Dishonored 2: Through difficult steps to capture the Crown Killer

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Building a new franchise and making it recognized by the gaming industry, whether from the media or gamers as consumers, is certainly not an easy task. Of so many projects that have been trying to penetrate the market over the last few years, the archetypal games of Arkane Studios and Bethesda - Dishonored are worthy of the title as one of the best. Apart from first-person glasses that make it may feel similar to other action games that take a similar point of view, Arkane manages to make it feel special. A game that not only gives you enough room to play, but also selects its own settlement method for each objective.

Arkane seemed to come with a mindset - not to try to fix something that was not wrong, something we welcomed well. The result? From the core of the basic game that he offers, you who have tasted the first Dishonored will get a familiar sensation. But not just repeat the same formula of success, they also inject some new gameplay innovations such as two-character system with different skills from each other and also level design that now open up a lot of space for the exploration and implementation of a varied style of play. We are talking about designs that even allow you to complete this game without relying on any power at all.

So what exactly is being offered by Dishonored 2? Why do we call it a proper sequel series? This review will discuss it more deeply for you.

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Dishonored 2 itself is a direct sequel to the first Dishonored series. 15 years after the first event, Emily Kaldwin eventually grew into an adult woman sitting on a Dunwall throne. And beside him, faithful father stood Corvo Attano who also served as a protector and advisor as well. But this "beautiful dream" did not last forever. Because the "something" is gripping happening.

One that is quite confusing is the accusation that Emily has used oppressive powers to silence all her political opponents. A killer who earned the nickname "C rown Killer" rampant, making the accusation sound like something that has a pretty strong foundation. The highlight is when Duke of Serkonos - Luca Abele comes to attend the celebration of Emily's mother's death - Jessamine Kaldwin. He brought a magician named Delilah.

Delilah herself was not a "regular" person. Her presence in the throne room was solely to introduce herself as a sibling of Jessamine itself, which made her more deserving of the royal throne than Emily. No longer restrained, Delilah immediately attacked and freeze Emily / Corvo (depending on the character you chose) and did the coup. Dunwall falls and everyone who is loyal to Emily, ends tragically. Emily / Corvo now have to adventure alone to not only subdue Delilah, but also to save Emily / Corvo from the condition membatunya.

So, what kind of challenges should they face? Who exactly is Delilah? Can Emily / Corvo save Dunwall? You must play this game to get the answer yourself.

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One new system offered by Arkane in Dishonored 2 is an opportunity to play as Emily Kaldwin or Corvo Ottano, who in fact is the protagonist of the first series. Following an existing story, selecting one means it will keep you in one character until you finish the game. There is no chance to change in the middle of the game, no mission is designed to make you change and the like. The choice at the beginning will determine what you will get.

Either the news is good or bad for you, but regardless of which character you choose, you will also be faced with the same story and sequence. That there is no significant difference between what you will get as Emily and Corvo, other than just a reaction or some conversation with other characters. The same level design as well as similar challenges will accompany both, making your second playthrough if you are interested in completing one more character will present with a familiar sensation. So, what's the difference?

As promised by Arkane himself, either Emily or Corvo comes with a different set of skills. Passive skills that you can activate by using Runes you get are still the same, but the active skill set that you can use to get one or two strategic advantages in your action is quite different from each other. Emily has the ability like Domino to make an effect will automatically affect other targets that are bound to this power, while Corvo has the ability to stop time, for example. You have the freedom to choose which skills you want to activate, and each skill is also designed to ensure you can still play this game stealthally or frontally with any character.

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Emily and Corvo are also decorated with almost similar skills to each other, such as the ability to move quickly, for example. Emily has a capability called Far Reach and Corvo has Blink. But even for a skill like this, Arkane manages to make it different. As the name implies, Far Reach turns out to have an advantage on the distance side, which allows Emily to "jump" far enough from one point to another, while Blink takes a closer distance. But if combined with other Corvo skills, Blink also has a function that can not be ruled out. But as far as our impression is concerned, it is hard to deny that Emily did end up more suitable for non-lethal gameplay, while Corvo instead.

With a design like this, one that is supported is definitely a great replayability opportunity. The presence of two different characters and different skills is a door of great opportunity for gamers who will be compelled to finish this game, at least twice. Not only to try out the uniqueness of each character, but also try out a variety of play styles that can be taken.

First Similar First Serial Attraction

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"Do not fix something that is not broken", it seems so Arkane's main mindset when developing this Dishonored 2. Because if you must compare, the essence of his own gameplay is not much different from the first series. Arkane seems to understand what makes Dishonored so loved, defend it, and then enrich it in this second series. Because in the end, this is an open-world game that upholds one thing for sure - creativity.

The impression of open-world that he offers is not like games like Dying Light or Far Cry that instantly gives you a big world that you can explore directly with a variety of side missions in it. Like the first series, Dishonored 2 also keeps moving from one chapter to another in a linear line. You will be given a super clear objective about what you need to do to complete the chapter. Then, where is the open world? For each chapter you will be given a part of the city as a "playground" with a variety of platform challenges, enemies, and traps inside. The rest? It's up to you how to use this space to achieve that mission.

