Dishonored

I've never really liked the concept of stealth games. Sneaking around, trying to avoid attention… probably with frequent reloading of quicksaves until you make it through the more challenging sections unnoticed. It just seemed like a chore.

But I really enjoyed Dishonored. In the past, I've equated stealth with a sense of fear. But in this game, you feel deadly and powerful from the shadows. I loved studying the brilliantly designed levels from stealth- watching patrolling guards and scanning for alternate routes to your objective. Deciding how to approach the obstacles before me.

This game is filled with choices, after all. There are large choices- deciding the fates of prominent Dunwall citizens- but you are constantly making small choices as you progress through the game. I started out intending to be a ruthless assassin, but after murdering the high overseer and Pendleton's brothers- and being rewarded with extremely satisfying slow-motion kill animations- I found myself gravitating toward the non-lethal options.

This is probably a reflection of how invested I was becoming in the city of Dunwall. And let me make it clear that this is the game's biggest strength in my view- the setting. A dirty, plague-ridden, early industrial city with a dose of occult magic thrown in- all of it beautifully imagined. And there's this undercurrent of sorrow brought on by heavy reliance on whale oil, along with a general uncertainty about the future. This is great world building… it may not have quite the depth of the first Bioshock or Mass Effect, but visually, it is unforgettable.

My only real complaint is that the characters themselves were less than memorable, and the game's twist was a bit weak. But this isn't an RPG, and I'm glad it didn't try to be one.

All in all, Dishonored offers great stealth-based gameplay, elevated by one of the most memorable settings I've experienced in recent years.

The storyline is a perfect blend of linearity and freedom. Yes, you're going to get to the same point in the end, but you get to choose how. Are you going to rampage? Or slip through the levels unnoticed, killing only when absolutely necessary? Or a mix of the two? The level design is amazing. and while 2012 animation looks a bit dated now, the game is still beautiful. Definitely worth a playthrough, well worth $9.99. Only bad thing I can say is that it is disappointingly short.

This game is so original and this kind of stealth game its pretty rare. The level design is so good and its a pleasure to visit all part of it and avoid ennemies. The story is pretty strong and make us want to know the end. Very nice game. We dont see this very often.

I think this game should be praised more for its immersive and compelling story rather than being a game itself. But of course I'm a huge fan of the revenge genre.

Still I think everything was done right from the intro to the ending because this just one of those games I would say gets you more interested into whatever is going on in their world rather than interactive gameplay, which definitely complements the whole revenge thing because revenge definitely needs a solid story.

It wasn't too long and not too short, because the game is pretty straight forward in what you have to do, and has a few RPG elements in it. Especially if you decide to be good or bad.

Oh and Michael Madsen should be added to the cast because his voice acting was awesome!

Dishonored is essentially a stealth-action-sandbox that does multiple things and succeeds in all of them beautifully. The dark dystopian steampunk setting is unique and fully realized with so much emphasis on details and lore that it's almost exhausting. Every level, every piece of environment, every location, book, npc is there for a reason.

The story is pretty much a political assassination thriller that you serve as the biggest piece of, your actions influencing where the story goes and how certain characters act. The levels also evolve based on how many people you kill, and again, it is perfectly fitted to the setting. More people killed equals more corpses, which leads to more unhygienic living, which leads to more sick people, for this you need more security etc etc.

While the story and the characters themselves are interesting, they are a bit lacking due to the voice acting being not that amazing. Sometimes it feels borderline robotic.

The most important part of this game is obviously though the gameplay, which is just great. Both the stealth and action mechanics are fully fledged and this combined with the brilliant level design makes for one of the most replayable single player campaigns out there.

The supernatural abilities are very unique and fun to use, and the tools at your disposal allow for some very gruesome encounters. Or not, if you don't want to. You can beat the entire game without killing or being seen by anyone. Player freedom and choice are the most important part of the gameplay. Whether you want to sneak past guards via a rooftop, straight up engage with them in awesome combat or possess a fish and swim away, it is all up to the player.

Excellence in every way.