Get a browser that's better at literally everything: mtchm.de/39wt1. So there's the Dishonored video. Thank you for waiting. Not sure if I'll tackle the sequels yet, but I deeply enjoyed my playthroughs.
Just a small correction: Blink produces no noise. Like zero. The reason why that guard on the balcony detected you was because you blinked *through* him. Despite the name, blink doesn't function as a teleport, its more as if Corvo flew to his target location at the speed of light. If you blink through an enemy, its as if Corvo bumped into them really fast, which causes them to notice you.
As for Delilahs fight, there is also a third option. Which is quietly swapping the painting when she is not looking without ever alarming her to your presence. Then she is the one to say the incantation and banishes herself to the wrong painting like a blind idiot.
Probably my favorite little bit in the game is; if you sign Corvo’s name into the guest book at Lady Boyle’s party, during the next mission at Dunwall Tower you can find a letter in the watch captains office to the lord regent trying to let him know with out freaking him out. Always gave me a chuckle.
1:09:01 I honestly think Summon Assassin is an amazing ability. The first level (1 rune) allows you to summon a clumsy assassin that misses some shots and most kill opportunities (unless directly behind an enemy); so it’s a distraction and meat shield at best, not particularly useful. Now the second level it’s worth the investment (5 runes). You summon a master assassin that is quick on his feet, parries and dodges most enemy attacks; and most importantly it can win fights where he is outnumbered 3 to 1.
Man.. Dishonored. What a gem, The sheer amount of love and care put within its design and the plentiful possibilities throughout each area was a treat. Can't forget sitting down on my chair whilst on my 360 just to start walking around as a rat.
the game was created after Valve cancelled a half life project the guys behind dishonored were doing. thats why the game has similar vibes from time to time
@@0Blueaura i just replayed dishonored and the entire time I was thinking how similar a lot of dunwall's architecture looks to the combine's, so that explains a lot
To this day i cannot get over the joy i felt the first time I realized that I could turn a mine into a grenade by just attaching it to a bottle or something that i could throw. I use that trick all the time and it still makes me happy.
Dishonored enthralled my interest on release so much it actually gave rise to one of my all time favorite gameplay challenge runs, and may well be even more screwed up than the typical high chaos. I call it the Grey Wraith playthrough. Note: long story. I did two playthroughs before it: a painstaking low chaos stealth run, and a high chaos jaunt. Towards the end of the game Emily has dialogue (and pictures she's drawn of you) based on your choice. One particular line gave me pause on high chaos. It was to the effect of "I know what you do at night. I've seen the blood on your sword." To those who don't know, Dishonored gives a visual indicator of which chaos mode you are in. When you kill someone with your sword and end the mission, it obviously coats with blood. When you end the mission you killed in with low chaos, Corvo wipes the blade clean. When you end it in high chaos, it will also be wiped clean, but ONLY if you are still in overall low chaos. Otherwise, he keeps it bloody and menacing. Emily's dialogue combined with this fact made me wonder: What if I never kill with this sword and irrevocably change it? So since I was feeling the power trip too strongly at this point, and having seen most all of both low and high chaos already, I decided on the rules: No killing with the sword, must be high chaos, completely ghost, non-lethal assassinations for targets, and for added interest, no blink. Then I added one more rule very early on since I was playing the ghost route.... All kills must appear supernatural, terrifying, or non-conventional means. Things like guns and grenades? Those could be expected of gangers or rebels, things you could fight back against knowing the threat. Instead, rat swarms under duress, witnessing your comrades walk to their deaths, falling from the sky with a wet squelch, limbs being eviscerated, spontaneous combustion, sudden shift of the pylons disintegrating everyone around you into ash? There is only fear that you are never safe, because you never truly know who your enemy is. Only that they are all around you, and you don't know when you're next. This made for a very deep playthrough, as you use almost all the level design in various ways not just for traversal but for creative ways to find kills. From a prowler looking to overcome obstacles, you become a hunter seeking the best way to obliterate your prey. You must kill creatively using tools and indirect methods, without being seen or resorting to direct killing. All while your powers are limited to your flasks... or at least they would be without the best discovery of this run. Two bone charms in particular I found early, one from a pre-order I believe, nearly entirely useless alone worked amazingly together. Albinos gives you more white rats spawned in rat swarms, and ordinarily only allow longer possession time, while the other charm allows you to eat white rats to gain mana. In tandem, summoning a rat swarm and eating the white rats would always give you as much mana as it cost to summon, but often a fair bit more. Now without cheating or console at all, entirely in-game you have a method of infinite mana and power by consuming the very thing that caused so much misery and devastation. Thematically, you really feel like you become the avatar of the plague and the Outsider, a monster. Everywhere you go you are never seen but always felt, passing silent judgement for all you deem worthy of torment and anguish while skillfully evading notice through (mostly) mortal means. I find it so incredible and defining that a game gave such freedom of emergent play that it allowed for this kind of experience within it's own narrative. And by the time you reach Emily towards the end, you can pull out your sword and figuratively ask her, "What blood? I've never killed anyone. You must be deceived." Thank you for reading if you got this far. The game never really planned this type of playthrough ofc, so there are some funny hiccups in questlines and dialogue because it doesn't understand the logic at times. I do recommend giving it a go if you ever feel like replaying a different way, albeit you may be less lucky than I was with those bone charms by the high overseer mission.
This reminds me of a playthrough I did of Dishonored a while back. In the side objective that Pendleton gives you for Lady Boyle’s Party, you’re tasked with challenging a certain guest to a duel, which leads to the nearby guards retrieving a case of pistols and reciting the rules to the duel, alongside stating “let it be noted that Lord Pendleton’s representative has a pistol”. Hearing this line made me wonder: what happens if you reach this point without actually picking up any pistols? Can you even do that? And so began a fairly easy yet oddly convoluted run based on the hope of changing a single throwaway line of dialogue. To make things more interesting, I also took a stab (or more accurately, a strangle) at staying non lethal. Avoiding guns is easy enough when they’re placed down somewhere, as the game doesn’t actually require you to pick any up unlike with the sword and crossbow. The only real challenge came from the guns carried by elite guards and overseers. Picking up a body normally automatically loots it, but I discovered that doing so immediately after stabbing/choking a guard would loot everything *except any pistols*, which made me feel validated for going through the effort. The catch to this was that I couldn’t move a body after putting it down, so I needed to be careful about who I took down and where. After hours of playing and frantically checking my inventory just to make sure that I hadn’t slipped up (which happened more times than I’d like to admit), I made it to the Boyle Mansion, began the duel, and lo and behold the line was altered to instead say “the gentlemen may select their pistols”. It’s such a minor alteration that would’ve been easy to not include-after all, most players will never attempt something that stupid-but I’m so amazed that someone at Arkane thought to do that.
That sounds fun as hell. Definitely gonna try it as an excuse for another playthrough. I, like many others, did an almost inverse run: high chaos no powers. I guess if i were to give it a fancy name it'd be Insider's Revenge. You basically use bombs, explosives, gun and sword in high chaos but no powers. To prove you dont need the outsider's help to do your worst. Definitely more popular though as DH2 lets u canonically reject the outsider'a gift
Yeah, I guess it probably felt too similar to Bioshock, which was an older and more established IP then Dishonoured was, so naturally it fell by the wayside, but it's just something that would never get made now in an era of always online, live service pay to win bilge.
@@Peak_Aussieman Yes, it’s a real shame to see that. I do appreciate devs, even big developers do still try to push creativity but sadly it doesn’t always connect with audiences.
If Dishonored 2 had sold better it could have been a big series. Deathloop is the only Arkane game after Dishonored that sold well, and it's their worst game IMO (still a good game though, but not as good as the others).
I loved playing through metro. I was an angel of death with throwing knives in metro 2033 & Last Light, but particularly in the first game the throwing knives were thrown with your right hand, and so they were displaced from what you pointed your crosshairs at, and I got ridiculously good at aiming. In last light they went from the center of your view like most other games' weapons, but they also felt a little warble-y in their flight path. And the whole reason I was so deadset on using the knives for basically.... everything.... was that I have a good amount of hours on Mark of the Ninja, the parallel being the bamboo darts which you can use to destroy lightbulbs I have exodus but I haven't played it yet, I don't think my computer is up to it, to be honest
@@YarnhamBrainsuckerThe Metro games are amazing and in my opinion get better as the series goes on. I played them all last year and they hold up amazingly. You should play all three of them in order. 2033 > Last Light > Exodus.
@@YarnhamBrainsucker Start with the first one "Metro 2033", the second one had a really awful first 5 minutes but then you were swept away 10 miles from what whatever was going there which was really nice. In terms of what they're worth I'm not sure, I payed ~15 bucks on a ridiculous steam sale for 2033 redux, Last Light redux, Exodus+Exodus Enhanced Edition (90 dollar value lol). Also if you're familiar with STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl you should know Metro has some similarities, you can tell some of the same people worked on it, but its a very different game, in terms of gameplay, story, setting, and tone.
got my metro 2033 tattoo 13 years ago now. My girlfriend at the time said that "no-one knows that crummy game or why you have a stupid gas mask with 2033 inked on your back dumbass" AHH vindication is awesome, plus last time I'm dating a non gamer. Getting all offended because I wanted to get it on while playing doom eternal.
It's weird to me to see how different and similar my views of this game are. I agree nearly 100% with just about everything you've said but it's telling my approach to the game vs yours when I consider that i probably have maybe an hour put into Dunwall City Trials and over 200 hours in the main game cause I keep replaying it. And then there's the flooded district. My favorite level. And it's my favorite for the same reason that you say it's the worst: it's slow. I enjoy slow. I like slow. I get genuine enjoyment sitting on a roof and watching the guards patrol back and forth, or just breathing in the atmosphere of a level. There's nothing that makes me more frustrated with a game than an insistence on speed. So truth be, i found the flooded district and following areas to be the best in the game because they're so desolate and so heavily emphasize the bleak, dystopian nature of the story.
100% agree. Just finished the game 10 mins ago (late to the party), and thought after Dunwall Tower the game would end pretty cliché. But oh boy was I wrong and was just blown away by the flooded district, did not expect that. Absolutely loved the slow gameplay you were forced to due to loosing your gear. And just loved the aesthetics overall of that part. I expected a the ending to be more combt based with poor detailed levels, as sadly common in many end game levels. The more I was pleasantly surprised by the level of atmoshpere and opportunities these levels provided.
