Thoughts on Dishonored

[Darks63]

I didn't like it very much it stealth was disappointing to me being a thief vet. It seemed like most of the stealth involved either being one level above or below your target. Also I really hated the very predictable twist mid game it killed my desire to finish the game. The increasing prevalence of weird tech stuff like the daddy long leg tanks and the those towers really made me think that they were stretching the magic/steampunk thing a little thin.

Ultimately the game failed to make me feel invested in it. All the things above plus no build up in the relationship between Corvo and the Empress/Daughter made me not care about his quest and the game as a whole. I pretty much just was using rat summons before I quit and that ability def broke the game in my view.

 

[fleischwolke]

Loved it and can't wait for a sequel. Loved the look and feel of the world. Loved that stealth was not instafail. Loved the size of the maps. Loved the way the game adjusted to your playstyle.

 

[Artina89]

I couldn't get into it to be honest. I can see why it would be a good game and it could have been so much better, but I found the characters to be a bit bland and I couldn't really bring myself to care all that much about any of them. I would like to see a sequel though, primarily to see what could be done with the franchise.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I really liked the setting. It is by far the most interesting thing about the game and I really wish we could've explored more of it. If there is ever a Dishonored 2, I hope to see a lot more world to learn about.

The gameplay is fine. It's got some decent stealth, allowing you to non-lethally ghost every encounter in the game. But a violent high chaos playthrough is honestly a lot more fun with a greater variety of gameplay options, since most of the powers and upgrades lean towards a lethal approach, which I guess makes sense when you consider why and from whom you got your powers. The DLCs are more balanced in this respect, with both playstyles getting about equal attention.

The biggest downside is the characters. They aren't written very well at all, a problem compounded by the lackluster voice acting. They sound so uninterested and none of them behave like a human being. They should display some personality and emotion, even in the game's Victorian-like setting where everybody has a stiff upper lip. But no, it's all apathy all the time. Why is Pietro so amicable to you when everyone else seems to consider him irritable and a bit of an arrogant prick? Why isn't Callista the least bit angry or embarrassed when you walk in on her in the bath and hit on her? And so on. Daud is the only real exception, because years of doing the Outsiders will, trying to make things better to no avail, have left him jaded and tired, so it makes sense for him to sound like it.

I also don't know why they made Corvo a silent protagonist. It makes him devoid of personality and serves no purpose to the plot other than to pull some reveals on you. Emily being Corvo's daughter is kept ambiguous throughout the game, but Corvo knows and the only reason there is any doubt is because he doesn't speak. It makes sense that the Empress would hide their relationship and Emily's parentage from the rest of the world for political reasons, but there is no way she would or could keep the latter secret from her lover and bodyguard who is close to her near constantly.

 

[TheMigrantSoldier]

Its arbitrary attempt of a morality system really soured the experience for me.

So, to get a less-than-terrible ending, I need to go through the game without killing guards in creative ways (which what the game was advertised as)?

It would be forgiven if the stealth system was more varied and responsive. It wasn't.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I loved it! Really I did! Some of the most fun I have had with a game in recent times. Playing through a no kills/not being spotted was awesome fun and it made me want to see how it changed if you go in killing everyone! It reminded me of the Mistborn books in a way with the class system and the evil dictator empire.

I look forward to a sequel!

 

[DaWaffledude]

Corvo being Emily's daughter

Hehe.

OT, I had the same problem with it I had with Deus Ex. Namely, that I found myself constantly reloading to get a "perfect" run, that ultimately wasn't even that satisfying.

 

[Elfgore]

Biggest burn on a preorder I've ever recieved. I believe they marketed the game as play as you want, but that's total bullshit. You can stealth however you want. The magic system was cool, but since you ran out of mana in like two spells it became useless very quickly. I ended up quitting and turning the game into Gamestop. Got me FF13-2 and White Knight Chronicles 2, a worthy trade.

