Dishonored tells a remarkable story in its own right, one involving a bodyguard named Corvo who seeks revenge over the death of his Empress making things “right” by either taking the sneaky route or leaving a huge body count in his wake. His was an interesting perspective, but now Bethesda and Arkane Studios are about to present a new one.
This month, new downloadable content will be launching for Dishonored in the form of Knife of Dunwall. This time around you’re doing your dirty work as Daud, a vile killer who plays an integral part in the original game – he’s the one who ends up killing the Empress. Seeing his side of the story is rather unique, along with the new abilities he brings to the game. We recently got a chance to check out just how things shape up for him with a hands-on at Bethesda’s PAX East showcase. Though it was a rather short demo, it did give us an idea of what to expect from him.
Daud, played by actor Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill), feels that the death of the Empress is one that felt like a different kill than all the rest and not just because of royalty. Then the Outsider, a familiar character from Corvo’s story, appears to confirm this and conveys that Daud needs to make it right. He then tasks him to hunt down someone named Delilah without giving detail as to why this particular figure should be found. (Bethesda is keeping a majority of the story under wraps, probably to avoid spoilers before the actual DLC comes out.)
Knife of Dunwall will offer some new territory to cover that wasn’t featured in the original game with a vast amount of room to move about, including rooftops and walkways that would be out of reach if not for Daud’s abilities. He’ll also receive help from a strange masked assassin and can call upon others to lend a hand if necessary – something Corvo didn’t have the luxury to do with his adventure. You’ll also discover that Daud has some new abilities that will come in handy, though one in particular will take a bit of practice.
This revolves around Blink. Like Corvo, itenables Daud to move about quickly by teleporting from one place to another. Daud’s process is rather different, as you’ll need to stop time in order to initiate the teleport then point to where you want to go before you complete the process. This took a few tries to master at first, as we sometimes missed the mark and either fell to our death by accident or landed right in the middle of trouble with guards on duty. Fortunately, we were able to try again and got the hang of the ability soon after.
Instead of the crossbow that Corvo had in the first game, Daud relies on an awesome wristbow that leaves his hands free for more visceral combat. The wristbow works just fine, firing different kinds of bolts just like the crossbow to kill or stun enemies, depending how you like to get things done.
Daud can also call upon a cool Arc Mine weapon that enables him to set traps. This device can stick to any surface – wall, floor, or even a dead body if you feel like setting up someone that’s investigating – and goes off multiple times, hitting enemies until the charges run out. It’s a cool weapon, though one that you’ll have to use sparingly.
Another great item at your disposal is Chokedust. It works like ninja powder, leaving enemies gasping for air and enabling you to either finish them off or Blink your way to safety. It’s limited too, but quite awesome.
Finally, being able to call upon allies is probably the neatest of your abilities. You can call in a fellow assassin to to help you in the time of need and you can also gift some of your ability to let them use it, adding an element that was missing with the original Dishonored release. This is pretty awesome, though there are some situations that Daud is best handling himself. After all, if he can kill the Empress then wiping out guards should come pretty easy.
Knife of Dunwall will be available this month on both PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace, as well as the PC/Steam market. Be sure to pick it up if you’re a fan of the game or just want to play another heavily armed bad-ass. Who wouldn’t?
Published: Apr 10, 2013 01:26 pm