Apart from a thematic interpretation, I think the major "problem" with the chaos system is that it seems to be a 2-way street. Either you go full chaos or you go full non-lethal. In actuality though, you can kill quite a lot of people without getting the bad ending or the bad results. I mean, you can kill all of the main targets and nothing aside from a few letters changes. So while the chaos system encourages a non-lethal route, it technically never tells you to not kill. And I think if it was made more clear in the beginning that you just should avoid killing, but it isn't that bad on occasions, a lot of players would have more fun with it. Because when I got into that mindset, my way of playing Dishonered changed. I didn't try to get perfectly non-lethal through the levels. My idea was that I was always trying to play without trial and error. For example, if there were two guards and I didn't see a way to get rid of both in a non-lethal way (without trying things out before reloading) I decided to kill one of them since this is usually quicker. By playing like that, your decisions become a lot more meaningful, if you try to play in character, because you think there might have been a solution to letting both live. And if you already had to kill a few, then I might have even taken the decision to ignore an optional part in the level to make sure I don't have to kill more people in the process. I think with this mindset, the chaos system CAN create interesting situations as long as you are willing to limit yourself this way. It won't solve all its problems, but it can make the journey and you decisions feel more meaningful.
The problem with the chaos system is that it gives no feedback. You never know "when" you will cross the line, so you do everything in your power to not cross the line. So, you avoid all killing, because you will never know which death will send you over the edge.
@@1000rogueleader I don't necessarily think this is a problem. I would say that there should be a bit more intermediate consequences overall so that you can get a feeling but as it was said in the video, it's already hard to determine the "real" consequences to begin with. So I am not sure that intermediate things would really help give the player support in that regard. The only way would be a number at all times, but that ruins the immersion imo. And again, the point I was making is that you should kill deliberately when you don't see a better option. You should still try to find a non-lethal route, but if there is no way of knowing if something works, then killing for the faster animations is a more immersive strategy than just try out and load again. At least for me. And as far as I was able to determine, this usually results in a low chaos run, because you really need to kill quite a few people until the mission says you had high chaos. So it typically goes beyond what I described.
Something interesting I noticed, I only killed 25 people during the High Overseer mission, the overall chaos was low by the time I went to the back to meet Samuel, you remember the sick overseer? I got the high chaos scene where he is executed instead of put down, where he was trying to avoid being killed, despite me being on low chaos I got high chaos scene. It was sort of like a medium chaos, the world around me was darker but Emily was also drawing happy pictures and not being so dark. I also had similar high chaos encounters in later levels while still having an overall chaos level of low.
@@generaltobias3777 I think I remember which scene you are referring to. That sounds interesting and is actually helpful as it basically tells you that you are close to being at high chaos and you should be careful to not cross that line. I guess the main reason why people won't realise these thing is (as it was pointed out in the video) that it is hard to understand as a new player THIS is a consequence of your actions. You notice it IF you already know about the subtle differences. Though I am not sure how to fix that problem. Would adding a sentence about more rats make sense here? It's really hard without it being too on the nose.
@@Modie somehow I was also able to go from overall high chaos back to low chaos. I use stat checker to see, the moment I got high chaos I didnt kill anyone else, this was during boyle party. next level it was back to low until I kill regent and few others (spared general tobias of course), then it became high again
I still remember the chills I got when I first sat down to replay the game and heard over the speakers that plague-stricken people would get sent to the Flooded District for 'rest and rehabilitation', only to wind up there later in the game and see the electric carriage up above drop heaps of bodies right in front of me. It makes for an interesting parallel to the High Overseer level with the guards chucking bodies down onto the boat next to you.
I'm so happy you covered this game. I think dishonored pushed immersive sims in a great direction that sadly simply wasn't built upon after 2012. That includes it's very good sequel, which although brought what I wanted to see from a gameplay and (especially) level design standpoint, just didn't match the feel of the first. This game is atmospheric and immersive in the truest sense and deserve whatever credit is thrown its way, and holds up AMAZINGLY for a game to come out over a decade ago.
@@saltiney8578it is one. Basically every single quest has a million ways to go about doing it, and you can build your character however you want. Even down to details of being dead sober and non lethal. There's a lot more to the game than people want to admit
Maybe this is more a dishonored 2 thing. But I loved to play “assault non-lethal.” Where you run in like you’re about to murder a bunch of guards, but instead use the environment to knock them all out. I gather this wasn’t a popular play style tho
If I go back to play one of these games, I go back to 2 purely for the expanded options for non-lethal play. The ability to knock enemies out from the air or from a slide is such a quality of life improvement. (P.S. Does anyone know if you can choke people from stun in dishonored 2? I don't remember trying that)
The section on how Dishonored basically forces any player who is seeking a genuine challenge in the game to impose arbitrary restrictions and rulesets upon themselves, costing the game its sense of immersion and seamlessness in return, reminds me of exactly why, despite my love for the first game, I have found Dishonored 2 to be so consistently engaging with every subsequent repeat playthrough (I've completed well over a dozen) whereas I've only gone througu the first game to completion about five times. Dishonored 2's wonderful difficulty options give the player the power to customise a wide variety of variables that affect an entire playthrough in huge ways, with many of fhe options provided seemingly being offered in direct response to criticisms of the first game that Whitelight brings up in this very video; power mana cost, visibility whilst leaning out of cover, ammo and potion rarity, consumable carry capacity, and so much more. And crucially, you can set all of these options to your liking BEFORE starting a new playthrough, so you never have to worry about accidentally breaking one of your personal rules, or deal with that nagging sense of "this isnt really how the game was meant to be played" that I felt in Dishonored 1 while doing self-imposed challenge runs. I really hope you do end up making a video on Dishonored 2 at some point! For as much flack as it gets for its admittedly disapointing story and control differences owing to the new engine (personally I've never found the way Emily/Corvo moves to be an issue and think it feels a lot better than D1 but I know others disagree), I think Dishonored 2 is such an enormous improvement to an already incredible formula with some of THE coolest stealth abilities and brutal combat executions I've ever seen in the genre. Those Shadow Walk lethal kill animations 👌
i can see why you see it that way and you honestly made me think about 2 in a new light, never really went back after the initial low chaos stealth and whatever i want high chaos playthroughs, ill give them another shot and see if it was just "because its not dishonored 1"
Unfortunately, Dishonored 2 flopped horribly despite improving on the mechanics. Dishonored 2 never sold higher than Dishonored 1 so Bethesda considered it a flop. The sequel selling 2.5 million is nothing compared to how much the first game made. Simply put, Dishonored 2's disappointing sales is why Arkane never made Dishonored 3. I can definitely see why people talk more about Dishonored 1 though.
@@tametalks6102 dishonored 2 is one of my favorite games ever. I liked it way more than the first one. The level design of dishonored 2 is phenomenal, the gameplay way better. I loved playing this game (I also loved dishonored 1 ofc).
@@wyattmilliken3320 So Dishonored 2 DID flop. "Near 3 million copies" is pathetic when Dishonored 1 already sold 3 million copies just on the "PC alone". The sales dropped nearly 40% compared to the first game which is why Bethesda considered it a commercial failure. Which is also why we had Deathloop instead of a Dishonored 3 in the first place.
@@SonOfExcesshe did, not being hyperbolic a little over half the video was spent complaining. Which is his right but damn I get the vibe he doesn’t like this game as much as he was letting on
Not to mention the incredible level design, particularly from Dishonored 2. The Clockwork mansion and the Time mansion missions are some of the most jawdropping setpieces ever.
trying to navigate the clockwork mansion straight up gave me a headache the first time around but, discovering the main path's through Jindosh's marvel of a home was incredibly satisfying. Stilton's mansion and using the time piece was one of the most interesting ways of moving through a characters house I'd ever experienced & seeing how things were and then flashing back to the present with that intimidating music is pretty wild.
I dunno. As clever as parts of Dishonored 2 are I feel like it lost out on some of the satisfaction a player can get from the more streamlined level designs of the original
I just played through the Clockwork Mansion level doing a ghost, non-lethal run and completed the Silence achievement which is eliminating Jindosh without him ever knowing you were there. What a cool level.
Wow, just replayed it a couple of days ago. What a fantastic game. Both Dishonored games and expansions are simply amazing. I might like PREY a bit more, but the Dishonored series is still a world-class masterpiece. To this day I have to force myself to play high chaos. Just like in other great stealth series (Splinter Cell, Thief, Hitman) playing carefully and laying low is so much more satisfying. And seeing Samuel despise Corvo, or Emily turning ruthless is simply soul-crushing. Being able to overhear all conversations and use the heart is worth it, so many interesting dialogues and lore hidden behind this mechanics. *Thanks Whitelight for a pleasant surprise before the weekend!* btw- Cecelia is the best girl. So likable, well-written, and has a fantastic voice actress. I would be so upset if she didn't survive the purge in The Hound Pits. It would be awesome to be able to store some money in her secret hiding apartment, so she can escape and have a better life. Note from her would hit harder than Malik's after saving her in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
This is the best video I've seen in a while. Really captures that weird feeling in Dishonored when you end up in a loop of quicksaving despite the game technically being quite easy.
Yeah, I agree with the criticism of the chaos system. Dishonored has such satisfying and varied combat mechanics, its a shame it doesn't have sections where it lets you loose without consequences
The Death of the Outsider expansion to 2 removes the chaos system and gives you a bunch of options. The ending is a bit abrupt but what's shown makes sense in the context of the lore.
the chaos system is not a morality system, it is a narrative binary option that you choose/decide upon. The game only punishes indecision. if you wanna keep things clean and sneaky the game lets you with low security patrols etc, if you roleplay as a meat grinder then the game sends you more meatsacks to shred. working as intended And high chaos is not punishment, if you play like a bl00dthirsty stealth reaper or combat maniac if anything high guard count is literally a reward, i even went and set off alarm myself to get more security re-inforcement just to get more k&lls. i dont see this system as a problem but the fact that playerbase sees this as a problem is its own issue. You never have to k&ll anything even if you fail the stealth. you can just blink away, stop time or just double jump to an elevation and just escape. it is not AC where every enemy is a parkour master, you are the king of rooftops it is your domain and no enemy can access rooftops or pursue you there (except Daud's recruits) In my RP playthrough i didnt k&ll a single guard, but took out every target, k&lled every A&&a&&in of Daud, i m&ss&cred everyone in the flooded district(only mission that i had high chaos stat) aka every single a&&a&&ing sc&m in the flooded district but let Daud leave (the contrast felt so satisfying narratively). Every decision felt right And still got the lowest chaos ending. that playthrough (2nd playthrough) was so satisfying that i just felt sour on the sequel, i already had my sweet ending for my boi corvo and emily, just leave em in peace.