And the rest, is creativity. What you do to achieve the goals of each mission will depend on your own desires, and Arkane provides considerable space there. Do you have a great desire to kill? You can kill anyone you want to kill here. You who want to play without killing anyone, you also have space here. You want to get into the main place through a window? Can. You want to pass a big door in front of the eyes guarded by dozens of troops? Can. Or do you want to find another alternative door that is even safer? There's always a chance for that. In essence, Dishonored 2 is designed as an open world that provides so many alternative solutions to your problems. The question now, what do you want to do?

Because the design of the world in Dishonored 2 can be regarded as one of the best. We are not just talking about Steampunk-themed world that remains unique and beautiful viewed with the right atmosphere, but also the platforming design in it's own. Why? Because in the end Arkane must ensure that every place they offer can accommodate any choice that gamers take as Emily or Corvo with a row of existing skills. That there is always a solution to every problem regardless of whatever power you take / do not take. And from design like this, it is difficult not to give the highest appreciation.

As an example? Our first gaming session with Emily, for example, focused on completing this game without killing anyone. At the beginning, the power to just blink and read enemy motion through radar-like vision seems to be enough. But along with more Runes taken and an upgrade opportunity, we decided to take Domino's power that ended up making our non-lethal sleep arrows more effective when dealing with enemies in gangs. But will these missions not be solved if we do not choose one of these skills and decide to take another skill variant? Of course not. "There are many roads leading to Rome", and the proverb is applied by Arkane very well in their level design.

With this power, replayability becomes something even stronger in Dishonored 2. That the chance of getting a different playing experience is no longer reduced to the choice of only two characters - Emily / Corvo, but also what skill set you choose / do not select when playing one particular character. And there's no need to worry about what you choose / will not end up injuring your own playing experience.

You can indeed taste this game in lethal or non-lethal format which will each bring its own consequences. Too many kills, then you will make the Dishonored 2 world fall in "High-Chaos" status. Death brings sickness and rats. Although not directly see the impact when tested this path as Corvo, but most likely he will end up on what kind of ending you get or just the last setting in Dunwall. While you who are patient to play this non-lethal will be "rewarded" with Low-Chaos status. From our own personal perspective, non-lethal is the best alternative way to enjoy Dishonored 2.

The game design itself also opens space to ensure non-lethal playing style always has room there, even for boss battles though. To facilitate it, there is always a way to defeat the boss on every chapter without killing them, which will usually require you to take a step or two more to do so, including completing an existing side mission. The challenge is more effective here because sometimes you can get a wider perspective on what happens with the boss itself or how the conflict can be solved without bloodshed at all. Extra reasons, as we were before, to enjoy this game non-lethal before falling on your killing instinct. If you can not do it throughout the game, at least jajal this style of gameplay when only dealing with the existing boss.

The rest? Is utilizing a variety of equipment you have. In addition to the power you can maximize, each character will also be supported with a variety of equipment ready to change the course of the game. You can use Rewire items for example, to make the traps installed by the enemy now only react fatal to the enemy and not vice versa. Or if you want a bit more cruel, a trap that can make your enemies into instant porridge meat is also available to you who really love the smell of blood around you.

On the other hand, Dishonored 2 brings what is interesting and successfully applied in the first Dishonored, and then refines it with a level design that not only feels better than the atmospheric side, but supports different styles of play with each other. Skill choice will determine how fast you go through each challenge, but never end up being something absolute. A design that makes freedom and creativity an attraction.

If You Feel Your Hardcore Gamer

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If you feel all of our above explanations, let alone supported on a calculated mission design with pretty cool variations, making you who call yourself a "hardcore" gamer still not satisfied, then there is always an alternative to satisfy your thirst. In the first level, you can try to finish this game without killing anyone. If not satisfied, you can try to never kill anyone and never trigger suspicions NPC, which in the console even have a separate trophy. Still too weak for you? How about this.

Dishonored 2 offers one opportunity to not only make you a thirsty challenge to be slightly satisfied, but significantly alter the play experience and the essence of this game itself. He is also a testimonial about how cool design level offered in each chapter Dishonored 2 this. What is that? True, with only one option, you can play this game without using any power at all.

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Although we ourselves do not have the patience and skill to finish gameplay like this, but rationally, Arkane should also have thought carefully that the level they design should still be completed even by using any power. That in the end, the need to climb higher places now, for example, has to be done by walking just a pipe or a slightly protruding building wall. That there is no privilege between you and every enemy you face, or even inferred, you are always in an unfavorable position.

The fact that this bold mode offered Arkane Studios is no longer just proof that they are ready to facilitate the desire of hardcore gamers to bring their games to a high level, but also the confidence that all the designs they are injecting here - the world, the challenges, and the characters - are all may be solved without the use of force at all. A concept that deserves a thumbs-up.