Years later, Arkane’s Dishonored is still a modern stealth classic
Years later, Arkane’s Dishonored is still a modern stealth classic
arstechnica.com
Years later, Arkane’s Dishonored is still a modern stealth classic
Comments
112-
-
-
Oh man, VGCats. I remember those days.
-
A reminder of a bygone era. Remember when we thought the video game industry was a mess back then?
-
-
-
Dishonored (1) is my favorite game of all time. I've put in so many hours across every console I've owned since it came out in 2012. Some of the best DLC story expansions of all time, too. Glad to see it still getting some love and mourning the fact that we'll never get another game.
-
Raphael Colantonio, the creative mind behind Dishonored, has started a new studio! Here's an article about their next game
-
Wow that looks like a blast. I just finished my ~fifth playthrough of Bioshock: Infinite last week and that game looks like it would slot in right beside that. Thanks for sharing!
-
-
Ive played a lot of similar games and other games since it came out. I still think about this game.
-
-
When I played the Dishonored series I had massive Thief vibes, I loved it! I looted everything and I killed no one, and it felt like good old times.
Reminds me, time to play them again!
-
That game is insane. Like, I played the game with a non-legal route because of the good ending and stuff. But after I finished the game, I wondered how other people played this game, and holy shit, we are playing different games lol. This game is very gorey I don’t even know it’s part of the core gameplay lol
-
Dude it's a blast. When they came out I played through each Dishonored once slowly, methodically, and non-lethal. Then immediately started over and hauled ass just slaughtering anything that got in my way. Both ways are valid and so much fun!
-
-
Its a very solid heir to Thief.
Just a damn good game.
-
I'll honestly never understand the appeal of non-lethal playthroughs.
Yeah, it barely takes more skill and you can brag to your friends or whatever, but a huge appeal of violent games is actually killing people.
-
This isn't just a violent game. It's an immersive sim. The fun comes from the many different ways you can handle a level. Even in ways unintended to the developer. Not every game is Gears of War.
-
To some the increased challenge is worth more than triggering kill animations
-
In Dishonored's case, going all murderhobo gives you a bad ending, so there's that too.
-
Not every game is Doom, sometimes being creative is the most fun part of the game
-
-
-
If you like dishonored you should try prey by same studio. Level design is amazing and character interaction/plot changes based on how you play and where you are when certain events happen.
-
I've started playing it and it hooked me for a bit but once it really opens up I've been struggling to stick with it. Very interesting premise and characters so far though, I have no idea who can actually be trusted and that feels intentional.
-
Yeah I can see that. 1st play through I stuck to objectives so I knew what was going on. Next round, I intentionally did stuff out of order which changes a few things. Easy to get lost 1st time around. Especially as environment changes.
-
-
That intro section is fantastic.
Enemy design can be annoying though.
-
I do recall they all lacked depth and combat programing. I think the game direction focused on the environment and story more than combat. Which is how I also remember dishonored.
-
-
-
I bailed on Dishonoured for one very specific reason; the morality system.
Dishonoured is, in my opinion a spectacular example of game design, and an equally spectacular example of how to break your game design by not understanding the way players interact with the tools you give them.
Dishonoured is a stealth game. It's also a game with a superb combat system, and a really fun and exciting set of powers for the player to enjoy using. These things can, sort of co-exist, if somewhat uneasily. But then you add the morality system.
The morality system, in effect, punishes you for playing the game in a non-stealthy way. Or, more specifically, for playing with the wrong kind of stealth. The morality system wants you to ghost the whole game, slipping past every opponent without the slightest evidence you were ever there. But doing that means not engaging with most of the powers and any of the combat.
Having the option to follow a ghost playstyle is great. But when the game sets up a bunch of really fun mechanics, then punishes you for engaging with those mechanics in exactly the way they were designed to be engaged with, that just sucks.
-
Can you explain why you think the game punishes the player for engaging in combat and killing enemies? I get that the events in the game may change but I'm not getting how that's a punishment to the player.
-
Yes, its a deliberate choice.
Dishonored is a descendant of the looking glass studio, 0451 immersive sim games, such as Deus Ex. These are games have flexibility, they let you choose how you approach. You can fight, or you can sneak, or you can do both. The game succeeds on this goal, as you can have a very satisfying time with the combat or the stealth, and you can do both. You can fight your way out of failing to sneak.
The morality system gives the game reactions to your actions, gives your choices an effect outside of the level you're currently on. It does encourage a specific play style but that is deliberate. The outsider is a malevolent force, who doesn't care for this world. He gives you these powers that come with a cost. Getting the good ending requires to resist the temptation. That's the point.
-
Do not cite the deep magics to me, I was there when they were written. I grew up on System Shock and Deus Ex, and that's exactly why I found Dishonoured so hard to get into. Those other games gave the player a complete free choice in how to approach them, but Dishonoured doesn't do that. It presents an apparently wide open field, but the moment you pick a particular path and set off down it, the game wags its finger and says "Oh no, not like that. That's not how you're supposed to play."
-
-
IMO the combat mechanics shouldn't have been there in the first place, but the developers were terrified of making a player-character that wasn't a demigod that can slaughter an entire army.