I cannot comprehend how this man is making quality videos like that on a regualr basis. Never misses. It must take soooo long to make one of these, thank you for the entertainment.
A LOT of people tend to like to rag on the steampunk genre. I haven't the faintest idea why. I ADORE it. And it's rarely explored in this much depth and detail in gaming. The world building in Dishonored (as indicated in this video) is top notch. Both Dunwall and Dishonored 2's Karnaca are beautifully realized and rendered worlds. It's opulence and decadence of the rich held aloft by decay and squalor of the poor. And those two opposing aesthetics becoming an alluring study in the beauty of ruin at Brigmore Manor. I don't believe that there has been any other game franchise that has steampunked as hard and as well as Dishonored steampunks. And it saddens me that, for as much as I can tell, it's a dead IP. I hope that it finds its feet again one day. There's so much more of this world that the devs created that we could explore; even with the "death" of The Outsider.
to me it feels more diesel punk due to the oil and exhaust from the machinery but i could be misremembering how the game looks. Huge agree that the games aesthetic is amazing rho
If you upgrade Bend Time twice you can walk right through the Walls of Light while they're still active. Works with Arc Pylons too. The only downside beeing it's a very costly move mana wise. Also around сertain areas, like Outsider's shrine the torturer set up at his quaters, Bend Time stops working at full capacity.
@@twinzzlersHm... I might be getting it wrong about the source of your powers disruption, it was some time since I played the game. I don't think I had any problem using powers around Granny though whe you meet her in the sewers. The guys with crank organs... well they can be a problematic encounter
This game aged like fine wine. I played it when it first came out, and then again like last year. When it first came out, I thought to myself: "wow, this is the future of video games." Last year, I realized that stuff like this just ain't made anymore.
I started playing this game on Monday, and got really into it. Now, today, the day I'm about to finish the final level, I wake up to a whitefish video on one of my favourite games I've played this year.
Also, the killing problem has been a central issue of the imsim genre for... Much of its history, honestly. A lot of the major imsims have this issue of killing being the primary verb the game is balanced and written around - not just the Dishonored series, but also the newer Deus Ex games, and even things like Tears of the Kingdom at times. I think the biggest root cause of that is the socially isolated nature of a lot of imsim games. Many of them are built around narrative conceits that make it so you're never truly interacting with non-hostiles out in the actual gameplay, or doing it in such a limited way it forms a tiny slice of the levels. If there's no one important other than quest NPCs and hostiles, well, most of the game's verbiage gets reduced to kill or don't kill most of the time. Oddly enough, Cyberpunk after all the patches feels like it's come close to the balance of the original Deus Ex in terms of making things like talking your way through quests equally valid. It landed like a sack of bricks, but they have started building a house with it, albeit one modders contributed far more to than they should ever have had to. In all honesty, more games should ride the line between traditional imsim and CRPG. For all the jank of the Bethesda RPGs, I feel like in some ways they're still some of the best (and only) examples of that.
I wanna see more games take a note from Planescape Torment. The writing in that game was so good that at any point I'd rather just talk to people instead of fight them because the writing was just so interesting. And the game let you talk your way out of most fights.
@@schmecklin377I played that game and when ever I tried talking I ended up getting into fights anyway. (Probably because my social skills are so shit😂)
I was hoping this would be a successful franchise so we could get a game that takes place in Pandyssia. The hype and horror the lore has about it gave me a wonder and mysticism like the dark continent in HunterXHunter.
In 2016 I was a dipshit eighth grader with absolutely no reverence for my schooling. I remember waking up early (like 5:00), not to go to school, but to skip school and play Dishonored. For months I played through the game twice a day. After seeing the play of youtubers like Volund and StealthGamerBR, I was determined to master the game. I grinded Dishonored 6 hours a day the way people grind the ranked modes, now LOL. So yeah, it's a decent game
I have to point out the hilarity of the fact that I am literally playing New Vegas right now while watching this video I decided to take a break scroll through the comments and happened to see you mention New Vegas am I just felt like I had to share the fact that I'm actually playing New Vegas at this moment.
I would love to see your view on dishonored 2! I really think you nailed it with the 'dishonored is a game you play with the heart, not the brain' line as this game lives and dies on fun factor and atmosphere. Imo Dishonored 2 has some issues, but for the most part really addressed some of the major issues the first game had while also evolving the artstyle to sit in both this comic/realism mix. I still cant tell which i think is better (probably an apples to oranges thing)
One thing I noticed - I don't necessarily think this is a good thing but might be intentional: High Chaos players may miss out on the larger experience in the world sandbox you get by jumping through the hoops to get non-lethal target elimnations Meanwhile Low Chaos players may miss out on the larger Player Sandbox from the player tools being catered to violent play. Both players will get something from exploring, either that be non-lethal story options or lethal player upgrades - but this of course, while possibly a good idea (if intentional) dosen't get around the problem that both can feel like they're missing out.
Funny how I'm seeing this weird revival of Dishonored interest right around the time I start playing the 1st game again in nearly 4 years. It's like everyone collectively went through their steam libraries (or collection of old game discs) and found this lil gem and decided to give it a go after collecting dust for so long. Great video Whitelight!
Speaking about immersive sims, I was always fascinated about the interior furnishing in Dishonored, even in Dishonored 2. I even made screenshots in the latter one to gathering ideas.
I always found the funnest way to play dishonored was as mostly non-lethal. Stealth until you have a reason to go loud, like when people keep your daughter in a brothel. Stealth until you get a chance to reveal yourself to the guy that killed your wife and he calls for the guards and you cut a swathe through the entire building getting to him. The average guard didn't hurt jessamine but some of them definitely did.
Dishonored is one of my favourite games from the Xbox 360 era. I do wish there was more options for non lethal guard take downs but you could really play this game 5 different times with totally different approaches. It was exactly the kind of thing the stealth assassin genre needed after Assassins Creed decided not to be about Assassinating anymore
I still play this on an original spec 360, and i still find new and improved ways of stealthing around, gunning for the infamous “Clean hands”. Originally picked a copy up a year after launch, speed ran a run and gun, then it’s been stealth and a mix ever since. The memories watching this video, thank you Whitelight, you just got another sub.
the low chaos ending always struck me as unbelievable and out of character for the world itself. High chaos, despite being objectively worse, feels right, in an 'oh no I've failed my daughter on my quest for vengeance' way.
I played about 3hrs of Dishonored 2 a year ago after buying it on sale, and was honestly happily overwhelmed with how much freedom I had, it was almost confusing, like playing a 'linear open world'. Making me I could go anywhere and experiment with anything, the only reason I haven't touched it since was because I forgot to go back to it.
One of the things I liked about Dunwall is how creatively they worked absence of skirts for women. Yes, it is probably just a limitation of not having cloth physics for fabrics but for widely sailoring culture such as Gristol and neaby archpelago islands, it is kind of logical everybody traditionally wears pants.
"I have 75 hours in the dunwall city trials, 74 of them are in back alley brawl" A). Its fun B). I relate to this far too much. I spent 7 years trying to get 'by my hand alone' and I finally did it in 2023.
I had a playthrough of this game recently where I decided I would try be as restrained as possible with lethality.. But not quickload if it went wrong - and not care about chaos. It was actually a very satisfying way to play. - and i did manage to turn around a high chaos game in the end.
I loved the dishonored lore and games so much and was happy to see how they evolved the genre with deathloop. It wasn't perfect or as good as dishonored imo but it showed the progression of the ideas and evolution from dishonored and I'm excited to see what world they bring us next
Usually I'm disappointed that you make videos about games I have no interest in. But always after watching them, I'm glad to have gone on such a detailed, informative ride. Great video, as always.
About the exploring thouroughly disconnect at 13:25, if you loock closely most of the items that give you money seem to be materials that would be used to craft your tools and ammo. Awesome video BTW.
I got this game when it first came out, i was around 13. Ive probably played through this game again every other year since then. I enjoyed the sequel, but something about the first game is so special to me. I had never played a game like dishonored, and to this day I havent played another game like it. Despite its very real flaws, this is one of few perfect 10/10 games for me. Everytime i play through it again, I find something different/new. Endlessly impressive for a “linear” stealth game.
Ya kinda wrong about 55:20 . The rats ARE a direct result of you laying down bodies as its a known fact that they feast and breed in corpses. The chaos score isnt arbitrary, its diagetic. Characters reference their friends being killed by an assassin, the more bloddy u are, u see more bodies being heaped in piles as the disease from the rats spread. Chaos in game is much more than a score and an ending
One thing I do like what they did with the sequel is making non lethal combat as aggressive as lethal, & making lethal tools useful for non lethal runs. Hitting someone in the foot with a bullet/arrow puts them in a stagger state, which leads to a choke. Same with shooting next to someone's head. Sword counters allows for chokes, powers have non-lethal options, like Windblast pinning Clockwork soldiers, etc. The developers listened to people saying non-lethal got boring, & even allowed people to let loose with Death of the Outsider.
Especially the awareness markers. The game is more immersive with them off and you don't need them. There are sound cues that let you know what is going on. Plus, guard dialogue is another good way to gauge if you were caught or not. Alerted but not detected? "I'm going to have a look over here." Fully detected "That's Corvo Attano!" Music will also sometimes kick in. I love this series
Wow this was perfectly timed as I just finished my first playthrough of dishonored 1, its a great game that I really enjoyed and something I feel like a barely scratched the surface of with many ways to approach all the missions and targets. What’s more amazing is only 2 hours into dishonored 2 it feels even bigger and better in nearly every way with a non-lethal approach feeling much more fleshed out and fun that it did in dishonored 1. I really hope there’s more dishonored in the future, as I’d really love to see the series become more popular and appreciated
Was wondering if you’d ever do one of these on Mad Max? I know you did a shorter video on it several years ago but i feel like it deserves a full length (or at least a longer) video. Obviously it’s not a complicated game and there might not be much to talk about regarding environments or melee, but the level of detail in the car customization, how the driving feels, the explosions, the *driving*, the *car combat*, the *shotgun*. I once heard Doom’s shotgun described as “god slamming a car door”. Mad Max’s shotgun is also that. think that could fill out at least a 30 minute vid.
i still find your skill in showing both the good and bad, making your opinions really balanced and almost making a narrative "" out of them, impressive as hell.
