Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

40 to 100 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

Dishonoured captured my interest as soon as I saw the trailer. An assassin with magic running in a steampunk like setting. It looked truly amazing.

From the start I was engrossed in the world that had been created, a Victorian London like city during a time of a great revolution utilising whale oil as a fuel source. This same city gripped by the terrible fear and devastation caused by a plague akin to the Great Plague of the 1600's that affected most of Europe.

The story is revealed through numerous books and letters strewn about the levels combined with the overheard conversations of guards and citizens. I've heard some mention that the story itself is weak but personally, I think it's really good, incredibly immersive. If not the main plot, the world that it has been placed into. I could go for hours exploring the many aspects of the world. But since I'm only allowed to review the gameplay bar a short intro, I might go into that later in a blog.

Each level is designed to have many ways to approach any situation let alone the targets at the end of each mission. Whether you wish to cross a street via lamp post hopping or take the Weeper (infected people) infested tunnels, the choice is up to you. The levels are very dynamic to suit the different play styles of the players and accommodate a range of methods. Mass murder or never to be seen are both equally valid and accessible ways to complete a mission. However, there is a chaos factor that affects the ending of the game which is determined by the number of deaths per level. So if you kill everyone, prepare for a high chaos rating where the last level will be very different from the opposite end of the spectrum, the low chaos. Even in the other levels, the chaos level has an effect. With a high chaos, the streets will be teeming with weepers and rats and the guards will be more wary.

The magical abilities that are incorporated into the game merge perfectly with the non-magical aspects. They open up a new dynamic to the game and allow for some really creative kills and sneaking. From a simple teleportation to possessing your enemies, the avenues of game play are varied. You can play through the levels many times and each time it could be different.

As well as the main targets that you have to eliminate on way or another (there are non-lethal options) there are many side missions that you can do for various people of the streets on the run up to the target. While the world is not an open one (although if dishonoured 2 would be then it would be fantastic) it is a sandbox world where your actions affect many aspects and as long as you remain in the level, you can wander around as you please.

My favourite thing about the game, I have to say, is the world it's set in. I am a big sucker for wanting to know everything about a world, especially when it's as well crafted as this one.

If I have to point out a negative thing it would be that the story nicely closed off so a sequel would be difficult to make. I've thought through a number of possible storylines but none would fit properly with the world created and I would love to see another game.