Bethesda showed off several games at their E3 conference including ESO updates, Fallout 4 DLC, Skyrim remastered and Prey, but the focus of the event seemed to be on Dishonored 2. Set to release on November 11, 2016, a lot of time was spent showcasing gameplay and talking about their new game engine.
I will first off admit that I never played the original Dishonored game that released last generation, but Dishonored 2 looks to be intriguing, gorgeous, varied, and full of history and choices. First of all, the studio showed off the power of their new game engine titled the Void Engine. The engine seems to really focus on lighting effects, shadows, and minute details which will help the player become immersed into the world and emphasize the game’s stealth aspects. It was discussed that a lot of effort was put into every inch of the game to give players a memorable experience wherever their exploration takes them. There is a vast history in the world that can be seen through aging posters, flood lines on buildings, and character interactions. All NPC’s will have unique ways of interacting with the main character and add additional story to your quest. The game takes place mostly in the city of Karnaca and players will get to choose between two different characters at the beginning of the game: either Emily Kaldwin or Corvo Attano. Each character will play the same set of missions, but will take different paths to get through. Players will be able to choose either stealth or combat to complete missions and can finish the game without ever killing an enemy (as it was with the first game). That might be a challenging play through, but combat looks to be very entertaining. Players can pull enemies from across a section of the level and cut their throat in midair. We were shown several ways to distract enemies and items that can create a domino effect with other enemies in the same area. There seems to be a big focus on parkour and level verticality as players can complete missions from multiple different angles giving each player a completely unique experience. Players will have a large inventory/skill wheel to aid in completing missions as well. One showcased item was the ability to time travel in certain areas between the past and present to help you get through certain areas as well as give you the ability to sneak up on enemies from across the plane of time. Players can see what each room looks like in the other time period on the device prior to actually traveling to that time period, giving the player the ability to plan their path and attacks.
A collector’s edition was announced (without a price) and for a limited time if you preorder Dishonored 2 you will get a free of the Definitive Edition of the original Dishonored. If you haven’t seen the new gameplay trailer check it out below:
By Nick Perzanoski
Co-Owner, Director of Marketing & Outreach
Late Night Gamers LLC
PSN: ThePsychicFetus