Dishonored Review – Free Download on Steam

Dishonored is a first-person stealth action game with RPG elements, carefully crafted by the French studio Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. In 2006, the small but finest French team Arkane released the unexpectedly gritty Dark Messiah of Might & Magic. The game is remembered not for its narrative, which fits into the larger story of Heroes of Might and Magic, or for its colorful characters, but rather for its shocking brutality. The protagonist was a force to be reckoned with, wielding weapons with expert viciousness. He chopped up enemies, set them on fire, and even gouged out the eyes of cyclops. With a kick reminiscent of King Leonidas, he sent enemies hurtling into seemingly endless chasms.

Following this bold undertaking, Arkane partnered with Bethesda to deliver Dishonored, a game that would retain the rich gameplay of its predecessor but would be presented in a more complex and artistic interpretation. In our article below, we will talk about it.

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Dishonored review

Before the release of Dishonored, Arkane Studios were largely known in narrow circles for creating Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, in which they already introduced their gameplay features that are found in each of their projects. However, as far as the distinctive design style is concerned, it begins to form only in Dishonored and manifests itself both in the design of locations and color schemes, and in the approach to creating characters. That is, Arkane already appears before us as artists whose style and style are recognizable in everything they develop. After all, many artists had their own style that distinguished them from others. For example, having seen just two paintings by Modigliani, you will subsequently easily identify those works that belong to his brush. The same applies to Arkane Studios. The merit of Dishonored is precisely that it became the basis on which their signature style was formed, and subsequently used in other works of these authors.

If we dwell on the Dishonored dilogy in a little more detail, then the authors have managed to convey the state of a dying world, the fate of which is being decided by you right now. The developers paint gloomy landscapes, and all the characters have exactly the same faces, whose facial expressions depict only seriousness and gloom. Yes, at the beginning of the first part there was a happy and cheerful Emily, but this is only a few exceptions to the rule. Otherwise, Arkane paints us a monochromatic mysterious world of Teslapunk, filled with darkness and gloom. Some glimpses of bright and rich life can be traced only in the interior of rich houses, where at least somehow other colors flicker, except for gray, ash and anthracite. However, even there we see only gloomy faces. In general, the authors managed to fully convey the necessary mood.

Dishonored Plot: Recurring Motifs and the Hero’s Journey

In fact, to be honest, the plot of both Dishonored games does not have any successful merits. In addition, they are largely identical. At the beginning of the original, the main character, Corvo Attano, has the role of Lord Protector of the Empress, but in an instant everything collapses: he is accused of murdering the one he was supposed to protect, as well as being involved in the kidnapping of her daughter – the heir to the throne. That is, Corvo Attano is simultaneously deprived of his status, becomes dishonored, and is also declared an undesirable person on the island of Bristol. Because of this, he is forced to hide and be in society only with a mask on.

At this time, the plague is raging in the city. Subsequently, having united with the loyalists, he tries to restore his good name and return his rightful heir to the throne. We did not take into account many nuances and did not say anything about the deadly plague, but in any case, the basis was voiced.

The Importance of Dishonored’s World: Details That Reveal the Universe Through Environment and Lore

At the beginning, the main characters and the main heroine, Emily Kaldwin, also lose their honor and become undesirable individuals. In the shoes of Corvo, we find ourselves behind bars, from where we need to escape, and from the first part we have the ship “Fallen House” on which our hero arrives in Karnaca. Our heroes still strive to restore their good name, save the empire and return the rightful throne. Everything is quite similar, and it is not to say that these stories are outstanding in anything. But all the charm lies here in the details, starting with the world of the game and ending with its characters.

The only problem is that, let’s say, the world – how it looks, we can observe with our own eyes, but to learn any details about it and the characters should be independently:

• By reading notes,
• Newspapers,
• By listening to the dialogues of the guards,
• and various audiograms.

Each of them contains a grain or a huge amount of information about the world of the game. In some, we learn about how people first came up with the idea of ​​using “Blubber” – an oily, viscous liquid – and how it is extracted. In other recordings, we are told about how corpse wasps can be useful in the last stage of their lives. And one of the audiograms tells us that Dunwall (abbreviated as Daud) deliberately did not kill Emily. That is, the recordings found during the game reveal all sorts of details about the nuances of life in the world of Dishonored and what kind of people inhabit it.

It is precisely for this approach to creating various details that Arkane can forgive the simplicity of the main plot. After all, this is not some kind of RPG game or a project in a huge open world, where such content should be mandatory. No, Dishonored is just a single-player action game for 10-15 hours of play, but the development here is simply incredible.

Sure, we could easily dedicate our entire video to just describing the world of Dishonored, but perhaps one video wouldn’t be enough. In that case, let’s make you a little deal. At this point, we’ll probably skip over the details and characters of the Teslapunk-style world of Dishonored. However, we know how much you love our lore videos, so we think you might be interested in a series of videos about the history of the world of Dishonored. And if we’re not wrong about that.

Dishonored gameplay

In addition to exploring the world during the game, you also need to act in it. And literally from the very beginning, Arkane gives you various choices, variations in how you will play the game and what you want to achieve. Do you like to act openly and twirl all this stealth on Corvo’s blade? Please, but be prepared for difficult encounters and the fact that the world will be in decline at the end of the game. Want a good ending? Well, then try to commit fewer murders, and if possible, only stun enemies.

