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2012’s Dishonored was a hit and an instant classic. Developed by Arkane Studios, at the time it appeared to be a peak of Arkane’s gameplay formula first appearing in a 2002 RPG release Arx Fatalis and then in Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.
That is: until the first gameplay videos and gameplay-relevant information started flooding in regarding Arkane Studios’ upcoming Dishonored 2, its release date set for 11 November 2016. A direct sequel to Dishonored, it keeps the framework established by the original and moves it forward to its, it appears, logical conclusion. What changes does DH2 introduce to the original formula? Just about enough to feel both fresh and familiar.
Two characters to choose from
Dishonored 2’s predecessor had a set protagonist: Corvo Attano, the Royal Protector and, incidentally, a highly competent assassin. Set fifteen years after the events of its predecessor, Dishonored 2 offers us a choice of two playable characters instead. One of them is Corvo, already very familiar to the players, while the other is now adult Emily Kaldwin, whom we all remember as the curious ten-year-old from the original game.
Indeed, Dishonored 2 gives us a chance to play as an Empress, one who has been trained by Corvo for the past fifteen years. She is every bit as skilled a warrior as her father is, only with reasonably less practical experience.
Both characters have unique powers given by the Outsider, and may offer unique commentary on the unfolding events, expanding the choice past mere cosmetic differences.
More flexible powers
Abilities available during Dishonored gameplay had many uses and opened many different ways of traversing the levels and dealing with enemies, but they lacked one thing: internal flexibility. They were upgradeable, but it was simply a matter of scale rather than function. Blink further, Possess humans instead of just animals, stop time instead of just slowing it.
This problem does not apply to Dishonored 2 powers. Every power has a manageably larger set of available upgrades, some improving the scale, others adding new functions. For instance Emily’s Far Reach can be upgraded to catch objects mid-air or pull enemies towards her for quick, if noisy, incapacitation. But it can also get an improvement making the time pass slower if used when Emily is falling.
Even though Corvo kept the powers we all know and have learned to use, they underwent an overhaul to bring them into this new framework. Which is justified, after all he had fifteen years to practice using them.
Unique locations
The locations presented and teased by the developers suggest that mission areas we will visit are going to be more diverse and unique than the largely utilitarian places of Dishonored 1. This isn’t necessarily a fault of any kind, and comes down to personal preference.
The story of Dishonored fit in well with harsh, practical building complexes, since out targets were largely drawn from the military and rather harsh clergy, with only brief encounters with nobles. On the other hand Dishonored 2 gameplay will take us to a transforming mansion of a paranoid inventor, Royal Conservatory full of bizarre specimens. Even more interestingly: we will visit a ruined mansion in two different time periods at the same time thanks to a special device.
In short, DH2 clearly moves a bit away from realism and closer to creativity and uniqueness.
Crafting
In the first game crafting largely took place in the background. The player delivered blueprints to Piero Joplin and could buy new items form the shop. Simple, almost simplistic. In the sequel, however, this changes. Both Corvo and Emily will be able to craft new Bone Charms, and while the exact ingredients needed to do this remain a secret, we know that there will be up to 400.000 different Bone Charm effects (likely including scaling factors) and the players will have four trait slots available to mix and synergize them. Whether the crafting will extend to equipment or not remains unknown.
A worthy successor
With these essential improvements to the gameplay in addition to a host of upgrades more concerned with audiovisual aspects, Dishonored 2 is shaping up to be the kind of sequel any franchise deserves for its second instalment. It keeps the essence of what made Dishonored 1 a hit, expands existing features where needed, and adds new ones where it doesn’t disrupt the gameplay. Beautiful, detailed visual style, carefully crafted locations, diverse skillsets and more certainly make it worth buying a pre order while possible. See the sunny city of Karnaca from two different perspectives, the journey begins on 11 November 2016.
