Dishonored 2 Review

Version reviewed - PS4

I bought Dishonored 2 on the day of release, much like I did with the original Dishonored, and much like the original Dishonored I didn't play it for months as I was finishing off other games.

Also, much like the original Dishonored, I had an absolute blast playing Dishonored 2. Four full runs (with more to come) later I think I have enough experience in the game to review it fairly, probably had enough after just two runs but I wanted to make sure I gave it a fair shake.

For the purposes of this review, I will be reviewing both the lethal/high chaos route and the ghost/low chaos route as I chose a different character for each. Not only will I be reviewing the game and it's different play styles, I will also be reviewing the characters of Corvo Attano and Emily Kaldwin keeping in mind and comparing that to how they were portrayed in the initial release of Dishonored.

Before we dive into the review proper I should explain exactly what Chaos is when referring to it in Dishonored and Dishonored 2. Chaos is an invisible stat and its level is dependant on how many people you kill in Dishonored. While in Dishonored 2 it's not only how many people you kill but WHO you kill. Some NPCs will have higher chaos ratings and some may very well have lower. Did you just shoot a loving father only trying to make ends meet full of crossbow bolts? Enjoy your higher chaos.

For my high chaos, and first run of the game I chose Emily Kaldwin, who is a new playable character. She is the Empress of the Isles, the daughter of current Royal Protector (and other player character) Corvo Attano. In the events of the first game, Emily (who is 10 years old during said events) watches her mother, the former Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, die and is kidnapped and subsequently rescued by Corvo.

Dishonored 2 takes place 15 years after the events of Dishonored. Emily has grown into a fine Empress, but on the anniversary of her mother's death an unexpected visitor arrives at Dunwall Tower, claiming to be the long lost sister of Jessamine. This guest is Delilah Kaldwin (formerly Delilah Copperspoon.) It doesn't take long for Corvo to be trapped in marble, Emily to be forcibly removed from the throne and forced to go on the run to figure out how to save her father and kingdom.

To do this, Emily meets up with Meagan Foster, a ship's captain and has a fated meeting with The Outsider, who is a being who lives in the Void and once every now and again will bestow supernatural powers on those he deems worthy, but in the case of Dishonored 2, these powers can be refused outright, where as in Dishonored they couldn't be straight up refused but could be ignored.

I won't go too much into the story because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to play it, I will say however that the overall story doesn't feel as good as the orignal game's story. There are some parts with weird pacing but all in all, it is still a strong story of redemption and reclamation of what's yours, after all the game's tagline was "Take Back What's Yours" (this was also the title of the first live action trailer.)

Emily's power set is vastly different from Corvo's, to me Emily's powers feel more fun to use, Far Reach is a better all around tool than Corvo'sBlink ability which is only used for movement, where as Far Reach can be upgraded to pull items and enemies towards you. This is a great new mechanic allowing for long range stealth takedowns or long range kills even if you have expended all your crossbow bolts/sleep bolts. Shadow Walk is actually a power I have yet to use but it allows Emily to take the form of a shadow beast and again can be used for stealthy takedowns and kills or to pass an area while remaining hard to detect. Mesmerise does exactly what it says on the tin, keeping enemies occupied with a shard of the void that can be summoned into being. The most fun power at Emily's disposal, however, is Domino which causes all who are affected by it to share the same fate, with upgrades this can cause 4 instant kills or KOs, and when chained with other powers such as an upgraded Far Reach can see 4 hopeless guards (or civilians if you're feeling extra naughty) fly to their doom.

The High Chaos playthrough will go a lot quicker than a Low Chaos playthrough and is what most players playing for the first time will achieve unless they purposely go out of their way to remain Low Chaos.Dishonored 2 doesn't try to force you to play one way or the other, you are free to play it your way, though there are achievements/trophies tied to each ending and for remaining undetected and not killing anyone.

My favourite way to play is high stealth, aiming for Low Chaos but this isn't always easy. I have found through my 4 runs of the game that Emily is better suited to stealth than Corvo, though there is a chance I'm just not using the powers to their full potential.

There is so much more I could say about Dishonored 2 but giving too much away would do this game a disservice. It would be better if you just went and played it yourself and what better time than now as there is a free trial available at the official the official Dishonored 2 website. As well as Dishonored: Death of the Outsider available next month which I will also be reviewing.