Just FYI for the non-lethal Lady Boyle ending, things actually ultimately work out in her favour and creep ends up dead iirc. But you're absolutely right that the non-lethal is just objectively worse for many
the non-lethal ending for lady boyle usually ends with her and the creepy dude both surviving, there is a way to get him killed without invalidating clean hands though it requires a bit of intricate timing. although I do believe he dies from the rat plague or something like that regardless but that is still days/weeks of her being his captive. tbh I always saw the non-lethal fates of characters as a reflection of the suffering they caused, the triplets being the best example, they directly created suffering and horrors beyond comprehension and their fates with slackjaw seemed equally fitting. & the lord regent being put to trial than executed was probably the most humane of all of them, especially considering corvo's assassination animation for hiram burrows is brutal af.
This game absolutely should have made a bigger impact and got a more recognition then it originally did but I am glad to see that it is appreciated and respected by the people like us who knows the beauty of this game abd gameplay mechanics
The game doesnt tell you this, however you can nonlethaly take down someone after staggering them, just pressing the block/knockout button while being close to them and facing them you will rapidly introduce their face with the ground.
you can also stagger an enemy, blink behind them and then choke them out. just dont let go of the take down button, you cannot hold someone in the chokehold like you can in dishonored 2.
You sir, are one of the best channels I’ve found in a long time. Your commentaries provide incredible insight and wonderful entertainment. And that length, bro. Like damn. Love checking that red progress bar and finding out that what would have been a valuable ten minute video is actually a full length movie. Magnifique, PaleLumen, Magnifique.
Having talked to multiple Arkane devs, I can confidently tell you that the definition of an immersive sim is that nobody knows for sure, but when you know, you know.
Hearing this just makes me to want to replay the whole series. Thank you for that. Beside all it's flaws it still is a great series that's rare to find, a true gem.
it definitely does however its flaws are even more apparent since the sequel, for all the flack 2 gets it is a much more refined game and the team actually took the criticisms of the first game to heart. it's such a shame that the owners of Arkane meddled with the studio to the point where 70% of the talent that was around to work on dishonored 1 and 2 ended up leaving, we will never see this series be expanded upon and that really, really sucks.
@@unfortunately_fortunate2000 yeah I remember that people were mostly mad cause of performance than the gameplay itself. Actually, people were mad so much at the performance because of the amazing gameplay. :P
Dishonored is one of those odd games which when I'm playing I'm constantly feeling frustrated and annoyed but when I'm not playing I'm constantly feeling the need to come back to it. Yes, there are a lot of frustrating bits here and there but whenever I haven't played it for a long time I can only remember the good stuff. I've played the sequel and the spinoff only once each and I've enjoyed them quite a bit but there's something really special about the first game, to which I've come back several times.
The only thing i wish this game had was a new game+ , the amount of times i wanted to have all the abilities, upgrades and bone charms from the start, so i can experience a full overpowered Corvo
All the problems with non-lethal approach and Chaos system can be explained with the fact that the idea that you can do anything non-lethally was added very late in development, explaining why it feels so tacked on and incomplete. Not necessarily an excuse, but they tried their best to implement it. It's ok, because let's not kid ourselves, most of us mostly love the game as a murder sandbox anyway.
Dishonored is great, but Dishonored 2 is far superior. It feels like most of the issues presented in this game were all addressed in the sequel, allowing far more flexibility when playing non-lethally, while still improving and expanding on the lethal options. My favorite way to play it is on custom difficulty to increase the challenge in certain areas, and with the "no powers" option. Thanks for the video!
This might be my favorite Dishonored critique I‘ve ever watched. You over-earned my like, and depending on what other videos you have, most definitely a sub.
10:20 I feel like the fact that you need to go through more hoops to do a nonlethal play through ADDS to the immersion. To me, Corvo knows that it’s easier to just kill everyone with his god like powers, the fact that you’re always given the option in a nonlethal play through to just rampage through the entire game at any moment makes the lack of doing so more honorable, because I am choosing to take the harder, but good choice
And I wouldn't even say they're good choices, per se. I doubt Lady Boyle deserved being kidnapped. Or that Pendletons's fate is much better than death. Some of the choices feel way more cruel than regular murder (more noticable in Dishonored 2, I think), but you're still being kind of the better person. Because the targets would've killed you (or ordered the guards to do so) without a doubt. But you kept them alive. They are punished, but alive. Lady Boyle feels like the one I want to suffer the least, and is the target I have the most conflicting feelings about. Others? Deserved.
@@leyagame583 I always thought it was best to kill main targets and spare everyone else, maybe kill a couple of other guys who really deserve it, like those guards bullying the lady in the alley. You only get high chaos after killing around 60-80 people so you've got some room for revenge.
This game is such a gem. It's also a real rarity that the sequel actually improves on the formula imo, which is a real feat, since the first one is such a masterpiece.
Your comments about the thematic inconsistency of Dishonored and its story related helped to crystalize the way I have felt about Dishonored since I played it. I love the setting and the game to bits, but I've never felt like it came together into something greater than itself for reasons I could never quite say. Thank you
It's a game to love for several things and disappoint for others. While I agree that the tools with which you can submit and/or knock people out are basically non existent I did like that the levels gave you many ways to approach an objective, although that's half the equation that Arkane got right. I've yet to play a murder-machine high chaos run because that's not usually how I play this games, but there're more tools there so I feel like I'm missing out. Still is incredible that despite those flaws (a stealthy assassin game that focus more on the assassin than stealth & chaos irrelevancy on a higher level) is a game beloved by many and that many hope can see another one some day, even if it's a spiritual successor because apparently tons of those people have left, I think? *Sigh* Great video!
Listening to this made me wonder if you covered the second game. They went bigger in so many ways. I remember I couldnt run it well on release, was a bit sceptical about the void engine at first. But once I experienced all of it in 120 fps, jawdropping. The increased verticality. The stunning level design of Serkonos. As a Dishonored fan, It was everything I could have hoped for and more. Art direction of both games is otherworldly, in my opinion. Years later I find myself revisiting these immersive sims, for they are so detailed, appealing and replayable, feels like crafted by the people with genuine passion for this genre. From the moment I stepped foot in Dunwall, to the Death of the Outsider I enjoyed every moment. If you guys know any more games like these you recommend, I'll be grateful but I doubt I'll find any titles I'd enjoy more.
It's amazing how Dishonored is still one of the best stealth games to this day despite the stealth being slapped on right at the end of its development (which is why there's so few non-lethal powers and non-lethal combat is non-existent). I'm glad Dishonored 2 fixes a lot of the issues but Dishonored 1 will always have a special place in my heart.. Despite the fact I can only do high chaos everyone gets alerted runs because I'm terrible at stealth.
Get a browser that's better at literally everything: mtchm.de/39wt1. So there's the Dishonored video. Thank you for waiting. Not sure if I'll tackle the sequels yet, but I deeply enjoyed my playthroughs.
I've been using Opera for four years! I been preaching about it like its the second coming. Let them know about my loyalty.
@@AlgorithmicPainopera is shady af
@Whitelight, would you be interested in doing a critique of Ghostrunner?
@@diamondarrow4567 HOW?
Dragon's dogma next plz
Just a small correction: Blink produces no noise. Like zero. The reason why that guard on the balcony detected you was because you blinked *through* him. Despite the name, blink doesn't function as a teleport, its more as if Corvo flew to his target location at the speed of light. If you blink through an enemy, its as if Corvo bumped into them really fast, which causes them to notice you.
Its also an elegant explanation for why Corvo can't teleport past steel grids and windows.
he did a 1 hour "analysis, critique, blah blah blah" just to tell what? lol
@@KaiserAfinithe good ol cheese grater
Actually it does , there will be moments where guards will hear you blink when close enough
@@nestormelendez9005 I've played this game a billion times and tested that specific thing myself, it doesn't
As for Delilahs fight, there is also a third option. Which is quietly swapping the painting when she is not looking without ever alarming her to your presence. Then she is the one to say the incantation and banishes herself to the wrong painting like a blind idiot.
Hilarious, imagine spending days or weeks on a painting which is the key to your dream life and then not noticing that its gone.
no way, had no idea. wheres the painting you replace it with?
That’s the canon way to do it.
Yeah, and it is amazing, i did all variants of this ending and it was a blast, love Dishonored series all the way ✌️
@@zip2kxI think you have to find it in the mission. It’s the official non violent option
Probably my favorite little bit in the game is; if you sign Corvo’s name into the guest book at Lady Boyle’s party, during the next mission at Dunwall Tower you can find a letter in the watch captains office to the lord regent trying to let him know with out freaking him out. Always gave me a chuckle.
What you CAN'T do in dishonored: fill a glass with beer. I spent too long in the pub trying desperately to serve myself a drink
Waking up to a Whitelight video about Dishonored is like waking up to a 3 course breakfast in bed, marvelous
What a great day for it! I have a late start at work today so I actually had time to watch the whole thing
@@Scroolewse oh hell yeah man! Hope your late day is a swell one :)
I had an early start so once this finishes I'm off to work😂
100%
Bored as hell, tryna find something to watch, and waddya know favorite UA-cam with a review of my favorite game. Thanks man!
1:09:01 I honestly think Summon Assassin is an amazing ability. The first level (1 rune) allows you to summon a clumsy assassin that misses some shots and most kill opportunities (unless directly behind an enemy); so it’s a distraction and meat shield at best, not particularly useful.
Now the second level it’s worth the investment (5 runes). You summon a master assassin that is quick on his feet, parries and dodges most enemy attacks; and most importantly it can win fights where he is outnumbered 3 to 1.
Man.. Dishonored.
What a gem, The sheer amount of love and care put within its design and the plentiful possibilities throughout each area
was a treat. Can't forget sitting down on my chair whilst on my 360 just to start walking around as a rat.
the game was created after Valve cancelled a half life project the guys behind dishonored were doing. thats why the game has similar vibes from time to time
@@0Blueaura i just replayed dishonored and the entire time I was thinking how similar a lot of dunwall's architecture looks to the combine's, so that explains a lot
To this day i cannot get over the joy i felt the first time I realized that I could turn a mine into a grenade by just attaching it to a bottle or something that i could throw.
I use that trick all the time and it still makes me happy.
I would kill to play an Arcane half-life game man, that'd be insane
I wish dishonored 2 played the same way 1 did.
Dishonored enthralled my interest on release so much it actually gave rise to one of my all time favorite gameplay challenge runs, and may well be even more screwed up than the typical high chaos. I call it the Grey Wraith playthrough. Note: long story.