 

[happyninja42]

Biggest burn on a preorder I've ever recieved. I believe they marketed the game as play as you want, but that's total bullshit. You can stealth however you want. The magic system was cool, but since you ran out of mana in like two spells it became useless very quickly. I ended up quitting and turning the game into Gamestop. Got me FF13-2 and White Knight Chronicles 2, a worthy trade.

Eh, you don't have to go stealth for everything. If you take the right powers you can totally go all crazy killer on the badguys. Time Stop + Crossbow/Pistol = Lots of dead guards at the same time. Then summon the Rat Swarms on them and watch them be devoured in front of you. It's totally possible to be bloody, but I personally just don't enjoy that game style, so I preferred stealth. I did a bloody kill runthrough and man was that insanely fast and easy.

OT: I loved the game, but I am biased a bit(HUGE BIT) towards stealth titles. And yes, Daud's Blink is insanely awesome. I bought it on steam recently with the DLC, after first buying it on PS 3 years ago. Enjoyed playing it again with a keyboard/mouse. I've heard rumors of a sequel, and I'd be very happy to learn it's in the works.

 

[laggyteabag]

I wasn't a big fan of it. It was one of those games that I wanted to like more than I actually could. It just seems like I get disappointed by everything with a 'Bethesda' label located somewhere on it.

 

[Kerethos]

It is a really fun stealth game with non-lethal options, that feel a bit too much like an afterthought. That's how I'd sum it up.

It also suffers from Corvo being a silent protagonist, and would have been much more interesting if his personality was tied into how you played. Perhaps with him possibly acting more, or less, like a father towards Emily or talking about his actions in the game - to name a few things. There's just so much you could do by giving just him a voice and some personality, even just to have him reflect on who the heart is could have been quite interesting.

The two DLC's with Daud - as far as I'm concerned - are slightly better than the main game; thanks to Daud being an interesting fellow. And his time stopping blink is OP - in a fun way.

For a sequel I'd like the non-lethal and stealth to receive as much development and focus as murdering people, making those elements have more options and be more enjoyable. I mean there's basically 3 things you can do if you're going non-lethal: hide, sleep darts and the Tyvian choke-hold. And then there's several dozens of ways to kill, all of which you can't play with if you want the happiest ending.

And I think that by making non-lethal options as fun as lethal options, you'd be able to fix the main problems with the chaos system (which is that'd you'd have to restrict yourself severely to get the happiest ending).

A female protagonist would be an nice change too, and I've even read a rumor they're considered Emily as a potential protagonist for a sequel. But a sequel isn't even official yet, so I take any information prior to an official statement very lightly.

 

[Ticklefist]

Until about halfway through my first run I was doing the regular "pfft, overrated" thing but then something clicked and I began to really enjoy myself. Enough to play it three times in a row. Probably one of the more memorable games I've played over the last couple years.

 

[COMaestro]

I really enjoyed Dishonored. I felt the level designs were very well done, giving multiple methods and paths towards achieving your goals. I felt the moral system was somewhat broken though, as you have to try pretty hard in order to get a high chaos ending. I say this because I was pretty crappy for the first few levels of the game and ended up killing nearly every guard in those levels. I got better at sneaking around though and killed very few people for the rest of the game and got a low chaos ending.

The powers were good fun, and though some seemed focused on a violent/lethal playthrough (summon rats, shadow kill, windblast), there were more skills that either aided a stealth playthrough or worked well for violent and stealth both (dark vision, bend time, advanced blink, possession, vitality and agility).

 

[happyninja42]

It is a really fun stealth game with non-lethal options, that feel a bit too much like an afterthought. That's how I'd sum it up.

It also suffers from Corvo being a silent protagonist, and would have been much more interesting if his personality was tied into how you played. Perhaps with him possibly acting more, or less, like a father towards Emily or talking about his actions in the game - to name a few things. There's just so much you could do by giving just him a voice and some personality, even just to have him reflect on who the heart is could have been quite interesting.

The two DLC's with Daud - as far as I'm concerned - are slightly better than the main game; thanks to Daud being an interesting fellow. And his time stopping blink is OP - in a fun way.

