Dishonored (X360)
Developer: Arkane Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Genre: Stealth Action/RPG
Platforms: PS3, X360, PC
MRP: Rs. 3,499

Every so often, there comes a title that doesn't simply push the borders of what videogames can do, but also redefines what we, as gamers, come to expect of them. While many would be tempted to say, "Look, Bethesda's got another winner!"— it isn't that simple. For too long, developers have been happy to fall back on a tried and tested formula (Yes, Call of Duty, I'm looking at you) that rakes in the cash. Dishonored represents something that has been sorely missing in the world of videogames – risk. And boy, does it pay off. Dishonored isn't perfect, but it opens up doors to videogame design and gameplay that most of us would never have thought possible.

Steam Powered
Welcome to Dunwall. A dystopian, post-Victorian steampunk world where rats run rampant and secrets hide behind each stony wall. Dishonored casts you as Corvo Attono, personal bodyguard to the Empress of Dunwall (and her daughter, Emily). Corvo is wrongly accused of murdering the Empress and kidnapping her daughter. He's banished to the dungeons and set to be executed, and in breaking out is where your adventure begins.

The first weapon you find is a sword, which remains your primary means of attack throughout the game, as you stick it into unsuspecting guards in gruesome ways. When you can't catch them off guard, there's a fantastic timing based combat system where parrying at the just the right time opens up an opportunity for a killing blow. Yet despite this hedonistic stabbing, it is possible to go through the entire game unnoticed, without killing a single soul (there's a special ending when you do that), and that's what makes Dishonored one of the most incredible achievements in recent videogame history. Your freedom is limitless. You do things exactly the way you choose to.

Don't be messin' with them Tallboys foo'

Medieval Hitman
Dishonored is essentially divided into 9 separate assassination missions of varying length and complexity. Each mission puts you in a different kind of castle or township, with enemies that vary from regular guards to slippery assassins to missile-launching 'tallboys' that are eerily similar to the Striders from Half Life 2. How you go about each mission is entirely upto you, based on the powers and abilities you have unlocked.

Supernatural powers, bestowed upon you by an otherworldly being known as The Outsider are central to how you end up playing the game. The first one you're given is the most necessary – Blink allows you to teleport short distances, which is essential to sneak behind enemies or to scout the environment. You're also given 'the heart of a living thing', which, when equipped, points you towards hidden runes and 'bone charms' which must be collected if you want to unlock and upgrade new powers. The way you intend to play the game defines what powers you would want to unlock. Want to sneak around silently and make sure no bodies are found? Unlock the ability to bend time and another to turn corpses of slain foes into ashes. Want to make guards fly off balconies and be consumed by rats? Unlock 'windblast' and 'devouring swarm'. The system is similar, in some ways, to BioShock, with powers (or weapons like pistols and dart guns) mapped to the left trigger. Also borrowed from BioShock is the practice of using syringes to replenish health and mana.

Dark Vision highlights nearby enemies as well as their line of sight.

Choose Your Destiny
The beauty of Dishonored is that at no point, except for in the first level, does it give you any indication as to how to go about your missions. You have an objective marker, and you have to get there. How you do it, and the moral choices that you make along the way are up to you, but there's more – your choices also define how the story pans out, and how chaotic upcoming levels will be. It's a lot like the notoriety rating in the older Hitman games, where going in all guns blazing meant that cops would be more alert from the get-go in future levels. In Dishonored, though, it also means that the pestilence in Dunwall starts to get worse. Because more corpses mean more bloodthirsty rats in the environment, and more rats mean more chaos. You receive a 'chaos rating' at the end of each level, which defines how much harder your next levels will be. When you think about it, this is a brilliant idea. Players focused on stealth will invariably have a lower chaos rating, so future levels are more conducive to sneaking around. Others who are more gung-ho will find the chaotic city more fun and a greater challenge.

Moral choices within the game are just as well thought-out. There's no clear definition of right or wrong. Each assassination comes with its own set of variables. If you explore the world enough, you'll find that almost every level has a non-lethal route where you could accomplish what you want to do without actually killing your target. To give an example of Dishonored's moral grey area, in one of the first few levels, you have to assassinate your target, but one of your optional side objectives is to also stop him from killing your friend's father with a poisoned glass of wine. You could choose to swap the glasses before they get to the room, poison both glasses, empty both glasses, or simply leave things as they are.  A number of side missions let Corvo settle personal scores with people who betrayed him, or simply get more loot and items which can be used to craft weapon upgrades.

The future of Dunwall's whiskey is in your hands. No, really.

Lab Rats
With the openness in Dunwall's world, it would be a crime against the game to not mess about and test its limits. One of the joys of Dishonored is simply experimenting with crazy ways of killing people. Just because you can. Re-wiring force fields that electrify intruders to fry guards and watching the fun unfold never gets old (not for those not into gore). You could wind-blast a guard off a balcony, have the corpse startle another guard five stories down, call a swarm of rats to devour both – and then jump off the balcony yourself and possess one of those rats to break your fall. The permutations are really endless, and nine out of ten times, the outcome will be exactly what you expect it to be.

The engine does have its limitations, though. While Dunwall's world is large and complex, your abilities give you freedom that is often curbed by the limitations of the map. This becomes especially evident when you're trying to blink to a slightly higher vantage point, but can't because it's out of bounds. The AI is fairly decent, while maybe over aggressive at times, but it's really bizarre that a guard wouldn't notice that his partner is missing after he looks away for 10 seconds. You could argue that this is a flaw in almost every stealth-action title, but given how brilliant everything else about Dishonored gameplay is, it's almost disappointing to see that guards are clueless about their colleagues.

The Golden Cat beckons.

A Story Like Mumbai Weather
Dishonored story is predictable. Too predictable. I knew exactly what the main twist would be, and how the game would end, by the time I was a third of the way through. Also, the game ends very abruptly, which really breaks the immersion of a world that is otherwise so stellar.

From a technical standpoint, Dishonored isn't visually spectacular. It doesn't really push the Unreal 3 engine too far, but the avant-garde art design more than makes up for it. Dunwall and all its inhabitants are an absolute masterpiece. The dystopian, medieval world, with its castles, guards and crazy characters (watch out for Granny Rags) is a beautiful and immersive setting.

Audio, on the other hand, isn't particularly great. Even though the animations are good, the voice acting really isn't up to scratch. It's dull and rather soulless and really not befitting of the overall package. Generic dialogues and conversations between guards get old far too fast, and you'll find yourself completing their sentences, which just makes you want to kill them faster.

"I believe they can fly"

The Triumph Of Gameplay
As I said at the beginning of this review, Dishonored is not without its flaws. But the sheer brilliance and freedom afforded to players, coupled with Corvo's crazy powers, more than make up for the lack of an engaging story. Different endings and a dynamic world coax you to play the game multiple times. It may borrow heavily from BioShock, Thief and Hitman, but ultimately it manages to form its own identity.

It's as simple as this – if you love videogames, you really need to pick up a copy of Dishonored. It's impossible to be disappointed by it.

Gameplay And Design: 4.5/5
Graphics: 4.5/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Mojo: 4.5/5

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

TAGS: Gaming, Xbox