Preview: Dishonored

Stealth games are a genre that doesn’t get a lot of attention.  After all, in a world where the most popular titles involve running and gunning through hordes of enemies there isn’t much call in the industry for the genre.  For every six dozen action-oriented titles you may have one or two stealth games but even those are, usually, of the worthless sort.  Every now and then though a great stealth game like Thief or a Metal Gear will come along and reignite the community’s passion before disappearing once again back into the ether.  While at QuakeCon this year I had the privilege of getting to see Dishonored, Arkane Studios’ (Dark Messiah of Might and Magic) latest effort, and I can almost guarantee that this game garners such discussion.

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An Assassin’s Retribution

Sitting down in a private theater above the bustling hallways and lobbies of the Hilton Anitole in downtown Dallas my compatriots in writing and I sat down to a large projector with Harvey Smith, formerly of Ion Studios and the legendary Thief and Deus Ex series, and Raphael Colantonio, lead designer on Dark Messiah.  Their presence alone demonstrated how important this game is to the studio but what is more important to note is the combination of talent therein.  After all, how often do you get to see a team up of this caliber?  Their collaboration as co-creative directors mean there is vast potential tied into their names alone.

Many games have laid claim to the statement that the world it is set in is “unlike any other.”  When studios say that though it’s usually just a variation on a theme that involves orcs, elves, and an assortment of ugly, evil beasts.  Dishonored’s world is perfectly fit for this description: an island-based whaling town set in a retro-futuristic industrial age.  Steampunk this is clearly not.

Dishonored’s story takes place in Dunwall, a city in the middle of a series of islands known as the Isles.  Most of humanity lives in the Isles far away from the Pandyssian continent where huge, dangerous beasts roam the land and from which few souls ever return.  The entirty of Dishonored takes place in Dunwall though a clear mythology and world history is set up for expansion past this game should Arkane wish to build upon their new IP.

In describing Dunwall the closest approximation to a real-world equivalent would be Victorian-era England.  The buildings and cobblestone roads share similarities but it is herein where the similarities end.  Thanks to the immense talent of Viktor Antanov, the artist who seven years ago changed the landscape of the first person shooter genre with the alien-yet-familiar world of Half-Life 2, Dunwall lends alien architecture with Victorian streets to yield a city that dare the player to explore it.

 Dunwall is in a state of decline thanks to a plague that has infected and killed off nearly half of the population.  This seems to be one of the city’s lesser worries however as the government has recently been taken over in a coup.  You play as Corvo, a legendary assassin and the bodyguard of The Emperess.  At the start of Dishonored the coup occurs and Corvo fails to save the life of his mistress for which he is accused of murder.  Sometime after his imprisonment Corvo escapes from his confines and, aided by the local resistance group, sets out to clear his name and will kill anyone who steps in his way.

Vengence, By Blade or Spell

As the lights dimmed and the demo began it was immediate apparent that Dishonored was quite different a game than most have played before.  The demo is set in a sectioned-off part of the city where a corrupt lawyer is profiting from the suffering of the citizens of Dunwall.  Your goal is to assassinate him but a secondary objective is to justify the kill with evidence of his wrongdoing.  The lawyer is protected by the new government though so getting to him will not be an easy task.

Beginning in a sewer outlet, Corvo exits it into the harborfront where, before our eyes, a whaling ship bellows its horn as it parades into the harbor with its latest catch: a gigantic whale known as a Leviathan of the Deep.  The sight alone of the ship and its dead cargo immediately separates Dishonored from most settings in games as it is one of the most alien sights to see in our world today but the reason why Dunwall prospers lies in the Leviathan itself.  Imagine a world wherein crude oil and natural gas have never been discovered (or possibly even exists) and that the oils harvested from these Leviathans serves as the power source and the most prominent natural resource as humanity’s disposal.  Everything is powered by it: lanterns, force fields, even machinery won’t function without it.  The moral ambiguity of the resource is almost non-existent in the world of Dishonored and that alone is intriguing.

