Dishonored 2

Dishonored 2, a first-person action-adventure game from Arkane Lyon and Bethesda Softworks, launched in 2016 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. It continues the story from the 2012 original. After the witch Delilah Copperspoon overthrows Empress Emily Kaldwin, players control either Emily or her father, Corvo Attano, the Royal Protector, on a mission to win back the throne. The game’s nonlinear design offers many ways to finish missions, ranging from non-lethal stealth to outright violence. Each character has their own set of supernatural powers, though players can choose to ignore them entirely.

The idea for the sequel emerged during work on the first game’s downloadable content. This led to giving Corvo a voice, after he was silent in the original. The timeline advanced when Emily, a child in Dishonored, was suggested as a playable character. The game’s look was shaped by art, sculpture, architecture, fashion, and technology from around 1851. Its setting, the fictional city of Karnaca, was based on Larnaca in Cyprus, with additional inspiration from Mediterranean countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain. The voice cast includes Rosario Dawson, Sam Rockwell, Robin Lord Taylor, Jamie Hector, and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Critics praised Dishonored 2 for improvements over its predecessor, such as more demanding stealth, the flexibility of Emily and Corvo’s abilities for different playstyles, creative mission designs, the world’s realization, and the artificial intelligence. The storyline was criticized for lacking focus, and the PC version had technical problems at launch. The game won Best Action/Adventure Game at the 2016 Game Awards and Costume Design at the 2017 NAVGTR Awards. It is now often considered one of the greatest games ever made. A standalone sequel, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, came out in 2017.

Gameplay

Dishonored 2 is a first-person action-adventure game with stealth elements. After a prologue where players control Empress Emily Kaldwin, they choose to play as either Emily or Corvo Attano, the protagonist from the first game. Side missions unlock alternative assassination methods, non-lethal options, and new paths through the main mission. Both characters use a pistol, crossbow, retractable blade, grenades, and mines, all of which can be upgraded.