Arkane Studios is giving players the option of playing as one of two different characters in stealth-and-stabbing sequel Dishonored 2, and according to creative director Harvey Smith the choice of protagonist will have a big impact on gameplay.
Emily Kaldwin, a major figure in the first game who has since grown into a competent assassin herself, will be a “finesse” character, relying on speed and precision. Returning hero Corvo is more of a blunt offensive force.
”If you play as Emily it’s all new,” Smith explained to The Guardian in a recent interview. “She has her own set of powers, her own assassinations and animations, so she feels different, she feels like a finesse character. In the video, we show a power called Far Reach (Emily’s version of Corvo’s teleportation spell Blink) which can be upgraded in different ways, and it changes your flow through the world and your mobility. Just on a videogame level, moving through the world feels different.”
”But if you play Corvo, it’s all this classic stuff, it’s the rat swarms, it’s possession, it’s stopping time—he feels more heavy and brutal, he’s an older guy.”
Of course, he’ll still be pretty spry for and older fellow, with the same complement of magical abilities that allowed players to do things like this. Arkane is keeping pretty hush hush on how exactly the choice of hero will play out on a narrative level, understandably, but getting two completely different skill-sets for the price of one is pretty damned cool in my book.
Dishonored 2 is set for release in Spring 2016 for PC and consoles.