For a sequel I'd like the non-lethal and stealth to receive as much development and focus as murdering people, making those elements have more options and be more enjoyable. I mean there's basically 3 things you can do if you're going non-lethal: hide, sleep darts and the Tyvian choke-hold. And then there's several dozens of ways to kill, all of which you can't play with if you want the happiest ending.

And I think that by making non-lethal options as fun as lethal options, you'd be able to fix the main problems with the chaos system (which is that'd you'd have to restrict yourself severely to get the happiest ending).

A female protagonist would be an nice change too, and I've even read a rumor they're considered Emily as a potential protagonist for a sequel. But a sequel isn't even official yet, so I take any information prior to an official statement very lightly.

Well they do kind of address that with the DLC's. They introduced those shock mines, which had a non-lethal setting. Another option you can do is simply avoidance. For non-lethal, you can simply just bypass a lot of the threats, and leave them behind you. You don't have to knock out everybody you come across. The possession trick was great for this IMO. I used it to sneak past heavily guarded locations all the time. xD

As for a sequel, yeah I'd like to see a different character. Corvo's tale is done really IMO, and having someone who actually vocalizes would be an improvement. Emily as the protagonist has some interesting elements to it as an idea, but it would potentially contradict the endings of the game, or at least the good ending. To suddenly have the Empress become marked by the Outsider would be....strange.

 

[Kerethos]

It is a really fun stealth game with non-lethal options, that feel a bit too much like an afterthought. That's how I'd sum it up.

It also suffers from Corvo being a silent protagonist, and would have been much more interesting if his personality was tied into how you played. Perhaps with him possibly acting more, or less, like a father towards Emily or talking about his actions in the game - to name a few things. There's just so much you could do by giving just him a voice and some personality, even just to have him reflect on who the heart is could have been quite interesting.

The two DLC's with Daud - as far as I'm concerned - are slightly better than the main game; thanks to Daud being an interesting fellow. And his time stopping blink is OP - in a fun way.

For a sequel I'd like the non-lethal and stealth to receive as much development and focus as murdering people, making those elements have more options and be more enjoyable. I mean there's basically 3 things you can do if you're going non-lethal: hide, sleep darts and the Tyvian choke-hold. And then there's several dozens of ways to kill, all of which you can't play with if you want the happiest ending.

And I think that by making non-lethal options as fun as lethal options, you'd be able to fix the main problems with the chaos system (which is that'd you'd have to restrict yourself severely to get the happiest ending).

A female protagonist would be an nice change too, and I've even read a rumor they're considered Emily as a potential protagonist for a sequel. But a sequel isn't even official yet, so I take any information prior to an official statement very lightly.

Well they do kind of address that with the DLC's. They introduced those shock mines, which had a non-lethal setting. Another option you can do is simply avoidance. For non-lethal, you can simply just bypass a lot of the threats, and leave them behind you. You don't have to knock out everybody you come across. The possession trick was great for this IMO. I used it to sneak past heavily guarded locations all the time. xD

As for a sequel, yeah I'd like to see a different character. Corvo's tale is done really IMO, and having someone who actually vocalizes would be an improvement. Emily as the protagonist has some interesting elements to it as an idea, but it would potentially contradict the endings of the game, or at least the good ending. To suddenly have the Empress become marked by the Outsider would be....strange.

As I said, just sneaking by is to limit your gameplay options compared to all the dozens of ways you could kill. And even so you had very limited stealth options, compared to lethal ones. I never even used the mines in the DLC, and you had to upgrade them to access the non-lethal version, I think, and I did ghost through the game on my first playthrough (without killing people, because that just felt natural to me).

But even so, aside from movement powers, I mainly used possession and Blink to get through the game. With a little bit of Slow Time later on.

