Dishonored - Review

Platform(s) available for: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Version reviewed: Dishonored (PC)
Genre: first-person action, stealth
Time to finish: 16 hrs.
Trailer link: Click Here

  Bethesda's latest game, Dishonored, has you playing as Corvo, a bodyguard-turned-assassin trying to clear his name after being framed for the Empress' murder. Dishonored takes place in the rundown city of Dunwall, a city overtaken by a mysterious plague. During Dishonored's 9 missions you will traverse a large variety of environs, from dank alleyways to decorous ballrooms. While my initial impressions of the game were good, somewhere along the way things went sour. During this review I plan to explain exactly what I feel they did right with the game, along with where exactly things went wrong.

  Dishonored is primarily a stealth game, but during my 16 hour playthrough I found myself making many comparisons to Mirror's Edge. If you're unfamiliar with it, Mirror's edge plays like a first person parkour simulator imbued with an eye-catching style. Upon comparing the two games, one might think that they have little in common, but bear with me while I explain my reasoning a bit. Both games offer a unique art style, both offer a unique play style, and both share the same key flaws. I'll get back to how this is relevant in a minute, but first let me start from the beginning. I first starting playing Dishonored with an open mind. It was great! Everything worked and everything felt cohesive. This was the definitive stealth game. The game's trademark moral choices came into play all the time, often making you feel empowered. (An important thing in a game where you play as a god-like supernatural assassin) As I played further into dishonored, it started to feel like the developers' goals had shifted. No longer was this a stealth game, now it was your typical linear action game. The game's many multiple paths to the target started drying up too, replaced with a single correct route. In addition, the many possible side-quests and optional objectives are few and far between in the latter half of the game.

  Before I started writing this review (while I was still playing it), I was prepared to write a glowing review about how this game did so much for the stealth genre. It's kind of shame that game with this much potential never ended up realizing that potential. Now I'm not saying this a bad game, but it could have been a great game. Now that I've explained my experience playing the game, let me tie this back into the Mirror's Edge comparison. The main flaw I felt with Mirror's Edge was shockingly similar --- they both start out great and then sink into a slow decline as they near the end. Mirror's Edge makes that mistake a little bit later in the game than dishonored, but the point remains the same, games should get better as they near the end, not worse. If a game relies solely on one mechanic to drive its gameplay, then it better deliver. In early parts of a game, the developers often limit where you're allowed to go or how you're allowed to play. Ideally this should open up as near the end, letting you experience more freedom now that you've mastered the basics. Take off the shackles so to speak. Doing this in reverse just leads to player frustration and broken expectations. I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't give a solid example, so here goes. Early in Dishonored, the game's tutorial explains that there are multiple ways to reach your target, and for the first half of the game, this holds true, but as you near later sections of the game, there can be as few as one correct route to your target. This led to many frustrating moments in the game where I couldn't reach my target because I wasn't playing it how the developers wanted me too. To have this happen in a game that so strongly emphasizes choice can be very jarring.

The Outsider - Probably the most interesting character in the game.

  Now I've talked a lot about the gameplay, but let me talked about another weak point of the game, namely the story. Dishonored tells a story that's been done dozens of times before, and sadly it does not bring anything new to the table. There is an interesting side-plot going on in the game in regards to "the outsider" and his role in things (not really a spoiler, as you learn about him in the trailers). Unfortunately this only serves as window dressing, since his role in things is never really explained, just used as a convenient excuse to give you your power. Dishonored also lacks much in the line of memorable characters, and the protagonist, corvo, is of the silent variety. Let's just say if you are playing dishonored for the story you will be very disappointed. The ending for dishonored also feels very abrupt, furthering my theory that more work was put into the first half of the game than the latter half.

A shot from one of the best missions in Dishonored.

  By this point you're probably thinking that I hated this game, but you'd be wrong. There are definitely things to like in this game, they just come with a rather large disclaimer. If there's one thing Dishonored get right through and through though, it's the art direction. Dunwall city is simply dripping with atmosphere. The walls are covered in graffiti and muck. the alleys are rat-infested and littered with bodies, and there's a pervading sense of dread lurking around every corner. It truly feels like a city in the midst of a plague. There is tons of detail in the textures too (even if they can be a bit low-res at times). With a few exceptions, there are very few repeated textures. Some may find the cartoonish art style to a be bit of an acquired taste, but it's so unique that it grew on me almost instantly. The city design is very organic, and to me this was the high point of the experience. The sound in the game is quite well done also. From the sharp crack of Corvo's pistol, to the dull thud of a body hitting the ground. Everything feels just about right here.

This is at least as fun as it looks.

  The other high point of the game would have to be the controls. It's incredibly easy to slip in and out of stealth, blink up to a guard, stab him in back, and then disappear. Swordplay also works great in dishonored, especially considered that it's played in first-person. Throughout the game I found myself almost exclusively using the sword on account of it being so much fun to use. For those that care, Dishonored also has a wide variety of alternate weapons. Unfortunately most of them feel very out of place for game focused on stealth. (Really now Bethesda, what good are grenades in a stealth game?) Not once during my initial playthrough of the game did I experience any issues with the controls, and when it all comes together dishonored can be a lot of fun to play.

Gameplay - 7

  While I have no complaints about the actual gameplay or controls in Dishonored, the level design later in the game saps a lot of the fun out of the experience. With a few more months of polish, this game could have been amazing. Bethesda did however manage to nail the feel of being an assassin and "blinking" around a level never got old. Controlling Corvo is all well handled and gameplay is a solid and glitch free experience.

Music - 6

  This is not a standout category for dishonored. While it does have some music, most of the gameplay time is filled with ambient sounds and background noise. The battle theme and ending songs were fairly memorable to me, but those two aside, the music is pretty average.

Sound - 8

  As I stated above, the sound in this game is quite good. Every sound effect in the game brings life to the world. There is also a lot of variety in NPC dialog. I did have to knock off a few points for a few obnoxious and overused lines though. ("Took an arrow in the knee" anyone?) The voice acting in game will also draw no complaints from me. I do wish that Corvo was voiced however, the "silent protagonist" trope is getting really old these days.

Graphics/art - 9

  This to me was easily the high point of the game. No matter where I was is the game, I always found myself stopping to admire Bethesda's amazing attention to detail. One part in particular stood out. There is a small staircase leading to the second story of a building in an early mission. The walls of that staircase are decorated with roughly a dozen different paintings without any repetition. This was a really unnecessary touch, but a perfect example of the love the developers put into the art. The only knock against this game graphics would be the low resolution textures that I mentioned earlier. Don't let that put you off from the game though, this is definitely one of the best looking games of 2012.

Replay value/length - 5

  I knew that this game would be short coming into it, but I was shocked by just how short. The game really feels like it needs to be longer. I don't say that about many games, but Dishonored's gameplay and beautiful world demand further exploration. Although the game offers multiple endings, I never felt the need to return and explore them. With the story being so utterly cliché, and the ending so abrupt, I didn't see how multiple playthroughs would really improve my opinion of this category. (That and the issues mentioned earlier.)

Final score - 7.8

  If you can look past the niggling issues with the game, you will find a great game desperately trying to get out. If Bethesda had let this one cook a little longer they might have had an extraordinary game on their hands. To anyone still interested in playing dishonored I will say this - beneath all the problems you will find a short yet enjoyable stealth game, just don't expect a revolution.