Talk:Emily Kaldwin/@comment-31013880-20180219002946/@comment-26199726-20180615223320

Okay, I can't really say anything about the comparison of voiceover performances, as I never really played the english version of D1. All I can say there is that there were definitely moments in D2 where I heard Emily's regrets, her rage or hatred ... can't really say the role lacked life.

As for the rest of her portrayal (story-wise), it may just come down to tastes. I get some people may not "click" with the character and, like you, find her dull, and that's allright. However, I struggle to understand the comparison to D1's protagonist and his motivations.

There, all of Corvo's struggles were external - all of his problems were caused from external factors and are summarily resolved by removing those factors, usually involving some kind of violence. There is no internal struggle or character development we can observe, precisely because the character is meant to be a blank slate.

Emily, on the other hand, struggles not only with external foes, but also her own shortcomings. Delilah's coup strikes so deep because it forces Emily to confront unpleasant truths about herself: That she didn't give the Empire her all, that she failed to present herself as a leader worth fighting for, and that she didn't take her responsibilities seriously enough. Emily is "dishonored" not only in the sense of defamation and loss of social standing (like Corvo), but in the much more material sense that her honor was soiled by her own actions (more like Daud). Regaining that honor by confronting and overcoming her shortcomings, growing as a person and a leader, is her objective, one that we can accompany her in either fulfilling or failing.

That is a sense of development and meaning to the journey the character undertakes that Dishonored 1 (the base game) doesn't provide. And that is why I have problems understanding how people can sympathize more with Corvo and his journey in D1.