The difference in gameplay options, between lethal and non-lethal is pretty massive if you count out the movement abilities.
Non-lethal:

• Tyvian choke-hold
  Sleep dart
  Hiding
  Posession
  Slow Time
  DLC: Stun mine
  DLC: Choke/Baffle dust

Lethal:

• Sword
  Regular pistol shots
  Explosive bullets
  Crossbow bolt
  Incendiary bolts
  Grenade
  Sticky grenade
  Spring razor
  Devouring Swarm
  Windblast
  Blood thirsty
  Shadow Kill
  Environmental attacks
  DLC: Summon Assassin
  DLC: Arcane Bond
  DLC: Pull
  DLC: Arch mine

And even if you're going lethal the non-lethal abilities are still useful, not to mention you can combine stuff when going lethal. Making for a lot more gameplay options. So any way you put it, if you want the happiest ending, you've got to limit yourself quite severely.

 

[NuclearKangaroo]

it was a good game, ive seen better stealth but the adventure elements made up for that fact

i wouldnt mind a sequel

 

[Mimic]

I enjoyed it. Sure it had a couple of issues such as with the morality system but the mechanics were fun and the world it presented was interesting and left me wanting more. I hope it gets a sequel.

 

[happyninja42]

*snip*
So any way you put it, if you want the happiest ending, you've got to limit yourself quite severely.

Oh I agree you had lots of options when it came to lethal, I guess I just have a different opinion of "limiting yourself severely" You listed 7 options that are non lethal, to me that's a pretty good range of non-lethal choices to take in a game.

My personal favorite was using Blink coupled with the double-jump of athletics to simply bypass problems. I'd throw myself off a ledge and release Blink mid leap to get to some tiny outcropping and then move from there. But yeah, I agree you had lots of lethal options, I just didn't feel "limited" personally given the number of options they did give me for non-lethal is all.

*Edit* One thing I'd like for them to fix is the detection system, and how random things that killed people would be attributed to you. That more than anything annoyed me. "Look! I left that dudes sleeping body on top of a pile of comfy mattresses, it's not my fault that a random band of rats wandered through there because of the game's mechanic system and happened to eat the guy! Don't blame me for his death! *razzum frazzum*

 

[conmag9]

As many people have already said: awesome setting, not so awesome moral stuff.

I tend to play fairly pacifistic in stealth games...which sadly cut me off from about...75% of Corvo's arsenal? It's a bit depressing when using your tools gets the game saying you're a terrible person. It has potential for creative moves (the ever-popular timestop guy shooting you, possess him and move him into the target of his own weapon, resume time), but the fact that mana is extremely limited is very frustrating.

Props for level design, though. Most missions had interesting environments to explore and lots of ways to go about doing stuff. And some of the simple things they included for replayability (the Boyle mission, for instance, was a neat idea).


Most of my gripes are for it being too limited for low-chaos players and fairly short...but it has potential. If they make a second one (and, unless I've missed something, I suspect they eventually will), hopefully they'll polish things up a bit.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

I would very much like a continuation:
One more game in this series would be perfect, but no more than that. I don't want to see Corvo or Daud again, but the outsider feels essential. Assassination doesn't have to be part of it and in fact I think an investigative role, one that doesn't focus on murdering and taking out half the population, would make for an extremely interesting game and one that could help tone down the overall violence in games (I love running and gunning, but it's an oversaturated market).

They've got a great setting and it'd be a shame to stop here.

Dude, that's a perfect idea. The setting, we all agree it seems, is the best part of the game. It's dark, grimy, thorough, authentic, detailed, interesting, and has great potential. The Outsider is, of course, the central thread running through the events of this world, so he must make a reappearance. And I think a sort of noir style story would fit fantastically.

One problem with Dishonored is that, despite the brutal conditions that Dunwall faces and how forboding the entire world feels, and despite the Outsider throwing wrenches into everything, Corvo never seems like he's in any danger. Sure, everyone else is at the mercy of dark forces they can't even see, but Corvo flits around the city like a ghost, stabbing his problems away and travelling in the bodies of rats. Especially as a silent character, he seems unconcerned with all the horror and danger around him. Playing as a more ordinary, involved person, one who nonetheless draws the Outsider's interest, would make the whole tone coalesce completely.