Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

To be honest, I had moderate expectations for this game mechanically speaking. It looked so cool and the art style reminded me of games like Thief and Deus Ex. But with the ever-increasing number of games coming out using the now somewhat dated Unreal Engine 3, I couldn't help but think "whatever". I wanted this game to be awesome. I heard that some of the talent behind the Thief and Deus Ex teams were on board with Arkane and that had me chomping at the bit to finally see how it was going to be received by reviewers and players alike. Also, Arkane was responsible for both the excellent Arx Fatalis, and the less-than-excellent Dark Messiah, in addition to being teamed with Bethesda who released one of my favorite games Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, but always having a reputation for buggy games. So I didn't know what to expect in a finished project. But all I can say now is this: WOW! Not only does Dishonered have amazing art direction and graphics, it's stable, without a bug or a glitch in sight! It's a rock-solid effort. It's lengthy, involving, deep, and intelligent. There's a LOT of reading and lore available to you to sift through if you want, but none of which is forced or essential to completing or enjoying this lovely game. It's intelligent for people who want it to be, and quick and dirty for people who don't fancy a read whilst decapitating their victims. You're Corvo, a man framed for the murder of your empress and enlisted by a resistance group to both appoint the rightful heir to the throne, and clear your name. The smart thing about Dishonered is that you have options. There is no ultimate right path other than your required ultimate objective. What I mean is, you might be tasked with killing someone... that's it. There is no trial and error involved with accomplishing that task in order to find the "way the developers intended". This game is a sandbox, and it's so skillfully crafted that all you have to do is get to that final goal. How you do it is completely up to you. You can sneak, go head-on, use possession, hijack devices, or just run through the fray like an acrobat. You have skills that enhance each one of those options, and you can shape yourself to a playing style that you prefer. You can climb and jump on and up anything you can get to, not just some things that lead you to your goal. You can kill or save civilians with varying degrees or penalties, but none that prefer you to choose one way or the other. Corvo has supernatural powers at his disposal that can only be enhanced by finding runes and bone charms scattered throughout secret places in the game world. Powers like possessing rats, dogs, and eventually humans, teleportation, infrared vision, stealth enhancements, etc. There is no "illusion" of freedom in Dishonered. There is no correct, scripted way to accomplish your goals. Missions are designed to cater to YOUR actions, not to force you to cater to their requirements. You shape the world and are only shaped yourself by your inability to use what you have at your disposal creatively and effectively. When Dishonered gives you lemons, you can make ginger ale and come out of it in one piece successfully. I've had times when I barely made it out alive, and only by sheer luck with a sliver of health. But I made it, and had I done things another way, I might have saved a ton of ammo, health, and money, or not had to use any at all. You can complete any mission without killing anyone, or you can butcher everyone on the map if you desire. And by doing so you might earn some nifty new items. That is what Dishonered is all about, and that is what makes it so addicting and fun. It's your world to do with as you like. It is so refreshing to have that freedom, free from the illusions most modern stealth games give you. And if you don't believe in that freedom, play the game for yourself and see it. You're not liquid in a funnel, ultimately forced down a narrow path to success, you're floating in a glass trying to get up that funnel by any means you can. There's no point in spoiling the game or explaining the finer details, because the discovery of those things is the glory of Dishonered. Do yourself a favor and put aside the big publisher name and review hype and appreciate the fact that this game is one of those rare accomplishments that both succeeds in living up to its hype, and delivering a memorable, high-quality gaming experience. Now go kill some rats!