Sequels seem to be very important when it comes to establishing a franchise. It’s either you please everyone’s expectations and you give them more of what they want, or you give them the exact opposite and a taste of disappointment in their mouths. What makes developing a sequel hard is not knowing what fans actually want. Take Dark Souls 2 for instance, which was highly anticipated when it was originally revealed. FromSoftware thought people liked the original Dark Souls mainly because it was difficult. Turns out FromSoftware didn’t understand, because people loved the original Dark Souls not because it was difficult but because it was rewarding and incredibly well designed. The combat was methodical, areas twisted into each other, and the world had tons of depth which made it intriguing to unravel. Dark Souls 2 took a step towards the opposite direction by being incredibly linear in world design, drilling plot holes into the lore of the first game setup, having a quantity over quality problem with the bosses, and incorporating gameplay elements that made the game more tough than fair.
Another good example of a bad sequel would include Destiny 2. The first Destiny already lacked a lot of content at launch and contained dozens of problems, and Bungie thought the best path to take Destiny 2 on was the exact same path as the first game. Then there’s The Last of Us: Part 2…. I don’t even think I have to explain this one. There are bad sequels once in a while, but a majority of the time there are good ones. The sequels where the developers knew what areas to improve in and expand upon the ideas the first game had. Mass Effect 2, Nioh 2, Doom Eternal, The Surge 2, Infamous 2, Hitman 2, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Titanfall 2, man that is a lot of twos. All of these sequels are great, but what is my personal choice for best sequel? Well I believe my choice for the perfect sequel is controversial, because fans of the series argue whether it’s better than the first game. My choice for the perfect sequel is Dishonored 2.
Now hear me out. The first Dishonored still remains to be a timeless masterpiece. Arkane Studios published it not knowing if it would do well, but it turns out their expectations were blown. Dishonored was an instant hit becoming one of the best selling games of 2012 and one of the best games of that year. When it came to the development for Dishonored 2, Arkane Studios split into two teams. One team in France was tasked to develop Dishonored 2 and the other team worked on the reboot for Prey. Which is also an incredible game if I may add. The team who worked on Dishonored 2 decided to listen to some of the criticisms the first game had. The first was considered too easy for some players and the moral choice system lacked depth due to how the player had no clue who could be considered a guilty person. The team also decided to use a custom made engine for Dishonored 2 rather than use the Unreal Engine. Dishonored 2 ran on the Void Engine which helped the game stand out more.
When Dishonored 2 was revealed in 2015 fans were pretty hyped. It had been more than three years since the first game came out and while the ending of the first game was near perfection it was possible to follow it up. Gameplay reveals for Dishonored 2 was pretty promising and the advertisement should have set the sequel up to sell better than the first. Everything was going great, but some bad things had to happen along the way. Bethesda Softworks, who are the publishers for all of Arkane’s work, decided to not release any review copies for the game. Featuring quotes from reviews or critics is kinda what helps promote players to buy your game. Dishonored 2 sold less copies than the first game, came out in late 2016 after other major releases from earlier in the year, and some fans criticized the choices the sequel made.
Which is sad to hear because Dishonored 2 is a f*cking good sequel. Arkane Studios did receive quite a bit of praise for Dishonored 2. Some fans said it was a huge step up from the first and it was considered one of the better Triple A games to come out in 2016. Looking back at Dishonored 2, I realized this game isn’t credited enough for what it achieved and in some ways it’s equally as good as the first. Maybe even better, that’s why I'm having a panic attack right now while writing this review because I'm about to go against a popular opinion. Dishonored 2 is the perfect example of how to do a video game sequel. Add enough to make the gameplay more refined than before, but don’t change so much that it removes what made the original so amazing. So today we’ll be taking a right and just look into why I love Dishonored 2 and why it’s the best video game sequel. So put on the mask, bear the mark, and set sail into the city of Karnaca.
Story
The game takes place fifthteen years after the events of the first game. Royal protector Corvo Attano took down corrupt political individuals like Lord Regent and Admiral Havelock, brought peace back to his dead love’s kingdom, and figured out her daughter Emily Kaldwin is actually his daughter as well. Realizing he still has a kingdom to protect, Corvo spends the rest of his life teaching Emily how to defend herself and learn to become an empress just like her mother. Although royalty and riches aren’t everything, Corvo taught Emily that honor is of utmost importance and it’s by leading her people down the right path that it'll make her a trustworthy empress.
