Dishonored 2 Early Impressions

The original Dishonored was the first stealth that I completed and enjoyed. Moving through well-thought environments with the abilities given to you is rewarding. Arkane Studio double downed on the detail in the environments. Every building and room has something worth exploring. The Dishonored franchise allows for multiple playthroughs as no playthrough is the same. Now there’s even more reason to replay the story, and that’s the addition of Emily Kaldwin as a playable protagonist. Each character has distinct abilities that works incredibly well with the environments.

The game starts off with the main conflict that includes the Kaldwin family and Corvo. Delilah Kaldwin (Antagonist/Emily’s Aunt) comes to Dunwall to claim her place on the throne. You then can choose to play as Corvo (Protagonist in Dishonored) or Emily, the empress. With completely different powers you can find your way in and out of a situation in so many ways.

Arkane made each power powerful but also flexible with other powers, for instance, if you play as Emily you can summon a shadow double to distract enemies. After summoning your double, you can use another power called, “Domino”. This lets you link human enemies, and if one dies the others linked will also. Thinking outside the box with what you have at hand and having your plan work out feels like you accomplished an amazing feat.

The one thing that stood out to me during my playthrough of the first Dishonored was how well each level is open for the player to experiment and explore. Every space you explore often you will find something that will help you. A letter that will state where the target is or is going, hunting for runes and bone charms allows you to upgrade your abilities or give you passive abilities. But getting to runes and charms aren’t as simple as just walking through the door. You will need to think outside the box, think about how to get in the building, where enemies are and how to lure them away, take a close look at your powers and environments to try to pinpoint the best way to complete your objective.

The freedom in which Arkane gives the player to experiment with crates creativity within the game. Now with Emily’s new set of abilities there is much more to play around with. Each power is different between the two protagonists, but every power works well because of the environments and using those abilities to work around it. I completed a playthrough of Emily and didn’t feel like I got everything from the game. I’m still as excited as my first playthrough but now I can play as the assassin killer Corvo.

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