I still think Dishonored 1 & 2 are both really good games, but its like they made Portal but just let you break the walls of the test chambers and walk right through if you felt like it.
-
I'd be happy with either option. If you're going to punish the player for not doing perfect (eg, no kill) stealth, don't tease them with a bunch of really exciting combat mechanics. If you're going to include all the exciting combat mechanics, don't punish people for using them.
-
-
-
I adored dishonored, I played through them a couple times so I could see both endings, and I felt like it provided a really different experience.
I especially liked how you could do ng+ in dishonored 2, meant I could replay it as the other character with a bunch of free upgrades and unlocks to get things started.
-
I think I'm the only person who played through the entire game and didn't like it. Yes, yes, I should probably have quit but I'm a bit of an optimist and hoped it would get better.
It felt to me like the game really didn't want me to kill anyone. However it had any number of fun ways to kill people and then scolded me when I was naughty enough to (gasp) use them!
Also the rats were bizarrely low poly compared to everything else. Odd gripe, perhaps, but given how crucial they are to the setting it felt strangely shit.
-
It was unfortunately a product of its time where moral systems ultimately amounted to binary good guy/bad guy outcomes which was the style at the time. The system was designed to make you want to play it twice. If you’re used to the more modern moral ambiguity in today’s RPGs I don’t think anyone can blame you for disliking it.
-
I grew up playing Fallout 1/2, Deus Ex, stuff like that. Dishonored framed its morality system as "chaos" rather than good vs. bad but ultimately I had characters complaining about my methods. You brought in someone to specifically be an assassin and then you're outraged that he kills people? I shot the damn traiterous boatman in the head at the end of the game.
-
-
-
Dishonored is one of the few games that I've turned right around and played through again after I beat it. The gameplay is just so free. It's not really the biggest map ever, but it is so dense and easy to navigate. I also haven't experienced a lot of titles that just ooze atmosphere the way that Dishonored does. The art direction is off the charts, and I think it's aged pretty impeccably. It's always a good idea to do stylized over realistic, at least if you want your game to stand the test of time.
-
The Thief vibes were stellar in Dishonored, I liked it more than Dishonored 2 to be honest! Dishonored had the right amount of stealthy gameplay, places you could hide easily without too much issue. I succeeded most levels as a ghost or with few kills, solid stealth gameplay!
-
Maybe try the Styx games? They're on sale quite regularly. I liked the first one a lot!
-
The original game Styx game is quite janky in my opinion, with random frame drops and finicky character actions. It wasn't for me, but thank you for the recommendation.
-
-
-
Dishonored is my favorite video game series of all time! I play that thing every year, lol. Love the stealth challenges and all the ways you can approach things. I really enjoy the sequels too, and this year I've finally gotten into the books. Fantastic game. Also they leaned heavy into the style, so 13 years later it still looks decent. Not nearly as aged-looking as "realistic" graphics from that time. Those still look decent too, all things considered. But stylized graphics tend to fit their current limitations better than pushing for realism.
-
THERE ARE BOOKS!?
-
And a few comics!
Novels
Dishonored: The Corroded Man
This takes place about a year before Dishonored 2, and POV characters include Emily and Corvo. I really liked this one. Especially how it expanded on the relationship between Corvo and Emily. Some neat character insights too. Emily is canonically a beefcake.Dishonored: The Return of Daud
This one follows Daud during the events of Dishonored 2 as he looks for the Twin-bladed Knife. Really cool concept that is once again brought down by Daud and his Daud-ness. "Woe is me, I killed the empress! Who can I push this blame upon to heal the hole in my black heart?!". I'm making my way through though. It does show a bit more of Gristol that is outside of Dunwall.Dishonored: The Veiled Terror
I haven't gotten here yet. It follows Billy Lurk after Death of the Outsider, and how she deals with the consequences of the ending of that game.Comics
I have not read these at all yet, and they may be hard to find.
Dishonored: The Wyrmwood Deciet
Dishonored: The Peeress and the Price
There may be more, but those are the only ones I've heard of.
-
-
-
Damn, I should really go back and play this. Bet it runs great on Steam Deck too!
-
That's a great idea. Lemme add that to the queue. Right after I finish Hades 2 and baldur's gate, and expedition 33 and...
-
Played dishonored 1 and 2 earlier this year on my steam deck and they played great. Also FYI - month ago I grabbed expedition 33 and started it - as someone who loved ff turn based games and baldur’s gate and turn based pathfinder, I found it extremely boring. Quit playing after forcing myself to continue for 15 hours thinking it would get better.
Probably just me, but maybe look into it more before making the buy.
-
Hey, those are on my list too!
-
-
-
One of my favorite trophies to get was the no kill run on the first dishonored. A lot of fun finding all the different ways to be a ghost. Though I wish they had more stealth magic, most of the stuff was combat based if I remember correctly
-
So good, story isn’t bad and didn’t really follow. The gameplay was unique and fun.
-
Weird stupid pedantic gripe but the way the headline is written is confusing. Isn't it only possible "years later" that anything even could be considered a classic?
