Dishonored 2

Dishonored 2 is the sequel to the bestselling combination of stealth and FPP action game released in 2012. As before, the game is set in a fictional world inspired by the Industrial Revolution period, which combines elements of magic and steampunk with the industrial aesthetics of the late 19th and early 20th century. The PC, PS4 and XONE versions are once again the result of a collaboration between French studio Arkane (also known for the 2006 action game Dark Messiah of Might & Magic) and publisher Bethesda Softworks, owner of such brands as The Elder Scrolls and Fallout.

The PC edition features, traditionally, a rich set of configuration options (such as support for high resolutions), as well as slightly more polished graphics than the console editions. The latter may be overlooked, however, given Dishonored 2's distinctive visual style.

Story

The action of Dishonored 2 takes place 15 years after the events presented in the first installment of the series. Corvo Attano returns as the main protagonist, but he is also joined by Emily Kaldwin, the rightful heir to the imperial throne and Attano's daughter. The story is no longer set solely in Dunwall, the capital of the island empire ruled by the Kaldwin family, as it was in its predecessor, but in the warm south, in the city of Karnaka, seat of the Duke of Serkonos Island. The protagonists find themselves there, forced to flee far from Dunwall after Emily is viciously stripped of her crown by the witch Delilah (known from two Dishonored DLCs). Arriving in Karnaca, the heroes begin to unravel a network of conspirators and search for a way to restore the young empress to the throne.

Mechanics

In the prologue we have to make a choice if we want to start the game as a young ruler or if we prefer to jump back into the shoes of the protagonist from the first Dishonored - Corvo Attano. Although the story is roughly the same for both characters (the discrepancies are really small), the decision is important because there is no way to change it - the second protagonist is imprisoned in Dunwall, and you can reincarnate him only in the next approach to the campaign. Each character is played a little differently due to a different set of available magical powers and different dialogue (this time Corvo received a voice actor, Stephen Russell, known mainly as Garrett from the older parts of the Thief series).

The gameplay itself has not changed much from the previous installment of the series. In Dishonored 2 on PC, PS4 and XONE the fun still comes down to completing quests, the structure of which is reminiscent of the aforementioned Thief games. We are put in front of various objectives, which often include stealthy killings, but the way of completing them depends entirely on us - we have a lot of freedom in deciding which path we will take to get to the indicated place in the vast location, dealing with guards (killing them in open combat, silent killing, stunning, evading, etc.), searching for additional information, dealing with the enemy and finding out what they want. ), searching for additional information, dealing with optional guidelines, and whether we murder our victims or get rid of them in a bloodless way. The game can be completed without killing anyone - including the conspirators designated to be shot. The game promotes exploration - scrambling around in the nooks and crannies of the game's expansive environments not only allows you to discover alternative ways to complete story missions, but also unlock side quests and uncover hidden tidbits that harken back to the story of the first Dishonored.

Rather than trying to revolutionize and turn upside down the universally praised solutions from its predecessor, the developers have merely evolved the familiar mechanics. In Dishonored 2, the environments we visit have become noticeably larger and richer in options, and the chaos system (which evaluates the aggressiveness of the player's actions) has been tweaked to more precisely monitor the protagonist's actions and determine their consequences in more ways (this primarily affects the protagonists' dialogue issues and the overall atmosphere and ending of the adventure). In addition, the mechanics of developing characters' powers and the arsenal of available equipment (such as bullets to disrupt mechanical guards or bolts to force the target to flee) have been expanded, allowing the user to personalize their approach to the game.

Game modes

Like its predecessor, Dishonored 2 offers a single-player campaign only - no co-op mode is included. However, there is ample opportunity to customize the difficulty of the combat. In addition to four levels that determine how vigilant and murderous the enemies are, the game also offers a form of gameplay without the possibility to use superhuman powers. We get this option after completing the prologue.

Technical issues

Dishonored 2 on PC, PS4 and XONE platforms presents a visual style similar to its predecessor, although due to the fact that it was developed for the eighth generation of consoles and modern computers, the graphics have been visibly tweaked. The artificial intelligence was also improved, which manifested itself primarily in smarter behavior of guards. For example, they can now notice that their comrades have left their posts or notice the disappearance of a valuable item and start searching for it.

Other information

The developers responded to players who complained that the first part was too easy, and introduced a solution along the lines of 2014's Thief - in Dishonored 2 there are a number of additional gameplay modifiers with which you can fine-tune the game to make it challenging. These include field of view and sentry alertness, as well as visibility of target markers and other interface elements.