Dishonored 2 is a sequel that dazzled when it surfaced, but for the most part has not seen as much of the limelight as its predecessor. One could argue that the first game’s marketing is what inevitably lead to a little disappointment – despite it being a fresh, deeply clever stealth title. With Arkane doubling down on two protagonists and a very new city to explore, there’s a lot of Dishonored 2 that might confuse you at first. And perhaps even after you’ve finished the game.
That’s according to Arkane Studio’s co-founder Harvey Smith, who sat down with Australian outlet Finder.com to discuss some of Dishonored 2’s intricate lore details. Smith is convinced that players will either blaze through the campaign and never touch it again, or feel a burning desire to jump back in a see it from a different perspective. And he hopes most players do, considering he suspects most won’t see even half of what the game has to offer the first time around.
So previously some people played once, some people played many times, but in Dishonored 2 there is even more reason to play it again. And I think players won’t understand Dishonored 2 till they play it twice, because there is so much overt conversation that you can miss, and lore to read and even just understanding the environment’s impact on the storytelling. Plus, there are all these powers and you don’t get enough runes to buy all of them; you can’t even buy half of the powers in one playthrough.
Mechanically many games of this ilk encourage multiple playthroughs so that players can experiment with abilities that might not have attained the first time around, but Dishonored is really hitting this note hard. With two protagonists the difference in play varies wildly, and the narrative that follows both Corvo and Emily might feature different focal points that help flesh out the overarching narrative a bit more.
It’s certainly not meant to mean that you have to play through the game twice – but it’s nice to see some proper incentive to do so for once.
Last Updated: September 27, 2016
Original Heretic
September 27, 2016 at 11:55
Sadly enough, as intriguing as this sounds, having to play through the game multiple times just to “understand” it might the thing that keeps me from playing it all.
As much as I might love to play through this again and again, I hardly have to time to finish ANY games, let alone the same one many times over.
DragonSpirit009
September 27, 2016 at 11:55
Sometimes I only understand a game after the fourth play through. I get distracted a lot XD
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September 27, 2016 at 12:02
Nice, looking forward to doing two different styles
Deceased
September 28, 2016 at 10:47
phrasing…
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September 28, 2016 at 12:28
Fine, 15
Dane
September 27, 2016 at 14:14
I feel it’s being marketed here as a niche/chore to either consumer. But deep down inside I know it’s going to be worth the replayability. Gonna rip through my first run in a fury and in my second I’ll take the time to appreciate it enough to not /want/ to come back.
Deceased
September 28, 2016 at 10:47
Man I can’t wait !!!