A very good game that could've been excellent if it wasn't for a few playability flaws.
The game lives up to all of these expectations!
The plot of the game is a standard rescue the damsel in distress and/or avenge the death of a loved one. Nothing new here, but it's done well enough to keep you entertained. The best part is that you can choose how you advance through the game and the development of your character. Unfortunately, you don't see this evolve through the protagonist's narration as he remains silent through the game and has no personality, but the way you play affects the world around you and your mindset as a player.
There is also the possibility to take a forgiving nice-guy approach and play through the game without killing anyone, but this is where Dishonored is most flawed....
Although you have the ability to sneak, use non-lethal weapons and distractions, this proves exceptionally difficult and unpredictable. The sneak mechanic and enemy AI just don't work as well as they do in other sneak-based games. There is no way to tell if you are hidden from the enemy and no way to really learn how the AI works. I found myself in dark corners or behind bushes thinking I would be nicely hidden, only to be spotted straight away.
Unfortunately, you can't silence the guard or stop him running for help. Once he's alerted he will call for back up and enemies immediately flock from all surrounding areas and all hell breaks loose.
Sometimes, while sneaking, you can hide behind a fence or barrier and still be spotted. Sometimes you can hide on a rooftop and get by unnoticed, then other times you will be detected. It's mostly down to trial and error and reloading your save points over and over again, which I found so frustrating and pulls me out of the flow of the game.
A simple icon or gauge to tell you when you're hidden (like those in Splinter Cell or Hitman) would be very helpful and make sneaking around feel more strategic and less reliant on chance. I also found that throwing objects, such as bottles and glasses will raise the alertness of the enemy and make them more likely to catch you, rather than acting as a distraction.
Those are my only complaints, though they do affect the entire game and made it slightly less enjoyable for me.
That said, killing enemies is very satisfying. You can sneak or drop on them and murder them silently, perform headshots, kill them with explosives, magic skills or you can duel sword to sword, which is good fun.
Collecting runes, bone charms, blueprints and money allow you the chance to advance your skills and weapons, giving you an incentive to keep playing.
The game is set in relatively open levels and how you navigate them is up to you. You also have some optional side missions you can take on if you wish and further choices that stem from those missions. Performing these missions can bring rewards, new characters and twists in the plot, and (unlike many open world games) are well worth checking out.
Finding your way around is very easy. You simply follow the onscreen arrows (which you can activate or deactivate in the menu) which will guide you towards your destination. No complicated maps.
On the whole, Dishonored is a really good game and probably the best big budget game of 2012.