I did two playthroughs before it: a painstaking low chaos stealth run, and a high chaos jaunt. Towards the end of the game Emily has dialogue (and pictures she's drawn of you) based on your choice. One particular line gave me pause on high chaos. It was to the effect of "I know what you do at night. I've seen the blood on your sword." To those who don't know, Dishonored gives a visual indicator of which chaos mode you are in. When you kill someone with your sword and end the mission, it obviously coats with blood. When you end the mission you killed in with low chaos, Corvo wipes the blade clean. When you end it in high chaos, it will also be wiped clean, but ONLY if you are still in overall low chaos. Otherwise, he keeps it bloody and menacing.
Emily's dialogue combined with this fact made me wonder: What if I never kill with this sword and irrevocably change it? So since I was feeling the power trip too strongly at this point, and having seen most all of both low and high chaos already, I decided on the rules: No killing with the sword, must be high chaos, completely ghost, non-lethal assassinations for targets, and for added interest, no blink. Then I added one more rule very early on since I was playing the ghost route.... All kills must appear supernatural, terrifying, or non-conventional means. Things like guns and grenades? Those could be expected of gangers or rebels, things you could fight back against knowing the threat. Instead, rat swarms under duress, witnessing your comrades walk to their deaths, falling from the sky with a wet squelch, limbs being eviscerated, spontaneous combustion, sudden shift of the pylons disintegrating everyone around you into ash? There is only fear that you are never safe, because you never truly know who your enemy is. Only that they are all around you, and you don't know when you're next.
This made for a very deep playthrough, as you use almost all the level design in various ways not just for traversal but for creative ways to find kills. From a prowler looking to overcome obstacles, you become a hunter seeking the best way to obliterate your prey. You must kill creatively using tools and indirect methods, without being seen or resorting to direct killing. All while your powers are limited to your flasks... or at least they would be without the best discovery of this run. Two bone charms in particular I found early, one from a pre-order I believe, nearly entirely useless alone worked amazingly together. Albinos gives you more white rats spawned in rat swarms, and ordinarily only allow longer possession time, while the other charm allows you to eat white rats to gain mana. In tandem, summoning a rat swarm and eating the white rats would always give you as much mana as it cost to summon, but often a fair bit more. Now without cheating or console at all, entirely in-game you have a method of infinite mana and power by consuming the very thing that caused so much misery and devastation.
Thematically, you really feel like you become the avatar of the plague and the Outsider, a monster. Everywhere you go you are never seen but always felt, passing silent judgement for all you deem worthy of torment and anguish while skillfully evading notice through (mostly) mortal means. I find it so incredible and defining that a game gave such freedom of emergent play that it allowed for this kind of experience within it's own narrative. And by the time you reach Emily towards the end, you can pull out your sword and figuratively ask her, "What blood? I've never killed anyone. You must be deceived."
Thank you for reading if you got this far. The game never really planned this type of playthrough ofc, so there are some funny hiccups in questlines and dialogue because it doesn't understand the logic at times. I do recommend giving it a go if you ever feel like replaying a different way, albeit you may be less lucky than I was with those bone charms by the high overseer mission.
Dude..'grey wraith' is the craziest gameplay style I've heard of yet. You should be rewarded for creativity of that level.
This reminds me of a playthrough I did of Dishonored a while back. In the side objective that Pendleton gives you for Lady Boyle’s Party, you’re tasked with challenging a certain guest to a duel, which leads to the nearby guards retrieving a case of pistols and reciting the rules to the duel, alongside stating “let it be noted that Lord Pendleton’s representative has a pistol”. Hearing this line made me wonder: what happens if you reach this point without actually picking up any pistols? Can you even do that?
And so began a fairly easy yet oddly convoluted run based on the hope of changing a single throwaway line of dialogue. To make things more interesting, I also took a stab (or more accurately, a strangle) at staying non lethal. Avoiding guns is easy enough when they’re placed down somewhere, as the game doesn’t actually require you to pick any up unlike with the sword and crossbow.
The only real challenge came from the guns carried by elite guards and overseers. Picking up a body normally automatically loots it, but I discovered that doing so immediately after stabbing/choking a guard would loot everything *except any pistols*, which made me feel validated for going through the effort. The catch to this was that I couldn’t move a body after putting it down, so I needed to be careful about who I took down and where.
After hours of playing and frantically checking my inventory just to make sure that I hadn’t slipped up (which happened more times than I’d like to admit), I made it to the Boyle Mansion, began the duel, and lo and behold the line was altered to instead say “the gentlemen may select their pistols”.
It’s such a minor alteration that would’ve been easy to not include-after all, most players will never attempt something that stupid-but I’m so amazed that someone at Arkane thought to do that.
Dude, that's amazing, I think I'm going to do this myself
Fascinating! And very well-written
That sounds fun as hell. Definitely gonna try it as an excuse for another playthrough.
I, like many others, did an almost inverse run: high chaos no powers. I guess if i were to give it a fancy name it'd be Insider's Revenge.
You basically use bombs, explosives, gun and sword in high chaos but no powers. To prove you dont need the outsider's help to do your worst.
Definitely more popular though as DH2 lets u canonically reject the outsider'a gift
For a long time, this was my favourite game. I still can’t believe it never become a big series like Fallout, GTA, COD, etc
Yeah, I guess it probably felt too similar to Bioshock, which was an older and more established IP then Dishonoured was, so naturally it fell by the wayside, but it's just something that would never get made now in an era of always online, live service pay to win bilge.
@@Peak_Aussieman Yes, it’s a real shame to see that. I do appreciate devs, even big developers do still try to push creativity but sadly it doesn’t always connect with audiences.
I think that's for the better, considering how messed up the gaming industry is now.
If Dishonored 2 had sold better it could have been a big series. Deathloop is the only Arkane game after Dishonored that sold well, and it's their worst game IMO (still a good game though, but not as good as the others).
@@frankcl1 Eh... I'd probably say Redfall was worse IMO, considering i don't think it really functioned well as an actual game compared to deathloop.
The Dishonored and Metro games have been some of my most immersive experiences in gaming. Still remember most of the missions vividly.
I loved playing through metro. I was an angel of death with throwing knives in metro 2033 & Last Light, but particularly in the first game the throwing knives were thrown with your right hand, and so they were displaced from what you pointed your crosshairs at, and I got ridiculously good at aiming. In last light they went from the center of your view like most other games' weapons, but they also felt a little warble-y in their flight path.
And the whole reason I was so deadset on using the knives for basically.... everything.... was that I have a good amount of hours on Mark of the Ninja, the parallel being the bamboo darts which you can use to destroy lightbulbs
I have exodus but I haven't played it yet, I don't think my computer is up to it, to be honest
@@sirsnek6562I’ve wanted to play a metro game for a long time? Is it worth a purchase and do you happen to have a game you recommend starting with?
@@YarnhamBrainsuckerThe Metro games are amazing and in my opinion get better as the series goes on. I played them all last year and they hold up amazingly.
You should play all three of them in order. 2033 > Last Light > Exodus.
@@YarnhamBrainsucker Start with the first one "Metro 2033", the second one had a really awful first 5 minutes but then you were swept away 10 miles from what whatever was going there which was really nice.
In terms of what they're worth I'm not sure, I payed ~15 bucks on a ridiculous steam sale for 2033 redux, Last Light redux, Exodus+Exodus Enhanced Edition (90 dollar value lol).
Also if you're familiar with STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl you should know Metro has some similarities, you can tell some of the same people worked on it, but its a very different game, in terms of gameplay, story, setting, and tone.
got my metro 2033 tattoo 13 years ago now. My girlfriend at the time said that "no-one knows that crummy game or why you have a stupid gas mask with 2033 inked on your back dumbass"
AHH vindication is awesome, plus last time I'm dating a non gamer. Getting all offended because I wanted to get it on while playing doom eternal.
It's weird to me to see how different and similar my views of this game are.
I agree nearly 100% with just about everything you've said but it's telling my approach to the game vs yours when I consider that i probably have maybe an hour put into Dunwall City Trials and over 200 hours in the main game cause I keep replaying it. And then there's the flooded district. My favorite level. And it's my favorite for the same reason that you say it's the worst: it's slow.
I enjoy slow. I like slow. I get genuine enjoyment sitting on a roof and watching the guards patrol back and forth, or just breathing in the atmosphere of a level. There's nothing that makes me more frustrated with a game than an insistence on speed. So truth be, i found the flooded district and following areas to be the best in the game because they're so desolate and so heavily emphasize the bleak, dystopian nature of the story.
Well said
100% agree. Just finished the game 10 mins ago (late to the party), and thought after Dunwall Tower the game would end pretty cliché. But oh boy was I wrong and was just blown away by the flooded district, did not expect that. Absolutely loved the slow gameplay you were forced to due to loosing your gear. And just loved the aesthetics overall of that part. I expected a the ending to be more combt based with poor detailed levels, as sadly common in many end game levels. The more I was pleasantly surprised by the level of atmoshpere and opportunities these levels provided.
The slowness of the flooded district really lets you explore the state the world is imo
Apart from a thematic interpretation, I think the major "problem" with the chaos system is that it seems to be a 2-way street. Either you go full chaos or you go full non-lethal. In actuality though, you can kill quite a lot of people without getting the bad ending or the bad results. I mean, you can kill all of the main targets and nothing aside from a few letters changes. So while the chaos system encourages a non-lethal route, it technically never tells you to not kill. And I think if it was made more clear in the beginning that you just should avoid killing, but it isn't that bad on occasions, a lot of players would have more fun with it.
Because when I got into that mindset, my way of playing Dishonered changed. I didn't try to get perfectly non-lethal through the levels. My idea was that I was always trying to play without trial and error. For example, if there were two guards and I didn't see a way to get rid of both in a non-lethal way (without trying things out before reloading) I decided to kill one of them since this is usually quicker. By playing like that, your decisions become a lot more meaningful, if you try to play in character, because you think there might have been a solution to letting both live. And if you already had to kill a few, then I might have even taken the decision to ignore an optional part in the level to make sure I don't have to kill more people in the process. I think with this mindset, the chaos system CAN create interesting situations as long as you are willing to limit yourself this way. It won't solve all its problems, but it can make the journey and you decisions feel more meaningful.
The problem with the chaos system is that it gives no feedback. You never know "when" you will cross the line, so you do everything in your power to not cross the line. So, you avoid all killing, because you will never know which death will send you over the edge.
@@1000rogueleader
I don't necessarily think this is a problem. I would say that there should be a bit more intermediate consequences overall so that you can get a feeling but as it was said in the video, it's already hard to determine the "real" consequences to begin with. So I am not sure that intermediate things would really help give the player support in that regard. The only way would be a number at all times, but that ruins the immersion imo.
