Game Review: Dishonored

Dishonored is an immersing first-person action game that casts you as a supernatural assassin driven by revenge. With Dishonored's flexible combat system, creatively eliminate your targets as you combine the supernatural abilities, weapons and unusual gadgets at your disposal. Pursue your enemies under the cover of darkness or ruthlessly attack them head on with weapons drawn. The outcome of each mission plays out based on the choices you make.

Features: 

Improvise and Innovate
Approach each assassination with your own style of play. Use shadow and sound to your advantage to make your way silently through levels unseen by foes, or attack enemies head-on as they respond to your aggression. The flexible combat system allows you to creatively combine your abilities, supernatural powers and gadgets as you make your way through the levels and dispatch your targets. Improvise and innovate to define your play style.

Action with Meaning
The world of Dishonored reacts to how you play. Move like a ghost and resist corruption, or show no mercy and leave a path of destruction in your wake. Decide your approach for each mission, and the outcomes will change as a result.

Supernatural Abilities
Teleport for stealth approaches, possess any living creature, or stop time itself to orchestrate unearthly executions! Combining your suite of supernatural abilities and weapons opens up even more ways to overcome obstacles and eliminate targets. The games upgrade system allows for the mastery of deadly new abilities and devious gadgets.

A City Unlike Any Other
Enter an original world envisioned by Half-Life 2 art director Viktor Antonov. Arkane and Bethesda bring you a steampunk city where industry and the supernatural collide, creating an atmosphere thick with intrigue. The world is yours to discover.

Dishonored
Release Date:October 12, 2012
Platforms: PC || XBOX360 || PS3
Rating: 5/5 stars
Buy: Amazon (UK) || Amazon (US)

Review:

I don't know if you have heard the rumors about me being the Shadow but if you have it is pretty much true... I like two things, stealth and money, and maybe gadgets, some gadgets are always cool.

Storyline:
So in this game we take the role of Corvo, the royal protector, I know it sounds a bit like a condom brand but whatever, no title that has royal in it is shameful ! Royal protector means mainly that we are the royal families head bodyguard which is all fun and play until the queen is killed and her daughter is kidnapped by the assassins. What makes things even worse is that the queen's general and master spy are in on the assassination and blame Corvo for the queen's death. Luckily for us an underground resistance, a bunch of creepy old dudes and angry ladies if you ask me, has been formed that frees Corvo from his jail right before his execution. And then a valiant quest for revenge and the princess's salvation is starting. Well it may have some not so shiny points of black magic and blood but still pretty much valiant...

Gameplay: 
The gameplay reminded me of another all time favorite game of mine, Thief : Deadly Shadows. We take the role of a former bodyguard that became an assassin and playing the game we really feel like him. The really amazing thing here is that we can approach this quest from many different angles, we can kill every last one of the enemies, or the innocent bystanders too if we like ^^, we can just put everyone to sleep or we can avoid them completely and pass undetected. To top that our choices are saved and the city is affected, the more murderous and "dark" Corvo is the more corrupted and chaotic the city gets. The final thing I have to mention is how easy the controls are ! I could use three different spells and shoot with my crossbow a sniper targeting me within four seconds. 

Graphics:
The graphics are amazing. Even playing it on medium configuration the graphics were awesome. The liquid motions, especially the blood, felt so lifelike that enhanced the whole "feeling like Corvo" experience. I really had guilty conscience after killing an innocent bystander by accident... I noticed one or two glitches though, nothing game breaking but I had to use my dash ability to escape it and continue the game.

Characters:

This not a chapter I usually deploy in my reviews but it is a must in this game. So the main character is Corvo as we already know, the dishonored royal protector but enough about him, lets see the other characters. 

The Queen:  Even though her role is pretty limited in the game, only in the introduction I regarded her as a very wise person despite her young age. She managed to hold a city ravaged by a plague in full functioning order and that is a great achievement for a monarch, believe me, I have kill a few of them...

The Princess: I think she is actually the most lovable character in the game. She is always trying to entertain Corvo, whom I think she has a crush on, even at the times she is the one in need of cheering up. She is also admirably willpowered. Her mother was murdered and she was kidnapped and she still is smiling and studying so she can be a beacon of hope and courage to anyone around her. All that character development makes the player really want to protect her from any harm.

Piero: He is the rebel scientist, the garden variety creepy old dude when fused with a semi-mad scientist with unlimited resources. I was just happy to be his ally. His function in the game is building all the awesome gadgets Corvo uses. He can built grenades, mines, crossbows, guns, blades and my favorite gadget, Corvo's mask. The Mask has a built in magnifying glass that can zoom in three levels making every long ranged you are holding accurate like a sniper rifle, especially the crossbow.

The Outsider: This one is a bit of the mystery. He is the source of all magic. He appears to certain chosen people and gifts them with his mark enabling them to use a portion of his powers. The Outsider is believed to be immortal and always watching the world of humans for a different dimension in which time and space has no existence. He is worshiped by many as a god and he is feared by all as a demon. His powers are believed to be unlimited but noone has ever seen him using any powers. His black void eyes makes him a being that inspires both fear and respect. Every time he appeared I was looking right into his eyes, so focused that sometimes I missed what he was saying...

Those are the five more important characters according to my opinion but there are many more characters in the game that have pretty strong background stories. Almost every main character, including the assassination targets, have a personal story that makes the player connect to a degree with them.

Overall I would say that this game is legendary. It is in my top 10 games for PC ever released list right bellow Thief: Deadly Shadows. So what are you waiting for people, go buy the game, the princess is being tortured in there !