Flashforward towards the present and Emily is a full grown adult. She still hasn’t grasped a hold of how to be an empress, but luckily Corvo has taught her well. A mass murderer is on the loose killing of Emily’s political enemies and acting like it’s Emily herself. The killer is dubbed to be known as The Crowned Killer, Emily truthfully states that it’s not her but can’t figure out how to deal with the situation. The day of her mother’s death eventually comes and Emily has gathered her most loyal subjects to honor the guidance her mother Jessamine provided. Corvo is there of course to honor his love Jessamine and thank her for giving him the greatest gift of all, his daughter Emily. Emily sits upon her mother’s throne and is then informed that she has guests.
The Duke Luka Abele of Serkonos has come bearing offerings from Karnaca, Corvo’s home city. The Duke presents Emily to Delilah who is claimed to be Jessamine’s long lost half sister. Corvo refuses to believe the information presented because all of Jessamine’s secrets were only told to him and Emily, but Emily welcomes Delilah to her kingdom and allows her to stay as long as she wants. If we remember correctly the DLC for the first game we learned Delilah is actually a very evil person and she was sealed away in the Void by Daud the assassin. Delilah has found a way to escape the Void and tries proclaiming that she should be the empress of Dunwall. She accuses Emily of being the Crowned Killer and the Duke’s escorts start rapidly murdering all of Emily’s loyal subjects. Crovo tries to fight Delilah using his powers provided by the Outsider fifthteen years ago, but Delilah magically removes the mark of Corvo’s hand.
Emily and Corvo are surrounded by Delilah’s forces and this is where you get to decide who to play as. Let’s choose Emily because we already played as Corvo in the last game. Delilah turns Corvo into stone and Emily is knocked out and sealed within a room. Emily breaks out and is told that a woman is waiting at the harbor to escort her away from Dunwall. Away from Delilah and her mystical powers. Emily sneaks her way through the streets of Dunwall to find Delilah has already sent soldiers to wreak havoc in Dunwall. She finds herself on a ship known as The Dreadful Whale piloted by Meagan Foster. Meagan understands the situation Emily is in and plans to help her take down any of Delilah’s allies, figure out how she got her powers, and reclaim Dunwall. Emily agrees to work with Meagan and they set sail to Karnaca, the place where Delilah’s forces hail. Emily falls fast asleep along the way and during the middle of the night she wakes up to find herself in the Void. A paranormal plain outside of reality.
Her father has told of the place and the dangerous man who lies within, The Outsider. A being who posseses sinister powers and has gifted it to individuals over the years only for them to go insane shortly after using them. The Outsider decides to help Emily since the world is corrupt yet again. He gifts her his mark which grants her powers of the Void. Emily makes it to Karnaca and figures out that the place is as corrupt and rundown as Dunwall was fifthteen years ago. Not only does she have to bring peace to Karnaca, but reclaim what was taken from her. One blink at a time... get it?
Gameplay
Dishonored 2 functions very similarly to the first game. The new addition this time around are the two characters you can play as, Emily and Corvo. Both of them have different abilities, unlocks, and narrative perspectives. I like this addition, because it doesn't feel like a copy and paste. Both characters have different playstyles and it helps add more replay value to the game. Especially since the levels are open sandboxes that offer numerous ways to approach problems. I always loved Arkane’s game design, because they are teaching the player the most obvious choice isn’t always the answer. You could walk through the streets aimlessly or you could run along building rooftops, hop across lamp posts, sneak through buildings, swim through the water, or unlock doors which help cut through heavily guarded areas. Dishonored is a stealth game of course and you always want to pick the option that lets you move around without getting noticed. There are several sections of the game where enemies will be patrolling about. If they spot they will alert other enemies in the area and try to kill you on sight. There are numerous ways to deal with hordes of enemies. You could go ahead and fight them up close with your sword, pick them off one by one with your ranged weapons, use contraptions in the area against them, or sneak by without having to kill anyone.