And again, the point I was making is that you should kill deliberately when you don't see a better option. You should still try to find a non-lethal route, but if there is no way of knowing if something works, then killing for the faster animations is a more immersive strategy than just try out and load again. At least for me. And as far as I was able to determine, this usually results in a low chaos run, because you really need to kill quite a few people until the mission says you had high chaos. So it typically goes beyond what I described.
Something interesting I noticed, I only killed 25 people during the High Overseer mission, the overall chaos was low by the time I went to the back to meet Samuel, you remember the sick overseer? I got the high chaos scene where he is executed instead of put down, where he was trying to avoid being killed, despite me being on low chaos I got high chaos scene. It was sort of like a medium chaos, the world around me was darker but Emily was also drawing happy pictures and not being so dark. I also had similar high chaos encounters in later levels while still having an overall chaos level of low.
@@generaltobias3777
I think I remember which scene you are referring to. That sounds interesting and is actually helpful as it basically tells you that you are close to being at high chaos and you should be careful to not cross that line. I guess the main reason why people won't realise these thing is (as it was pointed out in the video) that it is hard to understand as a new player THIS is a consequence of your actions. You notice it IF you already know about the subtle differences. Though I am not sure how to fix that problem. Would adding a sentence about more rats make sense here? It's really hard without it being too on the nose.
@@Modie somehow I was also able to go from overall high chaos back to low chaos. I use stat checker to see, the moment I got high chaos I didnt kill anyone else, this was during boyle party. next level it was back to low until I kill regent and few others (spared general tobias of course), then it became high again
I still remember the chills I got when I first sat down to replay the game and heard over the speakers that plague-stricken people would get sent to the Flooded District for 'rest and rehabilitation', only to wind up there later in the game and see the electric carriage up above drop heaps of bodies right in front of me.
It makes for an interesting parallel to the High Overseer level with the guards chucking bodies down onto the boat next to you.
I'm so happy you covered this game. I think dishonored pushed immersive sims in a great direction that sadly simply wasn't built upon after 2012. That includes it's very good sequel, which although brought what I wanted to see from a gameplay and (especially) level design standpoint, just didn't match the feel of the first. This game is atmospheric and immersive in the truest sense and deserve whatever credit is thrown its way, and holds up AMAZINGLY for a game to come out over a decade ago.
I was happy until he spent 90% of the video bitching about the game.
I wish cyberpunk 2077 had been an immersive sim it really should of done.
@@SonOfExcessUA-cam user in shambles after youtuber makes a video with a different opinion
@@saltiney8578it is one. Basically every single quest has a million ways to go about doing it, and you can build your character however you want. Even down to details of being dead sober and non lethal. There's a lot more to the game than people want to admit
@@zangbang9886my opinion: kirapika is the best character in hxh ;)
Maybe this is more a dishonored 2 thing. But I loved to play “assault non-lethal.” Where you run in like you’re about to murder a bunch of guards, but instead use the environment to knock them all out. I gather this wasn’t a popular play style tho
Definitely a Dishonored 2 thing. The first game doesn't have the non lethal combat options 2 has.
If I go back to play one of these games, I go back to 2 purely for the expanded options for non-lethal play.
The ability to knock enemies out from the air or from a slide is such a quality of life improvement.
(P.S. Does anyone know if you can choke people from stun in dishonored 2? I don't remember trying that)
The section on how Dishonored basically forces any player who is seeking a genuine challenge in the game to impose arbitrary restrictions and rulesets upon themselves, costing the game its sense of immersion and seamlessness in return, reminds me of exactly why, despite my love for the first game, I have found Dishonored 2 to be so consistently engaging with every subsequent repeat playthrough (I've completed well over a dozen) whereas I've only gone througu the first game to completion about five times.
Dishonored 2's wonderful difficulty options give the player the power to customise a wide variety of variables that affect an entire playthrough in huge ways, with many of fhe options provided seemingly being offered in direct response to criticisms of the first game that Whitelight brings up in this very video; power mana cost, visibility whilst leaning out of cover, ammo and potion rarity, consumable carry capacity, and so much more.
And crucially, you can set all of these options to your liking BEFORE starting a new playthrough, so you never have to worry about accidentally breaking one of your personal rules, or deal with that nagging sense of "this isnt really how the game was meant to be played" that I felt in Dishonored 1 while doing self-imposed challenge runs.
I really hope you do end up making a video on Dishonored 2 at some point! For as much flack as it gets for its admittedly disapointing story and control differences owing to the new engine (personally I've never found the way Emily/Corvo moves to be an issue and think it feels a lot better than D1 but I know others disagree), I think Dishonored 2 is such an enormous improvement to an already incredible formula with some of THE coolest stealth abilities and brutal combat executions I've ever seen in the genre. Those Shadow Walk lethal kill animations 👌
i can see why you see it that way and you honestly made me think about 2 in a new light, never really went back after the initial low chaos stealth and whatever i want high chaos playthroughs, ill give them another shot and see if it was just "because its not dishonored 1"
Unfortunately, Dishonored 2 flopped horribly despite improving on the mechanics. Dishonored 2 never sold higher than Dishonored 1 so Bethesda considered it a flop. The sequel selling 2.5 million is nothing compared to how much the first game made. Simply put, Dishonored 2's disappointing sales is why Arkane never made Dishonored 3. I can definitely see why people talk more about Dishonored 1 though.
@@fastforward9066
It didn't flop though. Sold near 3 million copies
@@tametalks6102 dishonored 2 is one of my favorite games ever. I liked it way more than the first one. The level design of dishonored 2 is phenomenal, the gameplay way better. I loved playing this game (I also loved dishonored 1 ofc).
@@wyattmilliken3320 So Dishonored 2 DID flop. "Near 3 million copies" is pathetic when Dishonored 1 already sold 3 million copies just on the "PC alone". The sales dropped nearly 40% compared to the first game which is why Bethesda considered it a commercial failure. Which is also why we had Deathloop instead of a Dishonored 3 in the first place.
Now as a big dishonored fan and a whitelight fan, this has made my day.
same here brother
I felt like that until he spent 90% of this video bitching about the game.
@@SonOfExcess Same here brother
@@SonOfExcesshe did, not being hyperbolic a little over half the video was spent complaining. Which is his right but damn I get the vibe he doesn’t like this game as much as he was letting on
@@anon2427 His complaints are valid though. This game has a lot of flaws which hindered its far bigger potential.
Not to mention the incredible level design, particularly from Dishonored 2. The Clockwork mansion and the Time mansion missions are some of the most jawdropping setpieces ever.
trying to navigate the clockwork mansion straight up gave me a headache the first time around but, discovering the main path's through Jindosh's marvel of a home was incredibly satisfying.
Stilton's mansion and using the time piece was one of the most interesting ways of moving through a characters house I'd ever experienced & seeing how things were and then flashing back to the present with that intimidating music is pretty wild.
I dunno. As clever as parts of Dishonored 2 are I feel like it lost out on some of the satisfaction a player can get from the more streamlined level designs of the original
I just played through the Clockwork Mansion level doing a ghost, non-lethal run and completed the Silence achievement which is eliminating Jindosh without him ever knowing you were there. What a cool level.
@@ChartreuseDan Then go play an Ubisoft game lol.
@@Pegarexucorn Are you saying the original is _more_ map-cleary than the sequel?
Wow, just replayed it a couple of days ago. What a fantastic game. Both Dishonored games and expansions are simply amazing. I might like PREY a bit more, but the Dishonored series is still a world-class masterpiece. To this day I have to force myself to play high chaos. Just like in other great stealth series (Splinter Cell, Thief, Hitman) playing carefully and laying low is so much more satisfying. And seeing Samuel despise Corvo, or Emily turning ruthless is simply soul-crushing. Being able to overhear all conversations and use the heart is worth it, so many interesting dialogues and lore hidden behind this mechanics.
*Thanks Whitelight for a pleasant surprise before the weekend!*
btw- Cecelia is the best girl. So likable, well-written, and has a fantastic voice actress. I would be so upset if she didn't survive the purge in The Hound Pits.
It would be awesome to be able to store some money in her secret hiding apartment, so she can escape and have a better life. Note from her would hit harder than Malik's after saving her in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Prey and Subnautica are the only two games to give me a literal panic attack
I try to play dishonored at least once every few years.
Prey, system shock 2 and original Deus ex. That's my comfort food.
Amazing Video!
This is the best video I've seen in a while. Really captures that weird feeling in Dishonored when you end up in a loop of quicksaving despite the game technically being quite easy.
Just as I’m about to replay Dishonored and then start the sequel, you hit me with this. Expert timing.
Yeah, I agree with the criticism of the chaos system. Dishonored has such satisfying and varied combat mechanics, its a shame it doesn't have sections where it lets you loose without consequences
The Death of the Outsider expansion to 2 removes the chaos system and gives you a bunch of options. The ending is a bit abrupt but what's shown makes sense in the context of the lore.
the chaos system is not a morality system, it is a narrative binary option that you choose/decide upon. The game only punishes indecision.
if you wanna keep things clean and sneaky the game lets you with low security patrols etc, if you roleplay as a meat grinder then the game sends you more meatsacks to shred. working as intended
And high chaos is not punishment, if you play like a bl00dthirsty stealth reaper or combat maniac if anything high guard count is literally a reward, i even went and set off alarm myself to get more security re-inforcement just to get more k&lls.
i dont see this system as a problem but the fact that playerbase sees this as a problem is its own issue. You never have to k&ll anything even if you fail the stealth. you can just blink away, stop time or just double jump to an elevation and just escape. it is not AC where every enemy is a parkour master, you are the king of rooftops it is your domain and no enemy can access rooftops or pursue you there (except Daud's recruits)
In my RP playthrough i didnt k&ll a single guard, but took out every target, k&lled every
A&&a&&in of Daud, i m&ss&cred everyone in the flooded district(only mission that i had high chaos stat) aka every single
a&&a&&ing sc&m in the flooded district but let Daud leave (the contrast felt so satisfying narratively). Every decision felt right
And still got the lowest chaos ending.
that playthrough (2nd playthrough) was so satisfying that i just felt sour on the sequel, i already had my sweet ending for my boi corvo and emily, just leave em in peace.
To be fair, the chaos system was an after thought after a majority of the assignation abilities and options were already implemented.
I cannot comprehend how this man is making quality videos like that on a regualr basis. Never misses. It must take soooo long to make one of these, thank you for the entertainment.
