Dishonored: Definitive Edition (PS4) Review

Trying to get my honor back.

I had never played Dishonored before, but had always heard of how great the game was. Now that it is finally released in a new package on the current generation of consoles, I was able to give this game a shot. While I see some great mechanics and ideas in it, I think this is a flawed experience overall.

Players take control of Corvo, a bodyguard of the queen who was framed for her murder and the kidnapping of the princess. Set in a Victorian alternate universe full of magic and strange machines, where a plague has set in that spreads through rats and other infected humans, Corvo must join a resistance that knows some of the corrupt higher ups in the military and government are behind the assassination and kidnapping. Now it is up to Corvo to clear his name and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Platforms: XB1, PS4
MSRP: $39.99
Price I’d pay: $20

The game takes place in the first person perspective. Corvo is going to have to infiltrate certain locations and complete objectives. These usually have something to do with killing a major player in the conspiracy. Here, the player is given multiple options on how to approach the mission. They could go in using stealth and sneak past guards, or go in loud with guns and swords drawn and cut their way to the target. On top of all this, utilizing Corvo’s magic powers will aid in combat, sneaking, and escaping. Encounters don’t have to end in a bloodbath, but they most certainly make it easier.

Want the good ending? Good luck.

While I like how the game approaches each mission in many different ways, the game really tries to push the player into killing as few people as possible by stressing that killing enemies will result in a darker outcome as well as allies thinking differently of Corvo, so naturally I wanted to get the “good ending” by sneaking past guards and not engaging them, or when it came down to it, shooting them with sleeping darts and running. Unfortunately, the way sneaking and stealth is handled in Dishonored is by no means easy, and being spotted can very easily result in getting cornered and killed.

The game looks decent on the PS4, and the art style is really interesting to as the least. The closest look for the art style I can think of is the over exaggerated character models in Brink. The Definitive Edition comes with all the DLC that was added to the game after release, and there’s a hefty amount of content here. A few added features like the use of the Dual Shock 4’s touch screen and speaker are used, but in essence, it is only minor.

Long load screen, auto-saved in the fight that killed me, long load screen again.

There are some pretty glaring issues I did have with the game, though. Some of which really brought my thoughts on the game down. First, the loading times are far too long. I timed them due to my sitting at them so much – 44 seconds. Now, that may not be a very long load time in the grand scheme of things, but when the game loads going into areas, dying, and entering some buildings, I was sitting at a load screen at least six or seven times during a mission. It got monotonous fast. The second and much bigger issue I had was the way and times the game decided to auto-save. The game would auto-save me in the middle of either fighting or trying to escape a pursuit. I would die, and would immediately be loaded into the same encounter. Manually saving became a must for me.

Those who really liked Dishonored and want to try it again on the new systems can have a decent time with the Definitive Edition. People who missed out get a complete package, but need to keep in mind that this game is not easy, and manually saving after each section will become a priority while playing. Some of the design choices made in both the game play and the technical aspects really turned me off of the experience after a while, but I can see some great things in Dishonored if people have the patience for it. Just keep in mind, if you die or mess up, you’re going to be see a long loading screen.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Lots of content
  • Interesting art style
  • Cool powers
Bad
  • Long load times
  • Stealth is hit or miss
  • Really bad auto-save mechanic
7
Good
Written by
Drew is the Community Manager here at ZTGD and his accent simply woos the ladies. His rage is only surpassed by the great one himself and no one should stand between him and his Twizzlers.