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Bethesda finally announced Dishonored 2. Contrary to information from last year’s “leakage”, the action will not take place in Tivia in the Far North, but rather in the Far South, in the city of Karnak, where Corvo Attano comes from.

Since the events Dishonored Fifteen years have passed. The main characters are the same Assassin Korvo, and his pupil (and, as they say, daughter) Emily Koldwin, a child of the deceased empress from the first part. For some reason, Emily also learned the street magic of a stranger (outsider)-the very one that licks a thought in a debut trailer. Now we can choose which of the (anti) heroes to go through the game. Everyone has their own abilities, their own style of play and small differences in the events of the campaign.

Other Significant. All the same incredible art. All the same vertical location design. All the same open levels and freedom of choice of path. We will learn about the rest later.

There is a lot of fast action in the trailer, but it is too early to draw from this – in the debut of the first part of the corvo, it also rushed like a mad. Nothing seems to have changed … but it will probably change. Therefore, let's talk about something else.

First, let me confess.

I passed Dishonored Three times and twenty times my opinion about her changed. Now I am sure of only one thing: this is an exceptional game. A world torn by the plague and driven by whale fat; aesthetics, at the same time concrete and phantasmagoric; Immordical flexibility in choosing the approach – among modern large games Dishonored is simply not like anyone. Someone may give an example Deus Ex: Human Revolution , However, it is strong in other areas. And just in those where Dishonored sags.

And although this is an exceptional game, it has a lot of shortcomings. Here are four mistakes Dishonored , which, I hope, will be corrected in the second part.

The first error: stealth

The essence of the problem: Dishonored you can go secretly without killing anyone. Moreover, it is quite simple. However, in this case, you have to ignore more than half of the available opportunities.

Dishonored is trying to push to the bloodless passage using an abstract indicator of chaos growing with each corpse left by the corv. Exceeded the threshold – they received poor ending and problems in the last mission. Thus, the first part motivates to adhere to a much less perfect, much less thoughtful game style. Stealing in Dishonored could be much more interesting.

The design of the game unequivocally pushes to aggressive opportunism. Of the ten abilities that the corvo can learn, four are used from a secret passage. From equipment – lushing darts. Everything else is more useful for the fight: the end of the corpses in dust, cruel reprisals, the epic raids of rat-lodges, pistols, bombs, mines, grinding enemies into minced meat.

Retrospect: I thought a lot about it. But what if it is part of a metaphor, with a thin thread stretching through the whole game? Korvo is able to defeat entire armies alone, but just from this its inconsistency arises. He must restrain his rage, overcome the temptation, not allow himself to finally disperse. Dishonored is beautiful just like as barely perceptible notes of mood.

Only now stealth in it is no less superficial.

What to do: Learn with Garrett. It is desirable that the old hardening. You need more tools for bloodless passage.

Error second: again stealth

The essence of the problem: In the combat system Dishonored 2 There is no doubt: Arkane since time Dark Messiah of Might & Magic They clarified how the blades should be crossed so that it was felt by the gut. In Dishonored, you are skilled, strong, but still very vulnerable and therefore are forced to squeeze everything out of their abilities. Pure adrenaline.

But, passing Dishonored, you can never experience anything like that. The secretive corvo has his own routine: he strangled, raised, carried, folded.

Strangled, raised, attributed, folded.

He strangled, raised ..

Fold.

I keep this picture as a relic, as a family value. This is a reminder of how few guards in Dishonored Excelens the surrounding reality. They do not respond to the loss of sentries. They are ready in response to any damn thing in the end to say: "Ah, it seemed". They never wake up.

If to create difficulties you have to come up with restrictions yourself (for example, “do not cut down the guards”), with a balance in the game, clearly something is wrong.

What to do : Study from old Garrett again. No matter how incredible Assassin the corvo is, nothing should get away with him. Let him continue to think twice before folding a beautiful pyramid from sleeping bodies.

Error Three: Inaction as Plot Device (spoilers!)

The essence of the problem : Almost all the troubles that fell on the corvo are caused by his great initiaticity. You can see in half a mile that the matter is going on to betrayal, but this is completely unimportant: the game will still count the defeat, it is worth getting ahead PlayOJO Casino of the events and hit someone from the conspirators. You can get used to the role as you like, looking at the world through the eyes of the hero, but you have to come to terms – you do not decide anything here.

And Korvo, meanwhile, stubbornly overturning the poisoned stack. It is not surprising that such a bodyguard could not protect the empress.

What to do : stop using the trick with “and break off, you will not do anything” instead of the plot engine. Silent protagonist – does not mean naive.

Error Fourth: Longing and the Way to the final (spoilers!)

The essence of the problem : If you go through the game with a “good” ending, a stranger will say: “When others would shout from rage, you listened and watched. Where the rest would strike, you went into the shadow ". This is the essence Dishonored at its best moments. Then Dishonored encourages not only not to kill, but also to be careful. You can eliminate goals by saving their lives, but for this you need to listen, monitor and establish contacts. Therefore, it seems to me that at the party of Lady Boyle the first part reached her climax. Just like a game, not necessarily as a story.

But there are not many similar situations in Dishonored. The closer to the end, the more crumpled and chaotic it becomes. In flooded slums among the twitching assassins, you often forget about attentiveness and just rush forward headlong. The understandable intention to show the darkest side of Danuall does not cause anything but confusion.

The finale … The final is as if it was assembled so that it is quickly knitting the ends. Apart from Samuel's unexpected behavior in a “chaotic” branch, the ending was simply. And it discouraged the most.

What to do : give Arkane enough time to think up the game to the end.

* * *

However.

Even taking into account the crisis of self -determination Dishonored – An exceptional game. Yes, in Deus Ex versions of Eidos Montreal are much better with mechanics and balance, but Dishonored tries to operate with more thin matters. Therefore, she needs a continuation.