‘Dishonored’: Bethesda’s Underrated Classic

There are very few games that left an impression on me the way Dishonored did. From a gameplay perspective, it’s one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever encountered. I’ve played a lot of games that messed around with player choice, but Dishonored stands head and shoulders above them.

Developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks, Dishonored is a first-person stealth adventure game with magic elements. Each area in the game is its own sandbox where your weapons, powers, and abilities can be used in just about any way you can imagine. 

The art style of the game is beautifully dark and dingy. You can feel the grime in the city of Dunwall, and the poverty of those who aren’t living in the ivory tower is palpable. When the story really gets going, it’s amplified by everything you’ve seen up to that point.

GO IN QUIET? OR GUNS BLAZING? 

The game is simple enough in its premise, but it’s the execution that makes it a classic. Dishonored wants you to play it however you want. While the end result is pretty binary, how you get there matters. I won’t go into detail with the story because this is about getting people who haven’t played it to play it. You play as Corvo Attano, who has been wrongfully accused of a crime he didn’t commit and is out for revenge.

You can kill every enemy you see, and the game gives you the abilities needed to do that. But it does come at a price. At the end of the game, rats essentially take over the city because of all the dead bodies in your wake — in addition to much more dire consequences related to the story. 

The good ending, of course, comes from not killing a bunch of people. Again, Dishonored offers you the powers and abilities to do just that. But nothing feels forced decision-wise. You get an idea through dialogue of how your actions affect things. But, you’re never explicitly told what you should be doing. The game lets you do what you see fit. 

NO ONE DISHONORED 

Dishonored received enough love to get a sequel and some DLC. Dishonored 2 assumes you got the good ending in the previous game and carries the story from there. It doubles down on everything that made the first game great and presents even cooler power-based puzzles.

Arkane and Bethesda revisited the Dishonored universe with the underrated Deathloop, with a different premise but a similar play style. There’s definitely more to explore in this universe. If you haven’t played any of these games, you owe it to yourself to experience them.