For this, you have numerous abilities – from Dark Vision to Time Bend. You can use them thanks to the Alien’s mark, and pump them up with the help of runes. Refused his offer in the second part, and in the first you only want to use Transference? No problem! There are various loopholes in the locations, thanks to which you can act stealthily and without supernatural skills. And bone amulets can enhance your normal abilities.

Don’t want to stop at studying the notes? Want to just run through the main story? No one will judge you for that. As you can see, Arkane offers us complete freedom of action when it comes to the passage – choose your style of play and go. And this is really implemented superbly.

In addition, all this can be mixed. In one location, you did not leave a single corpse and did not catch anyone’s eye, but in the next you can arrange a real massacre. However, you need to remember that the gameplay and the plot are inextricably linked here.

The Dishonored duology is games that offer an alternative mainly only in terms of gameplay. And the choice you have already made will affect the ending. Your actions in the game affect its world in the same way as it would happen in the real world.

We play for dishonored people who can restore their name and order in the country only through their correct actions. Well, that is, in other words – a minimum of murders. Of course, we will reach the end of the game one way or another, but will it be good and what will be the consequences of your actions? After all, it is the impact on the world that is important here. The actions of each person affect society, and it is quite obvious that murder will not lead to anything good, even if it is committed against your enemies and criminals.

That is why the abuse of victims in each of the parts of Dishonored leads to the fact that the order in the world collapses, and the level of chaos increases. However, the topic of the justice of murders and murderers is a completely different and rather complex category, which is in the field of ethics. Here we are only trying to reason from the point of view of the game itself.

In which each extra death leads to decline – even greater decline, affecting individuals and the whole society as a whole. It is your bad decisions that can change the actions of some characters at one or another plot point. What this world will be like in the end depends only on you. Despite the fact that the developers periodically remind you of the harmfulness of your actions, they still do not insist on how you should play. You always have a choice – either, or – for the consequences of which the main character and the entire world of the game will have to answer. That is, through the gameplay and your style of passing, you, albeit very limited, change the story.

In addition, if during the passage you want to act openly, then you will have to face trials, and stealth today is not particularly needed by anyone except connoisseurs. Also, Dishonored is made in a genre that rarely becomes popular, because in order to feel the full masterpiece of such games, you need to really immerse yourself in them and explore literally every corner. Well, again, this is exactly the beauty of Immersive Sims. The developers left a lot of details for you, studying which, you become more and more imbued with the universe, become a part of it and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the game world. Dishonored, which is always dedicated to single players, filled with darkness and despair, does not fit well with the mechanics of multiplayer or co-op play, because it would completely destroy the entire atmosphere embedded in them.

Is the masterpiece Dishonored worth playing?

The huge popularity of Dishonored would have been a much bigger surprise than the situation we have today. Of course, Arkane Studios, like any other developer, would have liked their project to attract a much larger number of players. But they probably understood that they were making a game that was either outdated in content or uninteresting to most users.

But what is much more important is that Arkane Studios’ work is appreciated. And their projects will be especially highly appreciated by fans of those games in which it is necessary to carefully and thoroughly explore the world, while the action is reduced to a minimum. After all, you will receive most of the information about the universe through studying the environment, and this is a very interesting and meditative process.

But one way or another, players agree that such an experience is not so charming for everyone. The Dishonored duology is something like a museum exhibit. Yes, many have heard of it, yes, many know about its importance and high quality, but only interested units will go to see it, since they value such art and are ready to support it. And no, we do not judge those who do not like Dishonored, we are just drawing an analogy. Besides, everything always comes down to the interests of each person. Therefore, it is great that projects like Dishonored continue to come out.

• Pros: professional artistic execution of the world with weather effects, correct light and shadows, high-quality animation; Geography with the universe is well developed, there is logic connected with history; various weapons and gadgets; types of interesting combat systems; correct balance of “pumping”; the virtual world shows the player’s actions; high-quality port to PC without errors and “bugs”.
• Cons: incorrect formation of side quests; AI that does not always adequately respond to what is happening; low texture resolution.

Dishonored system requirements

To successfully run Dishonored, you will need at least 4 GB of RAM and at least 9 GB of free space on your hard drive. The required graphics card is a GeForce GTX 460, but for a truly interesting experience, the developers strongly recommend upgrading to a GeForce GTX 460 or better. As for the processor, the minimum requirement is a Pentium Extreme Edition 955. However, if you want to increase the game settings and enjoy a smoother and more fluid gameplay, it is wise to consider the chance to use an A6-5400K or better processor. The right specifications will make you enjoy everything the game has to offer!

How to play Dishonored for free on Steam via VpeSports

If you want to explore the beautiful world of Dishonored without spending a dime, we have the perfect solution for you! You can easily access the game through our VpeSports platform, which specializes in providing shared Steam accounts that come with the game pre-installed. To start your adventure, simply visit the VpeSports website and create your own account.

Once logged in, go to the Shared Steam Accounts section, where you will find a diverse collection of accounts available to you. Among them, find Dishonored and click on its review page. Here you will find a download button that will provide you with detailed instructions on how to access the game without any problems. We encourage you to share your experience by leaving a positive comment on our review! Please remember that all comments are subject to moderation, so if your comment is not approved immediately, feel free to edit it according to our rules. Once your comment is approved, our dedicated moderators will send your account details directly to the email address you provided when registering.

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