A LOT of people tend to like to rag on the steampunk genre. I haven't the faintest idea why. I ADORE it. And it's rarely explored in this much depth and detail in gaming. The world building in Dishonored (as indicated in this video) is top notch. Both Dunwall and Dishonored 2's Karnaca are beautifully realized and rendered worlds. It's opulence and decadence of the rich held aloft by decay and squalor of the poor. And those two opposing aesthetics becoming an alluring study in the beauty of ruin at Brigmore Manor. I don't believe that there has been any other game franchise that has steampunked as hard and as well as Dishonored steampunks. And it saddens me that, for as much as I can tell, it's a dead IP.
I hope that it finds its feet again one day. There's so much more of this world that the devs created that we could explore; even with the "death" of The Outsider.
who rags on it?
it's literally the charm of the world
to me it feels more diesel punk due to the oil and exhaust from the machinery but i could be misremembering how the game looks. Huge agree that the games aesthetic is amazing rho
@@CountCalcium It isn't 100% *only* steam-punk. And neither is it 100% diesel punk. it very much had its own flavour.
@@spyrelle3970, whaleoilpunk.
@@sciarpecyrilWhale punk rolls off the tongue better
If you upgrade Bend Time twice you can walk right through the Walls of Light while they're still active. Works with Arc Pylons too. The only downside beeing it's a very costly move mana wise. Also around сertain areas, like Outsider's shrine the torturer set up at his quaters, Bend Time stops working at full capacity.
That isn't the shrine's fault, that's because the torturer was branded by either Granny Rags or The Outsider
@@twinzzlersHm... I might be getting it wrong about the source of your powers disruption, it was some time since I played the game. I don't think I had any problem using powers around Granny though whe you meet her in the sewers. The guys with crank organs... well they can be a problematic encounter
@vespenegas261 Granny Rags is stationary when you fight her so bend time is pointless there, except for maybe the rats
@@twinzzlers Oh, I didn't fight her. I destroyed horcrux of hers and then put her to sleep while she was staring at the furnace 😏
@@vespenegas261 Pardon?
This game aged like fine wine.
I played it when it first came out, and then again like last year.
When it first came out, I thought to myself: "wow, this is the future of video games."
Last year, I realized that stuff like this just ain't made anymore.
@Whitelight_0 I hope it's incurable colon cancer.
I started playing this game on Monday, and got really into it. Now, today, the day I'm about to finish the final level, I wake up to a whitefish video on one of my favourite games I've played this year.
Also, the killing problem has been a central issue of the imsim genre for... Much of its history, honestly. A lot of the major imsims have this issue of killing being the primary verb the game is balanced and written around - not just the Dishonored series, but also the newer Deus Ex games, and even things like Tears of the Kingdom at times.
I think the biggest root cause of that is the socially isolated nature of a lot of imsim games. Many of them are built around narrative conceits that make it so you're never truly interacting with non-hostiles out in the actual gameplay, or doing it in such a limited way it forms a tiny slice of the levels. If there's no one important other than quest NPCs and hostiles, well, most of the game's verbiage gets reduced to kill or don't kill most of the time. Oddly enough, Cyberpunk after all the patches feels like it's come close to the balance of the original Deus Ex in terms of making things like talking your way through quests equally valid. It landed like a sack of bricks, but they have started building a house with it, albeit one modders contributed far more to than they should ever have had to.
In all honesty, more games should ride the line between traditional imsim and CRPG. For all the jank of the Bethesda RPGs, I feel like in some ways they're still some of the best (and only) examples of that.
Who is that one modder!
I wanna see more games take a note from Planescape Torment. The writing in that game was so good that at any point I'd rather just talk to people instead of fight them because the writing was just so interesting. And the game let you talk your way out of most fights.
I did enjoy that Deathloop just threw all that out the window and was overtly about killing.
@@schmecklin377I played that game and when ever I tried talking I ended up getting into fights anyway.
(Probably because my social skills are so shit😂)
I was hoping this would be a successful franchise so we could get a game that takes place in Pandyssia. The hype and horror the lore has about it gave me a wonder and mysticism like the dark continent in HunterXHunter.
Quite appropriate that we will never get to see it then
My most replayed game, just beating out New Vegas. Done about 7 playthroughs. One of which was an amateurish speedrun. Love it.
In 2016 I was a dipshit eighth grader with absolutely no reverence for my schooling. I remember waking up early (like 5:00), not to go to school, but to skip school and play Dishonored. For months I played through the game twice a day. After seeing the play of youtubers like Volund and StealthGamerBR, I was determined to master the game. I grinded Dishonored 6 hours a day the way people grind the ranked modes, now LOL. So yeah, it's a decent game
I have to point out the hilarity of the fact that I am literally playing New Vegas right now while watching this video I decided to take a break scroll through the comments and happened to see you mention New Vegas am I just felt like I had to share the fact that I'm actually playing New Vegas at this moment.
@@jubileechambers2604 Beautiful
Ew New New Vegas
@@twinzzlers that’s bait
I would love to see your view on dishonored 2! I really think you nailed it with the 'dishonored is a game you play with the heart, not the brain' line as this game lives and dies on fun factor and atmosphere. Imo Dishonored 2 has some issues, but for the most part really addressed some of the major issues the first game had while also evolving the artstyle to sit in both this comic/realism mix. I still cant tell which i think is better (probably an apples to oranges thing)
One thing I noticed - I don't necessarily think this is a good thing but might be intentional:
High Chaos players may miss out on the larger experience in the world sandbox you get by jumping through the hoops to get non-lethal target elimnations
Meanwhile Low Chaos players may miss out on the larger Player Sandbox from the player tools being catered to violent play.
Both players will get something from exploring, either that be non-lethal story options or lethal player upgrades - but this of course, while possibly a good idea (if intentional) dosen't get around the problem that both can feel like they're missing out.
I don't feel like I miss out too much, because I play a mix of sorts for both styles, getting the best from both, but little to none of the flaws.
18:57 oh my gosh I love how you surprised me here with the Frostpunk soundtrack choice in the background sneaking in!
Funny how I'm seeing this weird revival of Dishonored interest right around the time I start playing the 1st game again in nearly 4 years. It's like everyone collectively went through their steam libraries (or collection of old game discs) and found this lil gem and decided to give it a go after collecting dust for so long. Great video Whitelight!
"This is what Arkane used to be." Ouch. True, but damn that hurts.
Speaking about immersive sims, I was always fascinated about the interior furnishing in Dishonored, even in Dishonored 2.
I even made screenshots in the latter one to gathering ideas.
I always found the funnest way to play dishonored was as mostly non-lethal. Stealth until you have a reason to go loud, like when people keep your daughter in a brothel. Stealth until you get a chance to reveal yourself to the guy that killed your wife and he calls for the guards and you cut a swathe through the entire building getting to him.
The average guard didn't hurt jessamine but some of them definitely did.
Dishonored is one of my favourite games from the Xbox 360 era. I do wish there was more options for non lethal guard take downs but you could really play this game 5 different times with totally different approaches. It was exactly the kind of thing the stealth assassin genre needed after Assassins Creed decided not to be about Assassinating anymore
"This is what Arkane used to be." ooof! Right at the end too lol
Please do one on the second game, this was so entertaining.
Maan Whitelight's videos are something else
The beautifully written, poetic script complements his soothing voice nigh perfectly...
I am envious.
This is one of my favorite series ever, and this video hits its best features and all its problems so well!!! Bravo truly a masterpiece video.
I still play this on an original spec 360, and i still find new and improved ways of stealthing around, gunning for the infamous “Clean hands”. Originally picked a copy up a year after launch, speed ran a run and gun, then it’s been stealth and a mix ever since. The memories watching this video, thank you Whitelight, you just got another sub.
Been waiting for this video with whiskey and cigars at the ready. Absolutely in my top 5 favorite games. Spent so much time in dishonored.
the low chaos ending always struck me as unbelievable and out of character for the world itself. High chaos, despite being objectively worse, feels right, in an 'oh no I've failed my daughter on my quest for vengeance' way.
I played about 3hrs of Dishonored 2 a year ago after buying it on sale, and was honestly happily overwhelmed with how much freedom I had, it was almost confusing, like playing a 'linear open world'. Making me I could go anywhere and experiment with anything, the only reason I haven't touched it since was because I forgot to go back to it.
I'm consistently blown away by the quality of the writing in these videos.
I am blessed this evening!
Looking forward to a Dishonored 2 video
Shall we gather for whiskey and cigars tonight?
indeed i believe so
One of the things I liked about Dunwall is how creatively they worked absence of skirts for women. Yes, it is probably just a limitation of not having cloth physics for fabrics but for widely sailoring culture such as Gristol and neaby archpelago islands, it is kind of logical everybody traditionally wears pants.
Well I think we need to gather for Whiskey and Cigars tonight.
Indeed i believe so.
"I have 75 hours in the dunwall city trials, 74 of them are in back alley brawl"
A). Its fun
B). I relate to this far too much. I spent 7 years trying to get 'by my hand alone' and I finally did it in 2023.
Wow🎉
I had a playthrough of this game recently where I decided I would try be as restrained as possible with lethality.. But not quickload if it went wrong - and not care about chaos. It was actually a very satisfying way to play. - and i did manage to turn around a high chaos game in the end.
14:48 "The outsider walks AMONG US"
I loved the dishonored lore and games so much and was happy to see how they evolved the genre with deathloop. It wasn't perfect or as good as dishonored imo but it showed the progression of the ideas and evolution from dishonored and I'm excited to see what world they bring us next
Usually I'm disappointed that you make videos about games I have no interest in. But always after watching them, I'm glad to have gone on such a detailed, informative ride. Great video, as always.
Really great video, Whitelight! Love your analysis and descriptions, as always!
About the exploring thouroughly disconnect at 13:25, if you loock closely most of the items that give you money seem to be materials that would be used to craft your tools and ammo.
Awesome video BTW.
I got this game when it first came out, i was around 13. Ive probably played through this game again every other year since then. I enjoyed the sequel, but something about the first game is so special to me. I had never played a game like dishonored, and to this day I havent played another game like it. Despite its very real flaws, this is one of few perfect 10/10 games for me. Everytime i play through it again, I find something different/new. Endlessly impressive for a “linear” stealth game.
Ya kinda wrong about 55:20 . The rats ARE a direct result of you laying down bodies as its a known fact that they feast and breed in corpses. The chaos score isnt arbitrary, its diagetic. Characters reference their friends being killed by an assassin, the more bloddy u are, u see more bodies being heaped in piles as the disease from the rats spread. Chaos in game is much more than a score and an ending
One thing I do like what they did with the sequel is making non lethal combat as aggressive as lethal, & making lethal tools useful for non lethal runs.
