An improvement over Dishonored 1 in every way, except the story. The game has a very good sense of movement, melee combat is shockingly good for a first person experience, the non-lethal approach actually makes sense this time, and the power fantasy is more apparent than ever. It excels at responding to player choice, but the way it responds narratively may leave a lot to be desired if you're used to RPGs. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in gameplay being driven by the player.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys the narrative potential of the videogame format, this game is for you. The writing and characters shine, with plenty of memorable moments. My only complaint is that getting around can be a slog the second or third time around, and besides dialogue there is not a whole lot to do gameplay-wise. But if you are willing to accept such compromises for an awesome genre aware supernatural story, a fantastic concept, an engaging mystery, and an absolute god-tier soundtrack, I cannot recommend this enough.
This game is deceptively simple and surprisingly compelling. It is probably the most refined and polished game I've ever played, with not a single aspect that doesn't contribute to the experience. From the bite-sized combat that respects your time, to the puzzle-like challenge that respects your intellect, this game gets more and more fun as you engage with the mechanics. The sprinkling of story and characters feels sparse, but very memorable. The sheer focus and originality of this game is something to be lauded. It successfully delivers a fun turn based experience even when you know what the enemy is going to do.
Dishonored is a game that feels at odds with itself. You're given one heck of a power fantasy, but you're rarely allowed to use half of that power if you want to use it for good. By structuring the entire game around chaos, and how violent actions will give a bad ending, the gameplay sure doesn't let you be non-lethal unless you do the same old crouchwalk and choke technique. This is a problem rectified in the sequel game, which gives you way more options of keeping your hands clean. But apart from that, this game is very good. They absolutely nailed all the fundamentals. The traversal feels satisfying as hell, the AI is exactly the right amount of stupid, and the way the game responds to player actions (both within and outside of scripted events) feels very robust. For these reasons alone Dishonored becomes a game more than worthy of the time and money it asks of the player.
The graphics are outdated, there is no widescreen support or controller support out the box, and the camera is a little annoying. But the atmosphere, charm, and gameplay still hold up. A short and sweet experience, definitely worth checking out on sale if you are interested in action-platformers, or want to experience a stone cold classic.