As Corvo walks along the steps of the harbor he pulls out a dagger, the demonstrator anticipating resistance.  The city is currently under martial law and the streets are empty save for the roaming guards, the brave or brash troublemakers, and the dead.  As Corvo ascends the steps voices can be heard.  Corvo squats down quickly and peers over the last of the stairs to a ghastly sight: two guards are tossing the cloth-wrapped bodies of plague victims into the harbor while another stands watch.  As the two continue on their duty the third walks away, beginning his patrol.  Backing up, Corvo looks upward and spies an awning within reach.  Jumping, he grabs the edge of the awning and pulls himself up.

Spotting the wandering guard, our demonstrator sneaks up from behind and delivers a killing blow with the dagger.  Corvo searches the body before moving on as he is confident that he doesn’t have to hide the body since the other two are too busy with their appalling task.  Corvo approaches a large force field that is just one of many elements of the game that are quite evocative of Half-Life 2.  Going into a guard post right by it Corvo and disarms it.

Beyond the field a pack of rats are feasting on the remains of two unfortunate souls.  Getting too close, the attack viciously before the player moves into the light from which they retreat.  Rats serve both as an element of Dunwall as well as a tool at your disposal as was demonstrated later on.

Moving into an alley, Corvo hears the cries of a woman being mugged.  The encounter is entirely optional but the player goes ahead and comes to her aid.  It turns out to be a trap however as two more thieves vault over the fence behind them.  Drawing his dagger, Corvo begins his first-person melee fight by parrying, blocking, and dodging the three’s attacks.  Corvo takes a bit of damage but deals it back ten-fold, executing brutal killing moves against his enemies.  The woman flees at the sight of the killings but the event may just return some profit, be it money or information, later on in the game.

What is interesting about the combat though is just how strong and fluid it is.  First person melee combat isn’t something that has ever really been successful outside of a handful of titles and even then it has always felt clunky.  Arkane clearly knows what they are doing though as Dark Messiah was one of the few games ever to actually get it right.  The maneuvering of the character looks quite natural and the execution of attacks look to blend in just as well as combat in your typical third-person brawler like Enslaved.

Infiltrating the Mansion and the Grand Escape

Leaving the alleyway Corvo exits this area and arrives at the section where his target resides.  In front of him a force-field that only allows guards through separates him from the courtyard where the lawyer’s mansion resides.  The two-story building in front of him contains the power source for the field though so, watching the patrolling guards, Corvo sneaks in.  Ascending the stairs Corvo is forced to kill two guards who protect the circuit breaker.  The fight however draws the attention of the guards and raises the alarm.  As the players waits behind the door though no one enters the room even after several tense seconds.  Dishonored’s design is such that the world itself is very random in nature from encounter to encounter and the AI reflects this.  The alarm wasn’t a scripted moment in this demonstration and neither was the absence of the reinforcements: just another example of how versatile an experience the game can be.

Finding the circuit breaker Corvo modifies it to kill enemies instead of him which the guards learn when a patrolling one is vaporized as he walks through it.  Rather than risk taking to the streets where the enemy is littered the player opts to take to the rooftops.  Looking out the window, Corvo spots a flat roof that would be perfect for maneuvering undetected.  How he would get their though is another matter entirely.

Corvo isn’t just known in the world as skilled assassin based on combat abilities however: he also is one of the few who can use magic.  Selecting the “Blink” spell from a circular menu, the player charges up the ability and targets the opposite roof before activating it.  Blink gives Corvo the ability to teleport short distances and it easily allows him access to the roof.  Spells are designed to be versatile from the start and can easily be integrated into combat or evasion to the player’s preference.

Moving along the rooftop Corvo looks down into the courtyard of the mansion.  It is heavily occupied by several patrolling guards and a watchtower with a large machinegun attached to it.  While a guns-ablazing approach is certainly an option in almost any circumstance the demonstrator instead opts to take a far more stealthy approach.  Using a combination of Blink and double jumps, Corvo crosses the roofs and descends to the street, staying in the shadows.  Moving from wall to wall and being careful to avoid patrolling enemies, Corvo comes across a grate on one wall of the mansion.  It is here were Corvo demonstrates another one of his powers: Possession.  Looking down Corvo spots a rat and activates the magic spell, completely taking over the mind and body of the rat.  Possession isn’t a throwaway tool however as his physical form is tied directly into the body of his target so should the rat die so does he.  Possession isn’t limited to rats though as Smith hints that other animals and even humans are a possibility.

