Dishonored 📽 Through the Lens

Ayyyy, how have my boys been doing? (and grills, we don't discriminate here! 😉 (much (yukyukyuk))).

I asked myself, how old is not enough old for this series? I think Dishonored fits the bill. Now if I wanted to do a piece on the second game, then i reckon that one will have to be just a straight up review. But for the first, we have to get all analytical. Now, I understand that literally no one cares about this. But I felt like I had to put it in writing somewhere at least - I got an excellent lawyer, you see. 😁

Let's start talking about games, eh? I like that. So...

In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we will talk about the game that returned the immersive in immersive sim. One of his coolest games ever made and Arcane's smash hit from 2012: Dishonored, Roll it! 📽

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🚩 UP TOP 🚩

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I love this game. 😱 I know, shocker! I think I should do a Through the Lens™️ of a game I disliked, but I don't wanna do that mannn. Much rather talk about things I like, and why I like them. I want to push people up, not pull them down! 😇

So, Dishonored was developed by a G studio known as Arcane. It was helmed by Harvey Smith, a G in the gaming industry (G for Gentleman) that we'll have to touch up on. Since this guy's vision is the sole reason the game turned out the way it did.

Of course a slew of people developed this game, don't quote me out of context! But the producer - the design lead - makes the big balls decisions the rest follow. At least in this case.

Harvey Smith's resume is filled with Immersive Sims (oh god, I'll have to explain what those are as well 😭) and he has worked on some truly generational games. We're talking: System Shock, Deus Ex, Thief; to only name a few. And that was before he joined Arcane. 😮 Man has been a part of gaming history no doubt.

You might've noticed a similarity in the games Harvey developed: they are all/or have elements of immersive sims. What is an immersive sim? Well, I'm glad you asked: 😭

An immersive sim (simulation) is a video game genre that emphasizes player choice. Its core, defining trait is the use of simulated systems that respond to a variety of player actions which, combined with a comparatively broad array of player abilities, allow the game to support varied and creative solutions to problems, as well as emergent gameplay beyond what has been explicitly designed by the developer.

Suffice to say, I love this genre. The games just feel cool to play. Their emphasis on choice generates an experience wholly of its own. And Dishonored is no exception to that. In fact, Dishonored is a break-through in the genre that the cool meter almost blew up - creating a seismic creator near the coast of France. Humanity has barely recovered its cool factor since. 🤣

But I digress:

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👓 RULE OF COOL 👓

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The Rule of Cool is not a definition in some dusty archive, hidden in the back of a closed library in the middle of Wisconsin (don't ask 😅). Nor is it a metric calculated in a secret formula. Nah dog, if I had to spell it out for you, I'd say the rule of cool is:

• Always err on the side of what's awesome (cool).

This statement can be applied to literally any form of art out there. Video games are no exception. Now, there are other, more prevalent examples of this rule. But none in the immersive sim genre:

You play as Corvo, a badass bodyguard to a hot Empress (SPOILERS: they were in love). Long story short - empress dies, Corvo is framed for the murder, gets rescued by the "resistance" and is granted a plethora of supernatural powers to do his revengening with (that's a real word don't @ me). 😤

Now, playing as a magical, assassin, gunman sounds fun - but playing with a magical, assassin, gunman that can show mercy? 😱 I know, coooooool. 😎

Moreover, the game drips aesthetic charm from its every pore. You feel like you've lived in Dunwall your entire life. If you look for it, you can find lore in every nook and cranny - the game is chock full of it. To this point, a cool mechanic is the heart ❣️ (😉). It spouts exposition at you depending on where you point it. This is such an ingenious tool to devoulge information that I am shocked it hasn't been a staple of every game since.

Yes, the game is divided into large segmented levels which you can tackle in whatever way you see fit. This is where the immersive sim comes in (I'm a rapper btw 💯).

All of the game's systems are enticing. The world is beautiful and a joy to play in. The fact the game is in first person also adds to this mystique. Combine everything and you're left with one cool-ass game, am I right boys? 👏 (I henceforth refuse to use the word cool, for the rest of this article - you fool (💯 a rapper)).

Quick aside: Daud is a one baaaad mothereffer. 😎

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✨ IMMERSIVE SIMMING ✨

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These levels are large. And we talking x-rated large here. 😅 I would wager a large chunk of my savings (ha!) that Arkane would make a killer open-world game set in this style.

Because every single objective in this game can be approached differentially. You can find items that allow you to access areas previously inaccessible without said item. It gives the player a certain freedom that only immersive sim games allow: it's a linear game, but you get to decide your linearity.

Honestly I'm tired of trying to find synonyms with choice. Suffice to say, this game has a lot of it.

You can buy different upgrades to your gear once you've found the appropriate schematics (the non-lethal options are always more expensive, make of that what you will). As well as upgrade your 'abilities' through finding bone charms throughout the levels (they are in tough spots to reach usually). Why do you have so much choice? Well...

We can approach each level in two ways: violent and non-violent. And whether you choose to be an unstoppable killing machine, or a stealthy ninja, greatly changes the world and your relationship in it. This is known as the chaos system, and the term "low chaos" has transcended this game and become a part of the gaming lexicon as a whole.

The second game improves on the chaos system quite a bit.

However much we like to talk about this game's variety, at heart, it is still a stealth game. You can go in guns blazing, and act more as a hitman then an assassin, but truthfully the shooting mechanics are clunky (and that's being generous 😅). The game is at its best when you are skulking in the shadows, performing silent kills on the uninitiated. 🔪

Because this game rules, you are not locked to any particular playstyle. You can try to do a level stealthy and then transition into combat once you're spotted. But we all know thee Ghost 👻 rank (ye, this game gives out scores at the end of each level, and Ghost 👻 is the AI never spots the player i.e. you a bad boy, hmmm?)

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🏆 LEGACY 🏆

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The franchise is currently on hold, Dishonored 2 had a very rocky launch because of the problems with Arkane's new engine (Void2). So now this amazing series is in limbo. Arkane just finished working on Deathloop, so now they might be deving Dishonored 3? Fingers cannot be any more crossed. 😍

I'd say this game is a titan. One of the many genre definers in our industry. I would also add that each subsequent release in this universe - this includes DLCs and expansions - has been an improvement on the formula. Death of the Outsider was the last, and it ruled big time.

The story might've wavered a bit, but nothing too serious. And honestly, the gameplay in these games is so clean that I can handle a bad story. The fact that the story dropped from great to passable is not a big deal. FOR NOW 🔪

If you've never played a Dishonored game, then you owe it to yourself to give one a try. You can start here, game's still perfectly playable. Honestly, I'd trade to be in your shoes and experience this mother for the first time. 😳

Thanks for reading gang! 😊 I love you cats and I hope at least 1 person plays this awesome game because of this post. This game is awesome and I want as many gamers to experience it as possible. Outsider knows it deserves it. 😌

Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙

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Stay safe. Be smart. Be cool (oops)! 🙌