With ten days left until the launch of Dishonored 2, the game has officially gone gold. To mark the occasion, developers Arkane have taken an in-depth look at returning protagonist Corvo Attano.
Any lingering questions ahead of the launch? Here’s everything we know about Dishonored 2 so far.
Somewhat overshadowed by the exciting news that you can play as deposed Empress Emily Kaldwin, whom Corvo restored to the throne in the first game, it’s fitting that Arkane are profiling their iconic, mask-wearing assassin as the sequel gets ready to launch.
Corvo has become a more introspective man in the 15 years since the events of the original Dishonored, according to thepost on Bethesda’s blog.
“Corvo is like a man reflecting on the winter of his life,” says Creative Director Harvey Smith. “He’s both the badass supernatural assassin we wanted him to be, and he’s very thoughtful.”
In terms of gameplay, Dishonored 2 has expanded both protagonists’ powers with a skill tree, so it’s exciting to see Corvo’s familiar old powers make a return under these new systems.
“Corvo comes back with all his classic powers, made more active and more beautiful through our new engine technology, and each is also improved from a game design perspective,” says Lead Designer Dinga Bakaba.
Bend Time can now be upgraded to fast-forward time as well as slow or freeze it, while you can use Possession to inhabit corpses and use them as a hiding place. The famous Rat Swam power – which hopefully won’t feel too out-of-context now that the Rat Plague is 15 years in the past – can be upgraded to follow Corvo around, almost like an organic shield. Finally, Corvo can now use Blink – the original short-distance teleport which has since inspired imitators in console shooter Destiny and the new Deus Ex – just as Daud did in the Knife of Dunwall DLC for the original.Which is to say, he can freeze time and look around while picking a destination.
You can preload Dishonored 2 on Steam exactly a week from today – that’s Tuesday, November 8. The game is officially released on the following Friday, November 11, but you can play a day early if you pre-order. Dishonored 2 will cost £39.99 UK or $59.99 US – here’s its Steam page for more.