T
he Dishonored games are often described
as being about choice, but it might be
more fitting to say they are about
judgement. After all, when you make
decisions in Dishonored, you aren’t simply
selecting from a list of potential actions, as you would
order a dish from a takeaway menu. Instead, those
decisions are always made with a view to their
potential consequences. What’s the best way to clear
out this room? Or what’s the best way to sneak
through it? How should I kill this person? Actually,
should I kill them at all?This notion of judgement is most evident in the
assassination targets Corvo and Emily pursue in each
mission, who can be dispatched via lethal or nonlethal
methods. Dishonored 2
never guides players
toward one option or the
other, yet throughout each
level are documents,
recordings and other
environmental details that
provide insight into that
character’s life and
personality, helping
players judge for
themselves the best way to
deal with their target.
Yet beyond these key imperial conspirators is an
Empire bustling with criminals and rogues. The cities of
Dunwall and Karnaca are prowled by corrupt guards and
thuggish gangsters, while all manner of thieves and killers
hide in plain sight among the Empire’s citizenry.
Hence, what if we extrapolated Dishonored’s core
mechanic across every citizen in Dishonored 2, dispensing
justice like a whalepunk Judge Dredd? That’s my plan for
this run of Dishonored 2. I will be the judge, jury and
executioner for all of Karnaca, safeguarding the innocent
and killing the guilty.
My first judgement is simple, who to play as. For this
run, I’m going to play as Corvo. While I think Emily’s
powers are more interesting, particularly the wonderful
Domino, a couple of Corvo’s abilities, namely Possession
and Slow Time, are more useful for manipulating and
eliminating individual targets in crowded environments.“FORGIVENESS ISN’T MY SPECIALITY”
For the first mission, however, I’ll have to exact my
judgements sans powers, or much of anything really.
Emily has been overthrown by the witch Delilah and her
lapdog the Duke of Serkonos, while I’ve been locked
inside Emily’s private chambers by the traitorous captain
of the guard, Mortimer Ramsey. In addition to treason,
I’ve just watched Ramsey cold-bloodedly murder one of
the Watch’s lieutenants, so I’m feeling unambiguous about
what his fate is going to be.
The same goes for the four of Ramsey’s guards lurking
inside the palace. As I start prowling the halls, I see that
there are bodies everywhere, far more than Ramsey could
have killed on his own. These “traitorous dogs” as Corvo
himself puts it, are clearly Ramsey’s most trusted aides, so
I feel little regret as I sneakily cut them down. Ramsey
isn’t long for the world,
either. I hide behind a stack
of shelves as he heads to
unlock Emily’s vault, and
shish kebab him through
the shoulder as he passes.
With everyone inside
dead, I head to the streets.
Out here, I’m less certain
about how to deal with the
guards. The streets are
littered with dead civilians
and watchmen loyal to Emily. Clearly Dunwall is ripe
with murderers, but I’ve no idea who’s done what.
As I cross the rooftops to the palace gate, a sergeant
declares to his men that, “We’re in this with the Duke, sink
or swim.” I decide to help them all sink with the addition
of several new orifices. For the remainder of the level, I
resolve that my priority needs to be to get out of Dunwall
with my skin intact. If I can sneak past the guards, fine,
but if they attack me, all bets are off. Without my powers,
skulking around is tricky, and I get into several messy
fights. The only considered judgement I make is to put a
bullet in a sergeant about to murder a local journalist.
“Forgiveness isn’t my speciality,” Corvo tells the journalist
afterward, a fitting motto given what I have planned.HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
In the end, I escape Dunwall leaving 13 guards dead.
Considering the situation, I’m okay with this, but I wouldTHE RULES
1
Judge the actions of
NPCs using clues
from the Heart.
2
Only kill NPCs with
clear evidence of
wrongdoing.
3
A High Chaos
rating must be
avoided if possible.
DUNWALL IS RIPE
WITH MURDERERS,
BUT I’VE NO IDEA
WHO’S DONE WHAT
have preferred a less chaotic start.
Thankfully, after a visit from the
Outsider, I get my powers back. More
importantly still, I get the Heart.
The Heart of a Living Thing is the
most important tool in this approach
to playing Dishonored 2. Its purpose is
to guide you toward upgrades, but if
you right-click on an NPC with the
Heart equipped, it will tell you that
person’s innermost secrets. With the
Heart, I’m no longer reliant on
appearances. I can see right into
people’s souls; quite useful for a
self-appointed judge of humankind.
Newly empowered, I step onto
Karnaca docks for the first time.
Officially I’m on the trail of the
Crown Killer, which leads toward an
old Solarium known as the
Addermire Institute. But I have
plenty of other work to do en-route,
starting right here, on the jetty.EXTRA LIFE
NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I DIARY (^) I REINSTALL I WHY I LOVE I M U S T P L A Y
Can I ask you a question? Do you
think my sword is sharp enough?