have real consequences. Not only on the ending but throughout the game. By the end of the game, NPCs whispered rumors about me. They weren’t sure I really existed. I rarely left a trace of my existence. I hid all the bodies. I always took the stealthiest route. Since my body count was low, I became a noble and just ruler by the end of the game.
Finishing the game, the first thought I had is how I’d like to go back through and play the complete opposite. I plan to bump the difficulty and proceed to play a fresh character who will be the embodiment of evil. For you Westworld fans, I’ll be the Woman in Black. I’ll be a terror and they will know my name. After all, its only fun when your choices have real consequences, right MiB?
