Dishonored is a first-person stealth action video game that is developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released from October 9 to October 12, 2012 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Harvey Smith, known for his involvement in the Deus Ex franchise, and Raphael Colantonio, the founder of Arkane Studios, who contributed to such games as Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, are the Lead Designers on the game.

Contents 1 Development 1.1 Art design 2 Story 3 Missions 4 Gameplay 4.1 Chaos 4.2 Artificial intelligence 5 World 6 Awards 6.1 Won / Received 6.2 Nominated 7 Videos 8 Screenshots 9 External links 10 References 11 Comments

Development

Art design

Viktor Antonov, the Visual Design Director, who also designed most of the style of City 17, the Combine architecture, and the technology in Half-Life 2, has said that the game possesses a Lovecraftian feel, and draws some inspiration from Half-Life 2, at the request of the production team.

According to Antonov, the other sources from which Dishonored's art style derives its inspiration include books and artwork, as opposed to video games and films, which represents itself in a non-realistic, painting-esque style. The game's general design derives influence from the now defunct Looking Glass Studios, a highly innovative and motivated games company of where many of the developers' careers began, such as Harvey Smith.

Story

Dishonored, set against the backdrop of the city of Dunwall and the rat plague, follows the story of Corvo Attano, the last bodyguard to the Empress, Jessamine Kaldwin. Corvo was falsely implicated in his charge's death by Hiram Burrows, her usurper and Lord Regent, and was ultimately imprisoned. Driven by revenge, he escapes from his confinement six months later with the help of a shadowy group of loyalists, and becomes an infamous assassin as he strives to avenge his, and the Empress', fate.

Dishonored features multiple endings, which are dependent on Corvo's actions throughout the course of the game.

Missions

• Dishonored
• High Overseer Campbell
• House of Pleasure
• The Royal Physician
• Lady Boyle's Last Party
• Return to the Tower
• The Flooded District
• The Loyalists
• The Light at the End

Gameplay

Main article: Natural Abilities

Main article: Supernatural Abilities 

The focus of Dishonored is on affecting the world and the narrative primarily through Corvo's actions, instead of his words.

Corvo will go into battle with an extensive variety of weapons at his disposal, as well as his supernatural abilities. Assassination kills fill up an adrenaline gauge, and once it is completely full, players can increase his combat prowess.

Each of the world's environments have been created with verticality in mind, enabling the player to experience the entirety of a level, from its sewer systems and waterways to its rooftops. Players can use Corvo's freerunning expertise to scale buildings, slide under obstacles and sprint across platforms, with certain supernatural abilities also offering further use of Corvo's movement.

Many areas are open to exploration; hidden rewards and experiences await, tucked away, for more adventurous players to find.

Chaos

Dishonored features a "Chaos" system that tracks the game's world-state. The more disruptive Corvo's actions, the more chaotic the world becomes. For instance, though an area may initially be calm, players can disrupt that serenity.

Some actions are less chaotic, such as killing a guard and hiding his body in a dumpster, whereas raising an alarm or killing a civilian in broad daylight will provoke a greater response. The opposite is also true, and there are side-missions which, if executed properly, will lower existing Chaos.

Changes in the Chaos system may result in subtle in-game consequences, such as more rats appearing in an area or slight differences in dialogue, to more noticeable consequences, such as more guards appearing on patrols or characters refusing to interact with Corvo or rewarding him, depending on what they think of his actions.

If high enough Chaos is created, bedlam ensues: NPCs begin to attack each other, rats swarm the area, and the world through which Corvo moves becomes an altogether nightmarish place.

The developers emphasize that the Chaos system is not a morality meter, but a stability meter. It is meant to highlight the plight of Dunwall: its people are no longer concerned with right and wrong, but merely with holding on to the little certainty that still exists.

How "chaotically" a player decides to play the game is entirely up to them. Players can be extremely disruptive, creating death and destruction wherever they go, or they can take a subtle approach, even completing the entire game without killing anyone; the developers assume that most players will take a middle-of-the-road approach, trying to maneuver their way through hostile environments undetected but resorting to killing when their plans go awry. All play styles result in different playthroughs for the player.

Artificial intelligence

Raphael Colantonio has described Dishonored's artificial intelligence as "analog AI", meaning that the AI personality is structured along a spectrum, instead of on/off states, and a number of characteristics are modified on the fly. For example, two guards talking to each other have narrower "vision cones", and duller hearing than their patrolling counterparts, and are therefore less likely to notice Corvo than those on patrol. Light, mental state, ambient noise and other elements all affect how the AI reacts.

World

The world of Dishonored consists almost entirely of water, aside from the Isles, a group of islands in the north-west region of the world. There is also the Pandyssian Continent, a giant land mass to the south-east of the Isles.

Corvo's tale takes place in Dunwall, the capital city of Gristol. The central hub, to which he continually returns between missions, is known as the Hound Pits, which is shown as a drinking establishment.

Harvey Smith describes Dishonored's aesthetic as "retro-future-industrial", one that combines influences from 17th century England, modern Orwellian dystopia, and anachronistic technology. This presents itself as spindled armatures, walls of light, and buggy-like vehicles.