-
Anyone ever watch stealthgamerBR dishonored videos? Freaking rad AF
-
I have, very satisfying to watch such a well planned and executed level.
-
-
I consider this game a classic
-
I should play this. I bought it, after all.
-
Me too
-
-
-
Mhm. Can't say I enjoyed Dishonored much, myself. I prefer Thief 1-3, probably because they are slower paced and have less combat.
-
All instances of combat in Dishonored are completely optional in Dishonored. It's actually one of the built in challenges of the game that you are rewarded for. Beating the game with out ever being seen is called Ghost and beating it with zero kills is called Pacifist.
-
Best part about 1 is abusing stealth, 2 I had to play more straightforward
-
-
I played the first game way, way back. At the very least, I remember completing it, and liking it. So fast forward several years, the game goes on sale plenty, and I've forgotten nearly all of it, but remembered I liked it. So why not play it again, right? Picked it up for cheap, and just could not get into it. I tried a couple times even, but I just can't for some reason.
-
Did you enable all the DLC? Maybe you didn't the first time. I made the mistake of playing it for the first time with everything, and some of the DLC gives you all your powers/etc right away I believe. It has been years but I remember this really bummed me out rather than unlocking things as I went.
I could be remembering wrong, but I think it just hands you a lot of unlockables almost right away. I recall feeling like it killed some of the excitement that would have been there.
Someone with more recent memory can help me out. I just remember being powerful super quick.
-
-
I wanted that game to have good stealth mechanics, but it honestly didn't. Start up the game, stealth into some shadows. Find a trash can, throw it 50'+ away from you and watch as every enemy within earshot runs directly at you.
-
Are you saying you consider bad design that enemies can see where the flying trash can came from?
-
Considering that they don't notice until the trashcans land, that's not a valid question. And obviously they're not all looking in your direction when you yeet the trashcan, so again, invalid question.
-
-
Dishonored nailed a neat trick: If every game dev stops innovating immediately after you release an innovative game, your game will always be considered highly innovative.
Yeah, people are always like, y no half life 3?
Look at what Valve has said in response to similar questions.
Its basically a polite way of saying 'yeah there really isn't a better possible first person shooter, single player experience.'
So they made a reality breaking first person puzzle game, became the de facto overlords of PC gaming platforms, invented VR tech, oh and made linux be able to run every game, oh and we make console-esque PCs now too, I guess.
Hell, I don't even know of other games that solve the 'multiplayer fps maps are predictable and boring' the way L4D did, where the map itself csn basically mutate, have a bunch of semi-procedural preset variants.
Nope, instead, we still have the most popular multiplayer FPS games have basically static, memorizable maps.
Turns out gamers broadly don't actually seem to want innovation, they seem to want gacha games, as gacha games are now basically more than half of the gaming market.
Example of that: That friend you know who's still really trying to convince you that Fallout 76 is better now.
Half Life 2 was about 5 years too early to be considered "basically beyond imptovement". The graphics are a little dated now, and maybe the gameplay is a little simpler than a modern FPS, but ultimately it's pretty close to the mark. I haven't been surprised by FPS mechanics or graphics in 10 years, so there's basically no way for Half Life 3 to surprise us. Dishonored 1 and 2 were basically identical. If you told me the second one came out immediately after, I'd believe you.
A bit of a tangent, but tbh I feel like Half-Life Alyx was a perfect example of where they can take the franchise, but being a PC VR title (and one that really leans heavily into the tech and loses a ton if played with non-VR mods), it didn't have nearly the same impact as the rest of the franchise. It was definitely innovative but not in a way to appeal to the mass market. Not to mention it sets the stage for HL3 even more than Ep 2 did.
Okay one thing I have definately noticed in L4d is that I am never stationary or still long enough to feel bored. Almost every other fps pve game is just "stand on top of hill and gun down hordes of zombies".
Modern games feel like we are going backwards in gameplay. Atleast the graphics are nice I guess?
We are lucky coz Half-Life 3 is currently in development 😏
I was with you until your last sentence.
Fallout 76 is better now. The monetizing is little ew, but there are lots of content and they fixed a lot of the big caveats i had with the game.
Id put that game just under a Noman sky and Cyperpunk 2077 as a game that turned around.
Also valve did not origaninally make portal. Its roots came from Kim Swifts senior project. Valve gave resurces to add the shine, but the concept did not originate from Valves offices.
They did not invent vr stuff either. First vr stuff crude as it was comes allthe way from the 60's in the 90's Sega had their Sega vr in some arcade racings games and oculus rift from Carmack + team was first modern style vr set on the markets.
Lots of games use similar mechanics than left for dead to make the maps and spawns feel different.
Here few from the top of my head: Vermintide 2 (maybe 1, havent played that) Pay day 2 Back 4 blood Ane could argue Alien isolation is similar because it has same kind of game director controlling the game. Remnant 1 & 2 Gunfire reborn.
One could argue even most extraction shootters do that because the exctraction zones change place.
Yeah all wants just catcha games. Thats why games like Clair Obscur, Death Stranding and now Dispatch have done so poorly/s