Take Back What’s Yours: ‘Dishonored 2’ E3 Recap
Mallory Dobry ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Bethesda’s second E3 press conference featured a slew of big name remakes, remasters, and new games to be excited about in the next year or two, ranging from several Fallout 4 DLCs to remastered The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
One of the most hyped games for the Bethesda conference was Dishonored 2, the upcoming sequel to the 2012 Game of the Year. Dishonored follows the story of Corvo Attano, the Lord Protector to the empress, who is framed for her murder, and the kidnapping of their daughter, Emily Kaldwin, as he attempts to clear his name and set the rightful heir on the throne of Dunwall.
Dishonored 2 was unveiled last year, where players saw a much older, much more badass Emily Kaldwin following in her father’s footsteps. The trailer showed off new and improved traits that were integral to the first game, from the grungy and brutal settings and cityscapes, to updated and more intense supernatural abilities for the player to toy with.
French game developer Arkane Studios appeared near the middle of Sunday’s press conference, and pulled off a teasing bait and switch to unveil a revamped and incredibly promising Prey game, and moved along until the end of the conference to discuss Dishonored 2. Director Harvey Smith took the stage to give players a look at Karnaca, the backdrop of the next installment of the game. Smith discussed their art direction goals, and how the team wanted Karnaca to look like a painting in motion.
Arkane built their own engine – dubbed the Void engine, a clear reference to the Void and The Outsider in the game franchise – to run Dishonored 2 and accomplish all that they aimed for in the next installment. Arkane also showed off gameplay from a specific level in Dishonored 2, to show off Emily’s new powers. Supernatural abilities were a crucial part of the original game, and Emily will be following in her father’s footsteps and will be marked by The Outsider as well.
The trailer also unveiled fresh voice acting for both Corvo and Emily. In the original Dishonored, Emily was voiced by Chloe Grace Moretz, but now an adult, Erica Luttrell breathes life into the Empress of Dunwall. One of the largest feats of the original game was that for a protagonist who never said a word, Corvo felt alive and his choices and actions carried weight without words. For Dishonored 2, Bethesda voice acting vet Stephen Russell, who has been featured in Skyrim, and as Nick Valentine in Fallout 4, will play the Lord Protector.
Both Corvo and Emily’s powers have been upgraded and built upon the abilities from the original game. The gameplay showed off Emily’s new powers, such as Far Reach, where Emily can pull objects and targets from a distance, and Domino, which links several enemies to allow large multi-attacks. Developers have also stated that tests of the gameplay have shown them attack combinations and play styles that even they didn’t anticipate.
The gameplay and art direction of the game seem very loyal to the original, critically acclaimed game, and while the story takes players away from Dunwall, its distinctive dark, steampunk tone remains and brings great promise to the franchise. Dishonored 2 will be released November 11, 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.