Hitting someone in the foot with a bullet/arrow puts them in a stagger state, which leads to a choke. Same with shooting next to someone's head.
Sword counters allows for chokes, powers have non-lethal options, like Windblast pinning Clockwork soldiers, etc.
The developers listened to people saying non-lethal got boring, & even allowed people to let loose with Death of the Outsider.
Too bad it’s not as good as the first game
"Le chaos system is dumb hur dur"
*Death of the Outsider releases*
*soyjack* "le game bad cuz no chaos system"
MAKE UP YOUR FUCKING MIND PEOPLE!
@@Pegarexucorn It's different people complaining
If you've never done a Dishonored run with (almost) all HUD elements disabled, I heartily recommend it.
Yup, the "too many objective markers" criticism is very easy to fix when you just turn them off!
Especially the awareness markers. The game is more immersive with them off and you don't need them. There are sound cues that let you know what is going on. Plus, guard dialogue is another good way to gauge if you were caught or not. Alerted but not detected? "I'm going to have a look over here." Fully detected "That's Corvo Attano!" Music will also sometimes kick in. I love this series
Think you'll get your own squad after what happened last night?
indeed, I believe so.
man your video on the game I enjoyed the most. Love your content
Wow this was perfectly timed as I just finished my first playthrough of dishonored 1, its a great game that I really enjoyed and something I feel like a barely scratched the surface of with many ways to approach all the missions and targets.
What’s more amazing is only 2 hours into dishonored 2 it feels even bigger and better in nearly every way with a non-lethal approach feeling much more fleshed out and fun that it did in dishonored 1. I really hope there’s more dishonored in the future, as I’d really love to see the series become more popular and appreciated
Was wondering if you’d ever do one of these on Mad Max? I know you did a shorter video on it several years ago but i feel like it deserves a full length (or at least a longer) video. Obviously it’s not a complicated game and there might not be much to talk about regarding environments or melee, but the level of detail in the car customization, how the driving feels, the explosions, the *driving*, the *car combat*, the *shotgun*. I once heard Doom’s shotgun described as “god slamming a car door”. Mad Max’s shotgun is also that. think that could fill out at least a 30 minute vid.
Replayed them both like a month ago. Now I can't stop seeing so many new videos of people re-reviewing the game.
i still find your skill in showing both the good and bad, making your opinions really balanced and almost making a narrative "" out of them, impressive as hell.
Love how the heart also let's you know when you're killing an actual pos or instead putting a good person to sleep
Just FYI for the non-lethal Lady Boyle ending, things actually ultimately work out in her favour and creep ends up dead iirc. But you're absolutely right that the non-lethal is just objectively worse for many
the non-lethal ending for lady boyle usually ends with her and the creepy dude both surviving, there is a way to get him killed without invalidating clean hands though it requires a bit of intricate timing.
although I do believe he dies from the rat plague or something like that regardless but that is still days/weeks of her being his captive.
tbh I always saw the non-lethal fates of characters as a reflection of the suffering they caused, the triplets being the best example, they directly created suffering and horrors beyond comprehension and their fates with slackjaw seemed equally fitting.
& the lord regent being put to trial than executed was probably the most humane of all of them, especially considering corvo's assassination animation for hiram burrows is brutal af.
OMG YES I’ve been waiting for you to make a video about my favorite game
7 months late, but of course gigachad Brotherhood player enjoys some Dishonored too 🗣
The visuals have aged insanely well
This marks the first time I've seen a UA-camr say that they enjoyed the Dunwall City Trials.
This game absolutely should have made a bigger impact and got a more recognition then it originally did but I am glad to see that it is appreciated and respected by the people like us who knows the beauty of this game abd gameplay mechanics
It always makes me smile when whitelight uploads a new video
The game doesnt tell you this, however you can nonlethaly take down someone after staggering them, just pressing the block/knockout button while being close to them and facing them you will rapidly introduce their face with the ground.
you can also stagger an enemy, blink behind them and then choke them out.
just dont let go of the take down button, you cannot hold someone in the chokehold like you can in dishonored 2.
Love your videos Whitelight, so long and detailed and your voice is very easy to listen to. Thanks for making the videos that others don't
Except for starting out shamelessly w a Chinese ad
You sir, are one of the best channels I’ve found in a long time. Your commentaries provide incredible insight and wonderful entertainment.
And that length, bro. Like damn. Love checking that red progress bar and finding out that what would have been a valuable ten minute video is actually a full length movie.
Magnifique, PaleLumen, Magnifique.
Fuck ending it with "This is what Arkane use to be" just a big gut punch in a single sentence.
Having talked to multiple Arkane devs, I can confidently tell you that the definition of an immersive sim is that nobody knows for sure, but when you know, you know.
Hearing this just makes me to want to replay the whole series. Thank you for that.
Beside all it's flaws it still is a great series that's rare to find, a true gem.
11 years!!!! god time does go on fast. this game still holds up in my opinion.
it definitely does however its flaws are even more apparent since the sequel, for all the flack 2 gets it is a much more refined game and the team actually took the criticisms of the first game to heart.
it's such a shame that the owners of Arkane meddled with the studio to the point where 70% of the talent that was around to work on dishonored 1 and 2 ended up leaving, we will never see this series be expanded upon and that really, really sucks.
@@unfortunately_fortunate2000 yeah I remember that people were mostly mad cause of performance than the gameplay itself. Actually, people were mad so much at the performance because of the amazing gameplay. :P
Seeing a new whitelight video is always a pleasure
This friday has officially become a 10/10, Thank you Whitelight
Dishonored is one of those odd games which when I'm playing I'm constantly feeling frustrated and annoyed but when I'm not playing I'm constantly feeling the need to come back to it. Yes, there are a lot of frustrating bits here and there but whenever I haven't played it for a long time I can only remember the good stuff. I've played the sequel and the spinoff only once each and I've enjoyed them quite a bit but there's something really special about the first game, to which I've come back several times.
The only thing i wish this game had was a new game+ , the amount of times i wanted to have all the abilities, upgrades and bone charms from the start, so i can experience a full overpowered Corvo
Just use cheats to get all upgrades, life is short.
An immersive sim is a first person game where your left hand has superpowers
All the problems with non-lethal approach and Chaos system can be explained with the fact that the idea that you can do anything non-lethally was added very late in development, explaining why it feels so tacked on and incomplete.
Not necessarily an excuse, but they tried their best to implement it.
It's ok, because let's not kid ourselves, most of us mostly love the game as a murder sandbox anyway.
A nice coincidence to have this video drop the week I buy the Dishonored TTRPG and get back in Dishonored 2 after moving houses. Keep it up man!
Really hope Arkane Studios make another proper immersive sim.
I'm so glad u decided to cover this game it is one of my all time favorites
Dishonored is great, but Dishonored 2 is far superior. It feels like most of the issues presented in this game were all addressed in the sequel, allowing far more flexibility when playing non-lethally, while still improving and expanding on the lethal options.
My favorite way to play it is on custom difficulty to increase the challenge in certain areas, and with the "no powers" option.
Thanks for the video!
This might be my favorite Dishonored critique I‘ve ever watched. You over-earned my like, and depending on what other videos you have, most definitely a sub.
10:20 I feel like the fact that you need to go through more hoops to do a nonlethal play through ADDS to the immersion. To me, Corvo knows that it’s easier to just kill everyone with his god like powers, the fact that you’re always given the option in a nonlethal play through to just rampage through the entire game at any moment makes the lack of doing so more honorable, because I am choosing to take the harder, but good choice
And I wouldn't even say they're good choices, per se. I doubt Lady Boyle deserved being kidnapped. Or that Pendletons's fate is much better than death. Some of the choices feel way more cruel than regular murder (more noticable in Dishonored 2, I think), but you're still being kind of the better person. Because the targets would've killed you (or ordered the guards to do so) without a doubt. But you kept them alive. They are punished, but alive. Lady Boyle feels like the one I want to suffer the least, and is the target I have the most conflicting feelings about. Others? Deserved.
@@leyagame583 I always thought it was best to kill main targets and spare everyone else, maybe kill a couple of other guys who really deserve it, like those guards bullying the lady in the alley. You only get high chaos after killing around 60-80 people so you've got some room for revenge.
It's like what Havelock said: "Sometimes good men have to do bad things to make the world right."
This game is such a gem. It's also a real rarity that the sequel actually improves on the formula imo, which is a real feat, since the first one is such a masterpiece.
Your comments about the thematic inconsistency of Dishonored and its story related helped to crystalize the way I have felt about Dishonored since I played it. I love the setting and the game to bits, but I've never felt like it came together into something greater than itself for reasons I could never quite say. Thank you
This is the first time I watch an hour-long video whiteout, feeling like switching tabs, props to you.
It's a game to love for several things and disappoint for others. While I agree that the tools with which you can submit and/or knock people out are basically non existent I did like that the levels gave you many ways to approach an objective, although that's half the equation that Arkane got right.
I've yet to play a murder-machine high chaos run because that's not usually how I play this games, but there're more tools there so I feel like I'm missing out.
Still is incredible that despite those flaws (a stealthy assassin game that focus more on the assassin than stealth & chaos irrelevancy on a higher level) is a game beloved by many and that many hope can see another one some day, even if it's a spiritual successor because apparently tons of those people have left, I think? *Sigh*
Great video!
Listening to this made me wonder if you covered the second game. They went bigger in so many ways. I remember I couldnt run it well on release, was a bit sceptical about the void engine at first. But once I experienced all of it in 120 fps, jawdropping. The increased verticality. The stunning level design of Serkonos. As a Dishonored fan, It was everything I could have hoped for and more. Art direction of both games is otherworldly, in my opinion. Years later I find myself revisiting these immersive sims, for they are so detailed, appealing and replayable, feels like crafted by the people with genuine passion for this genre. From the moment I stepped foot in Dunwall, to the Death of the Outsider I enjoyed every moment.
If you guys know any more games like these you recommend, I'll be grateful but I doubt I'll find any titles I'd enjoy more.
It's amazing how Dishonored is still one of the best stealth games to this day despite the stealth being slapped on right at the end of its development (which is why there's so few non-lethal powers and non-lethal combat is non-existent).
I'm glad Dishonored 2 fixes a lot of the issues but Dishonored 1 will always have a special place in my heart.. Despite the fact I can only do high chaos everyone gets alerted runs because I'm terrible at stealth.