Bethesda’s E3 showcase held a number of big, fat announcements. Yes, we're excited about the Skyrim remaster . Yes we're excited for Fallout 4 VR . But the centerpiece of the show was the extended look at Dishonored 2 . And it looks like it will be every inch the GOTY contender its predecessor was when it launched in 2012.
Why am I so sold on Dishonored 2 already? For starters, the franchise is in incredible hands. Bethesda has an impeccable track record, especially in the last few years. Five years ago no one would have believed rebooting Wolfenstein and Doom would result in critically acclaimed bestsellers. But it did. Because, as a publisher, Bethesda tends to let devs take the time to do things right. So if they can manage teams that resurrected defunct brands with such success, it stands to reason that having their full support behind a new franchise will produce a worthy sequel. And we're seeing signs of greatness from Dishonored 2 already.
Already, the game looks beautiful. The gameplay footage shown at E3 highlights the power of the custom built Void engine, software made with the specific purpose of making Dishonored 2 feel like “a living painting,” Harvey Smith, creative director for Dishonored 2, said during the press event. The lighting effects, weather, textures all give the city of Karnaca an authentic feel. Smith explained during the event that the dev team thought about the history of each location, visualizing a living metropolis instead of just a gorgeous map. This attention to detail and atmosphere is what made Dishonored a stand out title, and Dishonored 2 looks to deliver more of the same.
Of course, that's not to say it's just Dishonored but in a different spot. Players will be able to play as Corvo Attano, the hero from the first game, or his daughter and current Empress of the Empire of the Isles, Emily Kaldwin. One of the standout features of the first Dishonored was it's replayability. The world changed around your decisions, with a more violent playstyle producing a darker, more corrupted world around you. It was easy to play Dishonored two or three tints and have wildly different experiences. With two protagonists to choose from, Dishonored 2 looks to offer double the replay value this time. And, most importantly, it is shaping up to be a game you'll want to play again.
The gameplay footage fans saw at Bethesda’s E3 showcase followed Emily, in large part to highlight how her abilities and powers will differ from Corvo. I'm especially excited for the potential in the Domino ability, a power that links enemies fates together. So, stun one guard and all linked guards go down. It seems dangerously OP, so I wonder what potential counters will exist for the AI to use.
Other powers include shadow step, a supernatural stealth mechanic, and Far Reach, which seems to be Emily's version of Blink. Like Blink, Emily uses Far Reach to traverse long distances instantly, but it acts like a grab too. So Emily can pull objects (like exploding barrels) or even guards across the map. Those unlucky guards tend to land on her sword, too, another interesting kill mechanic that will make the non-lethal ending harder to achieve.
Based on what we've seen of Dishonored 2 so far, it will definitely be in the hunt for serious GOTY honors. It's got the same talent as the previous game, but a fatter budget and loads more studio support. It's been carefully curated by one of the most reliable publishers in the industry. And it has the benefit of coming out during a pretty slow season. Outside of Uncharted 4 and possibly Overwatch nothing else comes to mind when I think of strong GOTY candidates for 2016. I’ll look for Dishonored 2 to start sweeping up awards when it launches November 11. You should too.
