User blog:Krisars94/Dishonored's 4th anniversary. A reflection

So, today is the 4th anniversary of Dishonored's release. And to be honest, I wanna talk about it today because how much the game made an impact on me.

So back on 2012, I played Dishonored for the very first time. My first impression about how much I loved the art design. It felt evocative and painterly in some ways. I really liked the powers and the stealth gameplay, especially the level design. Unfortunately, back when I reached near the end, I felt meh as some of the flaws became apparent to me. For instance, I didn't feel emotionally invested to Corvo because he was silent and some of the level design felt lackluster later on

However, when I played it again, this time with the Daud DLCs (KoD/TBW), I was amazed. I enjoyed listening to Daud speaking and playing through his perspective of the events in the main game. It added some layers of depth to the world and Daud's character, as well his motives, doubts and regrets. In fact, when I finished the DLCs the first time, I decided to tackle another playthrough for the main game, but taking it slow and easy without taking a single life. It was very rewarding and made me more immersed into the Empire of The Isles and the city of Dunwall than before. Listening to the sad lines of The Heart, the dialogue between the guards and NPCs, or reading books surrounding Dishonored's fiction really made me invested into it.

I mustered up enough courage that I did a High Chaos playthrough and it felt rewarding as well. Despite the darker ending, the last mission was quite more interesting in High Chaos

I played dozens of games that I became invested in, but none of them compared to Dishonored. Its bleak, oppressive setting, Its evocative painterly art-style, the mix of steampunk-like technology and victorian-inspired London, the tight gameplay with the mix of supernatural powers, weapons and tools allowing me to finish the missions whatever ways I see fit. Dishonored, for me, showed me how video games can make players feel immersed to its fictional settings and its world-building.

Happy birthday, Dishonored. And thank you for the good times I've had throughout these years.