Dishonored Definitive Edition Review

 Revenge Served Lukewarm

 When I reviewed Dishonored back in 2012, I gave it a 9.2 ("Amazing"), concluding that:

“It's a shame that Dishonored's story isn't greater than the sum of its decidedly memorable parts, but its gameplay absolutely is. Each mission is built as an elaborate network of choices for players to explore, and the same can be said for Corvo himself. Each player's selection of powers, perks and other upgrades will inform how they see and interact with this world, and no two play-throughs will be exactly the same. Dishonored is a game you'll talk with your friends about, and that you'll want to play multiple times. In this game there are always other paths to be taken and other challenges to conquer, and that's a refreshing thing indeed.”

Dishonored Definitive Edition incorporates the superb original game, the three pieces of subsequent DLC, and some additional in-game bonuses. Is it a “Definitive  Edition”? Not exactly. In content terms, this

is the same release as the Game of the Year Edition that came out almost two years ago. As far as presentation is concerned, Dishonored Definitive Edition certainly does look noticeably better than it did on PS3 and Xbox 360 – higher resolution, better textures, more vibrant colour - but it’s essentially on par with the original PC game running on half-decent gaming hardware.

I revisited Dishonored on both PC and Xbox 360 then compared them to the PS4 and Xbox One versions, and the differences between current gen console and what the PC version was doing three years ago are non-existent. It still looks great, thankfully, but that has more to do with strong art direction and a cool painterly aesthetic than technical prowess. Dishonored was a little behind the curve on lighting, lip syncing, some of its texture work and a few other bits and pieces in 2012 and this release does nothing to rectify any of that. Nor does it deliver 60 frames per second gameplay, which is a huge missed opportunity. The Definitive Edition’s load times are also a lot longer than on last gen console and PC.

This is all obviously disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. After all, the HD re-releases that actually make significant improvements to the original assets and engine are the exception to the rule. This isn’t a remaster, it’s simply another entry point for gamers that never played Dishonored, and from that perspective it serves its purpose well enough.

t’s worth noting, however, that Dishonored Definitive Edition makes the same mistake as the Game of the Year Edition, which included four sets of in-game bonuses that I can’t imagine were ever designed to be grouped together. To elaborate, there were four sets of pre-order bonuses for the original game’s Special Edition, divided up by retailer, with each offering additional in-game items that would be waiting for Corvo at the start of the game proper (after he has escaped from prison, joined the loyalists and come into his first power).

Specifically, each had three exclusive Bone Charms (minor perks that allow players to customise their character above and beyond the core powers), a statue that unlocked the ability to equip an extra Bone Charm, and 500 bonus coins. The idea – I guess - was that players would choose the pack/retailer that sounded most appealing, and while it would give them a slight advantage, it wouldn’t mess with the progression of the game all that much.

Awww, rats.

The Game of the Year Edition, however, and now this Definitive Edition, throw all four packs into Corvo’s lodging room. Yes, that’s 12 Bone Charms, 2000 gold and the ability to equip seven Bone Charms right from the start. Putting aside how ridiculous that is in the context of the world – i.e. waking up in a run-down secret base literally surrounded by arcane magical charms, equally magical statues and several pouches overflowing with money – it works against the gameplay and the value of the upgrade systems in the game.

Dishonored is designed so that you have to work hard to collect money to buy and upgrade gear. Bone Charms, similarly, are something you largely have to go out of your way to find. This farcical bonus takes away from their perceived value – even though the included Charms aren’t particularly exciting - and gives players an artificial starting position within the world. I really hate pre-order or special edition bonuses that impact the intended progression of gameplay and game balance, and that’s exactly what this does. You have enough money at the outset to simply max-out Corvo’s ability to equip Bone Charms immediately. Ten at the start instead of three? Ridiculous.

Stilts are the tools of the corrupt and powerful.

Nonetheless, this is the best version of the game available on console, so if you don’t own a gaming PC, and have always been curious about Dishonored, then I’d still recommend picking this up, particularly since it comes with both the story DLC packs – The Knife of Dunwall and The Brigmore Witches. They form a single tale, told in parallel with Corvo’s quest and focusing on Daud, the assassin responsible for killing the Empress at the start of Dishonored. I gave each a 7.5 in 2013, saying that although the gameplay was compelling it didn’t break much new ground, and the story delivered on some but not all of its potential. That’s still true, but they’re absolutely worth playing.