The main story is pretty straightforward, but to me, the real fun was in discovering the lore of this world and the backstories of the characters. None of it is spoon-fed to you nor is it compulsory. If you love exploring this beautiful steampunk world as I do, then you can talk with the characters, read books and letters scattered all around the world, or simply listen in to what people say. But if you would rather get right into the action, you can absolutely do so without having to go through long cutscenes every 5 minutes or doing mandatory tailing missions and escort missions. I love how flexible this game is in that regard.
Speaking of action, the supernatural powers were SO much fun. There are two characters to choose from and they both have their own sets of powers. All the powers are available to you from the start and you can choose which ones to unlock and upgrade depending on how you want to play: Whether you want to be a silent assassin or a brute warrior who comes knocking down the front door.
This time there’s also the option not to have powers. I was so surprised that it was just as fun. Relying completely on weapons and wits added a new layer of challenge.
The level design is amazing. Each mission has something really unique to offer, whether it’s a new enemy type or a gameplay mechanic that’s exclusive to that mission. Each mission has its own map and it offers various ways to navigate the terrain and reach the objectives. I played this game 3 times now, and I still keep finding new paths.
Your choices actually matter. Whether you choose to be a pacifist, a bloodthirsty killer, or something in between, you get to see firsthand how the consequences of your actions have an effect on the world and the characters.
This is a minor detail, but one thing I appreciate in all Dishonored games is how sparse and valuable the collectibles are. We see so many open-world games that have thousands of collectibles scattered all around the map and they offer very little in return. This game on the hand has very few collectibles in each mission, and they are directly tied to the gameplay. With money you can upgrade your weapons and buy ammunition, with runes you can unlock new powers, and bonecharms add different boosts. Because of how rare these are, you have to be very decisive on which powers and weapons you wish to unlock; depending on how you want to play.
As a sequel, I think this offered the right amount of new content. Often we see sequel games that are either a carbon copy of the original, or try to bloat the game with so much schlock just for the sake of being “Bigger and Better”. This game for me had the right balance; especially with introducing a new character with her own set of powers.
I can’t stress enough how much I recommend this entire series. It has been really long time since I played video games and I’m so glad this is one of the first I played recently.
Rate: 10/10
