While this necessarily isn't a bad game, however, due to its trial and error game play, uninteresting narrative, and short length, I can only recommend this as a rental game, and not a buy.
The story is, you're an assassin, who is assigned to meet with the empress of a steam punk and gloomy city. However, upon your arrival, you are assaulted by an unknown adversary, and, during the attack, the empress is murdered and you are then vilified and accused of her murder by the authorities. Soon after, you are thrown in jail, an after you receive a mysterious package while in prison, you escape and you must uncover who framed you for the murder of the empress and set out for vengeance.
As admittedly and undeniably interesting as this generally sounds, unfortunately, this is as compelling as the narrative gets. The characters are honestly very bland and mundane, even though normally the voice acting is convincing and reasonably well done.
The game play also isn't really much better. While the combat is visceral and bloody(while its also quite simplistic and unchallenging, All that is required during combat is simply remaining blocked until an enemy attacks you and leaves you the opportunity to deliver a fatal counter attack) The stealth game play is marginally superior by comparison, even though it becomes tired and monotonous very quickly. You receive a lot of remarkably imaginative super natural abilities like the power to leap around areas( which, is at first, is effective for evading and avoiding present enemies) but, as the game goes on, the levels become more dreary and dull looking and it becomes increasingly taxing to move through.
Graphically the game is quite stunning, and initially the world looks across between Half life and bioshock, but this game has almost none of the immersion or the complexity of those two games. Its also very reminiscent of Deus Ex, but its without the staggering and extraordinary freedom that game had to offer, and that was an infinitely better game this.
My biggest gripe with the game is also its mission structure. For a game of this size, its practically criminal that that it doesn't have any extra side missions or quests to tend to, and there is the option to actually not harm anyone in the game or neutralize any of your targets( but seriously, what is the point of that when the sole reason you bought this game to begin with was to kill people?) but, the game at least doesn't penalize you or punish you as much as Deus ex did for doing so, but, it drastically affects the ending you receive if you do ever take down anyone.
I'm positive, deep down, Dishonored could have been a wonderful video game, it could have been so much better, if more effort went into its storytelling and its game play, but, as it stands, its merely a mediocre game with interesting concepts. Had it been executed in role playing game style, this could have possessed more appeal. I'd even go so far as to say it even feels rushed. And, its not nearly as grand or even as masterful as most critics would lead you to believe.
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