We did the first one, might as well do it's sequel. 😁
I'll reiterate my general feelings on the franchise. Immersive Sims as they are called, are my one of my favorite genres. 💯 And while it might sound like heresy to the Deus Ex fandom, I believe none does it better than Dishonored. The first game was good, but the second? Bigger, better, bolder.
It's also fitting that I'm covering this game after Cyberpunk, since it too suffered greatly from a rushed launch. Another great title, hampered by greedy suits. 🤑 What can you do...
We can still praise Arkane and the hard working devs that brough us this gem, however. Therefore❗️ In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we'll be looking at Arkane's immersive sim masterpiece from 2016: Dishonored 2, Roll it! 📽
As is the way of things, we start off by sharing the game's soundtrack. And this one oozes theme and story with every note. I recommend you take a listen while reading.
I'll be honest, my heart sank when i saw this game released back in 2016... has it really been 6 years? I feel like I played this game yesterday... This also saddens me since it seems this entry, along with its expansion, are the last releases in the Dishonored franchise. 😭
I LOVE EVERYTHING about these games. Specially this second one. Game design, level design, story, character progression. The whole kit and caboodle times 10! It takes everything that was good from the first game and amps it up to 11. // see what I did there? No? Probs didn't do anything then...
Some might say it's way shorter than the first game, which is technically true. But the game is meant for you to play it twice. And it does a good job in motivating you to do so. We will talk about this in detail, but first we have to talk about that aforementioned launch. 😬
How many great games must be chopped in half before these greedy executives understand? Quarterly earnings have killed more games than any crunch or ineptitude ever has. 😪 This one hurts especially since I'm so connected with this franchise. Because of fruitless greed, we will probably never see another entry. So was it worth it in the end suits??
This game needed at least another 3 months MINIMUM in the oven. But of course that would've placed it in the next earning call. Also a release in January. And we all know people don't spend money in the beginning of the year blahblah 🤢
The primary reason for the delay ion production was Arkane's new proprietary engine - the VOID engine. Every problem stemmed from integrating this new technology. After a couple of months, the game was patched, and repatched, and the problems were generally solved... But the damage wad done...
I know that earning calls, and market cycles, and release window strengths are all real things, and real factors for success. But you know what's the most important factor for success that these suits don't get? QUALITY!
Enough talking about worthless executives, it's just making me mad. 😡😅
Dishonored 2 can be played through two perspectives. Yes. The entire game. There is a critical choice at the very beginning that sets you off either as the protagonist of the previous game, or as his daughter, Emily. Between the two of us, Emily's route feels like the canon story. 🙃
The playable character is now voiced. Which adds a lot to a lot. However, Corvo was voiceless in the first game. Playing as him now with a voice actor attached to him feels...disjointed, somewhat.
Both characters have unique abilities, unique skill sets, unique dialogue, unique outlooks on what's happening. It's pretty cool. 😎 This duality is further enforced by the patantet Chaos system, which at this point is a franchise staple. I talked about it in the previous game's section so we'll just sum it up quick:
You kill, things are bad. You don't, things are good.
There's more to it than that. 😅 But for the sake of brevity let's just say the game changes quite substantially dependant on how bloody you decide to be.
You thought the first game was well designed? Oh buddy.........
Ability design: superb, creative. Level design: varied, complex. Graphic design: unique, recognizable. Beautiful. Each and every element of this game is beautiful.
The combat is still so-so by modern standards, but its serviceable. You are doing yourself a disservice 🥁 playing this game "guns blazing" anyway. But its there if you want to.
In stealth is where the game truly shines. You can tackle each mission in such a vast variety of ways that it DEMANDS you do a second playthrough.
And of course, all the immersive sim elements are present.
What is most impressive to me is the Level Design. Each level was made by a different designer. This created a different feeling for each. A different gimmick. Each more crazy and unique than the last. Finding everything in a single layer take hours, and by the end of it you feel exhausted. 😅
This is why I disagree to the people that say this game is short. Sure. You can finish it in under 8 hours if you just monkey-brain it and rush forward. But if you take your time, this game's content is nuanced, well placed, and provocative. It will take you down several rabbit hole which are vast and treacherous to go through. // treacherous for your time management, of course.
The best immersive sim ever made. Easy. And a franchise ended too soon. I'm still holding on for hope that it one day returns, but I doubt it. Arkane has gone on to make Deathloop, another immersive sim plagued by development hell and mismanagement. I love this studio for that very reason, however. We need mad scientists like Arkane to show us the potential of gaming. 😌
With that being said, this is a gamer's game. The true definition of when people were dreaming of what games could be back in the dawn of time. 😁 Options stacked on decisions stacked on player choice. Amazing. I only regret its abrupt end due to means outside the developers control.
Anyone that hasn't tried this gem I implore you to do so. You will get lost in the breathtaking world design and complex levels. The plethora of choice given to the player is a breath of fresh air. And should be experienced by all.
Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
Ok, so on a more personal note. I really hope Arkane escapes the oppressive thumb of Bethesda. They never wanted to call Pray, Pray. They never wanted to rush Dishonored. They never wanted to make Deathloop as it was. Creativeness incarnate sabotaged by corporate greed - a tale as old as time.
Going independent is no joke. Far from it. But Arkane has proven themselves time and again, surely they could scrounge up some investors? 😬 I know the potential of this team and it hurts my soul to see them mistreated so. There have been worse developer/publisher relations in the past, but there ahve also been a lot better. Maybe they should just join Sony or something. I don't know. 😅
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Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a nice day. 🙌