The environment is intended to be, simultaneously, a storied backdrop and an interactive canvas, and not just a blank stage on which the action takes place. Stately monuments dot the city, while graffiti splashes red-bricked buildings. Accompanying this, prostitutes canvas neighborhoods where overturned dumpsters litter the streets, and corpses await to be thrown into the sea.

Dishonored's world is designed in such a way that it telegraphs little pieces of information about the world to the player, while also allowing them to interact with it in a meaningful, logical manner.

Awards

Won / Received

Spike TV - Video Game Awards 2012

• Best Action/Adventure Game^[1]

The PC Gamer - Game of the Year Awards 2012

• The Singleplayer Shooter of the Year^[2]
• The Best NPC Barks of the Year (Spoof award)^[3]

The Edge Awards 2012

• Best Game^[4]

GameSpot's Best Games of 2012

• Action/Adventure Game of the Year^[5]
• PS3 Game of the Year^[6]
• XBOX 360 Game of the Year^[7]

Machinima - Inside Gaming Awards 2012

• Best Environmental Design^[8]

IGN - Best of 2012

• Best Overall Action Game^[9]
• Best PC Action Game^[10]
• Best Xbox 360 Action Game^[11]

Game Informer - Top 50 Games Of 2012

• Best Action^[12]

Official Xbox Magazine - Game of the Year Awards 2012

• Best Original Game^[13]

The Escapist - Jimquisition Awards 2012

• Outstanding Game of the Year^[14]

Yahoo! Games - Best of 2012 Awards

• Best Action/Adventure Game^[15]

Forbes - The Best Video Games Of 2012

• Game of the Year^[16]

CNET - The Top 11 Games of 2012

• #1 Game in the Top 11^[17]

Mirror Online - Top 10 Video Games of 2012

• #1 Game in the Top 10^[18]

CNN - The 10 best video games of 2012

• #1 Game in Top 10^[19]

Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games of 2012

• #1 Game in the Top 50^[20]

About.com

• #1 Game in the Top PC Games of 2012^[21]
• #1 Game in the Top 10 Xbox 360 Games of 2012^[22]

Ars Technica's 2012 Games of the Year

• Game of the Year^[23]

Buzz Focus - Reader’s Choice Awards: Best Video Games of 2012

• Best Action/Adventure^[24]
• Best Game on PS3^[25]
• Best Overall Game^[26]

zConnection’s Best of Gaming 2012

• Game of the Year^[27]

BAFTA Awards - Games in 2013

• Best Game in 2013^[28]

Nominated

Spike TV Video Game Awards

• Game of the Year - Lost to The Walking Dead Video Game
• Studio of the Year - Lost to Telltale Studios
• Best Xbox 360 Game - Lost to Halo 4
• Best PS3 Game - Lost to Journey
• Best Graphics - Lost to Halo 4

Videos

Main article: Dishonored Videos

Screenshots

Main article: Dishonored Screenshots

External links

• Dishonored's official website.
• Dishonored's official forums.
• Dishonored's official Tumblr account.
• Dishonored's official Twitter page.
• Dishonored's official Facebook page.
• Dishonored's playlist at official Bethesda Softworks' YouTube channel.

References

1. ↑ Spike TV Video Game Awards 2012 - Best Action/Adventure Game
2. ↑ The PC Gamer's Game of the Year Awards 2012 - The Singleplayer Shooter of the Year
3. ↑ The PC Gamer's Game of the Year Awards 2012 - The Best NPC Barks of the Year
4. ↑ The Edge Awards 2012 - Best Game
5. ↑ GameSpot's Best Games of 2012 - Action/Adventure Game of the Year
6. ↑ GameSpot's Best Games of 2012 - PS3 Game of the Year
7. ↑ GameSpot's Best Games of 2012 - XBOX 360 Game of the Year
8. ↑ Machinima's Inside Gaming Awards 2012 - Best Environmental Design
9. ↑ IGN's Best of 2012 - Best Overall Action Game
10. ↑ IGN's Best of 2012 - Best PC Action Game
11. ↑ IGN's Best of 2012 - Best Xbox 360 Action Game
12. ↑ Game Informer's Top 50 Games Of 2012 - Best Action
13. ↑ Official XBOX Magazine's Game of the Year Awards 2012 - Best Original Game
14. ↑ Jimquisition Awards 2012 - Outstanding Game of the Year
15. ↑ Yahoo! Games' Best of 2012 Awards - Best Action/Adventure Game
16. ↑ Forbes' The Best Video Games Of 2012 - Game of the Year
17. ↑ CNET's The Top 11 Games of 2012
18. ↑ Mirror Online - Top 10 Video Games of 2012
19. ↑ CNN's The 10 best video games of 2012
20. ↑ Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games of 2012
21. ↑ About.com's Top PC Games of 2012
22. ↑ About.com's Top 10 Xbox 360 Games of 2012
23. ↑ Ars Technica - Game of the Year
24. ↑ Buzz Focus - Best Action/Adventure
25. ↑ Buzz Focus - Best Game on PS3
26. ↑ Buzz Focus - Best Overall Game
27. ↑ zConnection’s Best of Gaming 2012
28. ↑ BAFTA Awards - Best Game in 2013