One of the most refreshing things about games of choice is that you don’t have to feel restricted to a single playthrough or a definitive storyline. That’s why I love Dishonored. The game leaves me to make the choices and determine my destiny in the grime city of Dunwall. Dishonored is a game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was first released in October 2012 and is available on MS Windows, PS 3, Xbox 380. PS4, and Xbox One. 

Unique Setting that Takes You Back to the Medieval Days

Dishonored is a single-player action-adventure game set in the 17th century in an industrial setting. Dunwall is a fishing town known for exporting whale oil to nearby cities. The city also uses whale oil to power its circuits. At first glance, you’ll only see a quiet city with people going about their business. But there is so much going on in the city that is far from normal. Dunwall is plagued by some sort of rat infestation that is constantly chipping on the city’s population. 

The rat plague is not the only wrong with the city, as Dunwall is also known for its corruption. Power grabbing and all kinds of political manipulations. The empress is suddenly killed during the struggle, and Convo, her bodyguard, plans to avenge her sudden death. Things got more complicated when he was framed and accused of killing his mistress. He was also projected to be a murderer, with his accusers urging the city to stay away from him and report him whenever they see him. 

You Don’t Have to Kill Anyone, but You Can 

I’ve played several games in this genre, and I naturally expected a lot of killings in Dishonored. To my surprise and relief, I found out that my character doesn’t have to kill a single enemy as there are many ways to get past the vicious guards. You can choose to avoid them or make them unconscious. You will get many assassination targets throughout the game, but the good news is that you don’t have to kill them as there are so many lethal options. 

If you prefer to kill your targets and enemies, you can also do so swiftly. If you wish, you could become a mass murderer and leave your mark in the city. I chose not to follow the killing part because every death had consequences. The more people you kill, the more rats you invite to the city. Your enemies will also release more guards to try to bring you down. Most importantly, killing people in the city makes for a darker conclusion. 

Some players may prefer an option that somehow sits in the middle. If you’re one of those players, there is a choice for you. You can make your targets disappear without killing them yourself. For instance, when you get an assassination target, you can choose to steal some money to pay other assassins in the Distillery District to help you get rid of the targets. Of course, some players may choose to kill the targets and keep the money for themselves.

Your Actions Affect the Outcomes

Although the system does not judge you as good or evil, it modifies your difficulty level based on the chaos of violence level. The system records the number of people you kill or the rate of violence you unleash on non-player characters (NPCs) and registers the number of times you use a friendly fire. Some NPCs do not like it when your character kills or achieves his objectives through violent means. Hence, such characters may choose not to help you or even expose you to enemies. 

Apart from the characters’ actions, the game system uses the chaos level to determine how many rats should plague the city, how many plague victims you will find in the city, and other factors ultimately affecting your mission. When you go through violence, you should get ready to experience tougher missions and more difficulty levels. Dishonored is much easier to play when you don’t kill, but it takes much longer to complete since killings and violence speed up the gameplay process.

Exploring the Various Powers and Abilities

You can combine multiple abilities throughout the gameplay to help you escape obstacles or defeat enemies. For instance, you can summon rats to help you delay time or attach a detonative device on the rats and send them close to your targets, after which you press the button. My favorite ability is, however, the teleportation powers that make it easy for me to reach enemies that are otherwise difficult to reach.

Dishonored has six active powers, four passive powers, and forty bone charms. The bone charms give players some supernatural abilities, like increasing the duration to possess rats. Dark Vision power helps you to see through walls or highlight different objects. Blink helps you teleport through short distances, and Possession helps you inhabit and control different animals. Other powers include Devouring Swam, Bend Time, Wind Blast, and Shadow Kill. However, you can also use normal weapons like grenades, swords, bows, and guns.

You Can’t Use all the Powers 

Although the powers and abilities are many, it is practically impossible to use all of them in a single gameplay. The reason for your inability to accrue all the powers is that you will need mana to use the powers and abilities. The mana must regenerate after each use. 

Although the mana regenerates a bit fast, you can only use it to enable your blink or dark vision powers. You will need the mana portion to use more complicated powers like time-bending or possession. The mana portions take so much time to regenerate, which limits your ability to use them. You can use runes – made from whale bones – to unlock supernatural powers. 

Conclusion

Dishonored is a game with so many levels and missions, which means you won’t get bored or run out of things to do. However, the greatest thing about the game’s design is that you can choose to play the game repeatedly, in different ways to give you a complete experience of the gameplay. Dishonored is a great game, especially for those who love action, adventure, or magical games.