Seeing through the tinted eyes of the rodent, Corvo steers the rat into the grate and through the winding paths of the air duct.  Creeping past a maid and into the shadows Corvo returns to human form and briskly sneaks past the unsuspecting woman.  Climbing a grand staircase the player stops at the top just out of sight of a guard who is admiring a bust of a statue.  The guard has the key we need to access the lawyer’s office so, as he continues to stare at the stone carving, Corvo sneaks up behind and pickpockets it.  The key isn’t necessary to complete the mission though it does make the approach a bit simpler.

Corvo moves on and eventually finds the door leading into the lawyer’s office.  Before unlocking the door though the player peers through the keyhole and listens into the banter of the lawyer and the three guards.  The discussion yields credence to the lawyer’s alleged corruption but without physical evidence the secondary objective cannot be completed.  Ignoring this fact though Corvo bursts into the room where three waiting guards draw their pistols and fire at him.  Corvo reacts quickly and activates another spell which stops time.  Moving quickly, Corvo delivers several fatal blows to each guard before time returns to normal at which they all fall to the ground.  Turning to the lawyer, the player executes the target.

Corvo has successfully killed the lawyer but his mission is only halfway through though: he needs to make it back to the sewer alive.  Walking out onto the balcony, anarchy has taken over the courtyard.  As the watchtower turns in his direction and prepares to send a swath of ammunition in his direction Corvo quickly uses Blink to position himself on the tower’s platform before jumping down to the street.  Near the force field he is accosted by three guards for which Corvo doesn’t have time to fight.  Instead, he activates yet another magic spell that summons a horde of rats.  These rats swarm the guards and quickly eat them alive in a manner that’s not for the faint of heart, stripping the bodies of flesh and muscle.  Corvo continues on, the modified force field preventing his pursuers from following him before exiting through the same gate he entered through.

Back in the previous section of the city Corvo arrives at the harborfront where a final challenge awaits.  As he nears the guard post several citizens run in front of him from right to left, fleeing as they toss Molotov cocktails at an unknown enemy before being gunned down.  Before our eyes come two bipedal walkers called Tall Boys lumber into view, the designs of which harkens Half-Life veterans back to that of the Combine Strider.  The Tall Boys are manned by armored archers armed with explosive arrows, making them a formidable opponent.  As the Tall Boys take note of him and begin their attack Corvo quickly freezes time once again and maneuvers out of their firing line and fires several bolts from his own crossbow.  After several successful hits each go down but without the use of the stop time ability it is clear this is a far more difficult fight.  Moving back down the harbor stairs our player returns to the sewer entrance where the demo ends.

Restoring Honor

Dishonored’s QuakeCon demo and the first opportunity for the press to actually see the game was both a thrilling experience while at the same time a quizzical one.  Many questions are left unrequited and the game’s unique take on a morality system, Chaos, didn’t really leave us with any answers as to the consequences of your action (or inaction).  What I was able to get out of Smith was that the game, at this point, does allow the player to do a pacifistic playthrough meaning that you can go without killing anyone which would certainly be quite the challenge.  I was also told that this game adheres to classic stealth gameplay rules meaning there will be no social stealth aspects of the game ala Assassin’s Creed.

The most saddening fact I can admit to after having seen this very impressive demo is that, until that Friday morning, I had never had Arkane Studios on my radar.  What with the major attention-grabbing developers and publishers out there in the world stealing the spotlight with hails of bullets and magical elves, Arkane simply never piqued my curiosity.  Within the span of a twenty minute demo however I learned many things about Arkane, none the least of which was their clear dedication to making Dishonored well worth your hard-earned cash.  This surprisingly unique title stands on its own and, come next year, may make you change your mind about how a first-person game should be played.  We’ll have to wait and see if the game has the same impact when it releases next year but until then Corvo’s quest for revenge is definitely a title you should keep in mind for 2012.