One aspect that is still around is the chaos system. The chaos meter goes up whenever you kill an enemy. The more enemies you kill the higher the chaos meter goes, which makes more enemies appear in later levels. Not only that, but characters around you will start to judge you for your actions. How do you get past enemies quickly when you move pretty slowly and it’s difficult to reach higher areas? By using your magical abilities provided by the Outsider. Both Emily and Corvo are given teleportation powers which allow them to travel long distances within seconds. Corvo has Blink which is straightforward but has a short range, and Emily has Far Reach which has an arch but longer range. You can upgrade these powers and unlock new ones by finding runes scattered throughout each level. Emily can upgrade her Far Reach to allow her to pull enemies towards. She can also use Dark Vision to see enemies through walls, summons a doppelganger of herself to distract enemies, Domino Link which links a group of enemies together and whatever you do to one will affect the others, and Shadow Walk which turns her into a shadowy monster which easily tears apart foes. Corvo is Corvo and still has powers from the previous game. Slow down time, summon a horde of rats, possess a rat, you get it if you played the original. Your powers rely on a mana bar which can recharge within a short amount of time. However the lower the mana bar is the less actions you’ll be able to perform at once, making escaping dangerous situations much harder. You can refill your mana by using blue vials containing liquid that instantly refills it, you can also pick up red elixirs which can refill your health. Coins can be picked up or pickpocketed by enemies, and used to purchase equipment and upgrades by black market dealers. (Who you have the choice to kill)
In most levels there is a target to deal with either the lethal or nonlethal way. Lethal is when you straight up kill them, but if you're aiming for a low chaos playthrough you’ll have to find a way to incapacitate them without killing them. You may have to explore the level and find solutions to prevent them from causing harm in the future. That’s all I have to say about Dishonored 2, it’s literally more Dishonored. More of the same is a good thing during certain occasions, especially since Dishonored 2 is a more refined experience. Now I’ve been to some very bad places, taking gifts from the darkest shrines. I’ve seen despair in the saddest faces, now I’m back to reclaim what’s mine.
Thoughts
Dishonored 2 is exactly what I want from the sequel, more of something I already love. There are a lot of things Dishonored 2 does right, even though some of those things do have a few faults. One thing for certain, the level design is much better. The first game did have open ended spaces, but there were times when it felt claustrophobic. Dishonored 2’s levels are much bigger, broader, and have more secrets to find. Some of these levels may be more confusing to navigate, but this means more paths for the player to choose and take. The level ideas are also much better than the first game.
In the first game it was to find targets and deal with them. The nonlethal solutions were always different, but the level ideas were always straightforward and weren't really all creative at times. Here in Dishonored 2 there is a great amount of level variety. You go to a clockwork mansion where the walls and floorboards shift onto each other with the flick of a switch. A level where you time travel and the scenery changes. One where you have to choose which two gangs to side with. One where you have to tell who is the body double. Yes, I know the first game had a mission where you have to tell the difference between three sisters, but rather than have them all in the same room they spread the two individuals out. Dishonored 2 has some very good level ideas. Not every mission has a target to kill like the last game, but it does offer a breather once in a while. Some levels are about navigation and others are about dealing with your target.
I stated earlier that the option to choose between two characters is beneficial. Both of them function differently, add different options to solve problems, and add a ton of replay value. Especially with the additions of New Game Plus which was added during an update which allows you to use both character’s abilities at once. Opening up multiple options and opportunities. The environments are more vibrant than the first. The original Dishonored still looks great, but some of the locations looked dull. In Dishonored 2 the environments are brighter and it’s easier to see where things are.
Now one of the biggest criticisms made with the sequel was the story. How it lacked the impact the first game had and how you need to play the original game and its DLC to understand half the characters and events. Isn’t that the point of a sequel? To follow up past game’s events and hope the player remembers the events from before? Even without playing the first game you can still understand what happens in Dishonored 2. It does make references to past characters and events, but it does catch you up on what happened before without having to dump it all on you. Also when the game introduces characters from before it does it in a refreshing way to make them still feel new intriguing individuals. Like a stranger you'll have to know eventually at some point.
Another criticism I do have is how you take more damage than the first game and you die a lot faster, but it does make the game more challenging. Forcing the player to strategize more when sneaking around and work with what they have available. The combat may take awhile to get used to, but it's certainly well made and one of the better first person melee combat systems I've seen. Melee combat usually works better in a third person game or sidescroller, and whenever there is an attempt to bring it over to first person it doesn't go well. Dishonored does it really well by not having the enemies rush down on you so much. Everyone takes turns exchanging hits and what you mainly want to do is find weaknesses. Don't just blast and slash away. Time your shots right, fire them in a crippling point, and go in for the killing blow. Combat is even switched up with different enemy types like the Howlers who can teleport and the Clockwork Soldiers can only be attacked from above and with explosives. Find their weaknesses and try to bring them down. Otherwise, using stealth as going into a fight underprepared or overwhelmed is a terrible idea to begin with.
Overall, Dishonored 2 is as good as the first game, and maybe even better in certain aspects. Great level design and mission ideas, outstunning visuals, art direction, story and world building, and especially great actors. They had to change up the actors for some past characters, but they all did a tremendous job performing. You may even recognize the voice of Corvo as an acclaimed thief who helped inspire this franchise. Which Dishonored tries to live to up to as a successor. I also really love the actress who played Emily. I thought she did a very good job and never once fell out of line. I strongly recommend Dishonored 2 for stealth fans, immersive-sim fans, and those who loved the first as much as me. It's the underrated masterpiece to a timeless masterpiece. In the end I am going to give Dishonored 2 a 10/10 for being incredible.
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