Dishonored: Death of the Outsider Review

Just when you thought that you had seen the last of Dishonored for PS4/PC/XB1, Arkane Studios and Bethesda bring you what could be the final chapter in the series with Death of the Outsider. It certainly loosens the restrictive reins a bit and lets you breathe a bit in terms of gameplay design, while still retaining what has made this series great – freedom to do as you will.

Let’s get this puppy started.

The story surrounds Billie Lurk, a captain of a boat, who was introduced in previous installments of the series (DLC and otherwise). She is on the hunt for her old mentor, Daud, who she finds standing on his last leg of life and who prefers to go out knowing that the Outsider, a omnipotent force in the shape of a scrawny, bitter kid, throughout the entire series, is put to a final rest at the end of either Daud’s or Billie’s blade. Getting to the Outsider isn’t easy and a series of adventures, though not long ones, awaits Billie on her way to completing the task her mentor set forth.

It’s a sweet and simple revenge/pure rage story that doesn’t try to go too far outside of its purpose. It’s like watching a George Miller film, where thinking isn’t really required to get the sentiment. Seeing and controlling mayhem on the way to killing the Outsider is all the player is required to do on Lurk’s journey. Simplicity of the story is aided by the simplicity of the gameplay design, which loosens up the restrictions of shifting the player’s story resulting from their in-game action. In short, you can kill the shit out of everything, if you want, and it won’t change how the game wraps up one bit. Again, simple George Miller philosophy that shows fun can be had when the viewer/gamer doesn’t have to think too much. Trust me, folks, this is the fun way to play the series, as it’s like a rabid dog set free against piles and piles of meat (that’s an image). For example, if you want to wipe out an entire town, as I did early on in the game because I just wanted to see if I could (and I received a trophy for doing so – it was hilarious), then have at it. If you can survive the onslaught of guards, dogs, street workers and civilians, then you’re going to enjoy the unrestricted and un-punished green light the game gives you to do as you please when it comes to the body count.

If that isn’t your cup of tea, then in true Dishonored fashion you can use stealth to complete missions, if you would like, with minimum casualties following. You can move and shift around like a void-ridden ninja bouncing from place to place, using acquired powers to do so, undetected as you go. You might have a more difficult time because there are generally enemies everywhere in important areas, but you can go this route, if you’re that type of gamer in the Dishonored series.

In fact, you can go any route, as the game, again in true Dishonored fashion, pretty much opens the door for you to do what you want to do in order to complete tasks set forth. The game simply gives you the tools to take care of the task, but never asks you to complete them in any particular way, at least generally. I can’t tell you what an absolute gem that is to this series, as I completely stink in stealth mode, but I’m happy to know that the option is there, if I need it. Anyway, it’s one of the more impressive attributes to the Dishonored series and one that will be sorely missed, if this is truly the final game.

Now, what’s the motivation to not run through the game with blazing speed and finish it? As seen in the first Dishonored, and more so in the second, the game design is very open. While I will say the environments aren’t as plentiful and accessible as the second game, and that’s not necessarily a terrible thing, as you have plenty to explore and plenty of things to gather on your way through the story. Exploration is a good motivator to keep the lights on in the game before you complete your ultimate mission. I found myself going through homes, offices, shops and breaking windows in stores to gather and explore as much as I could before moving on to the next checkpoint. Death of the Outsider felt big in scope, though it did keep tight in girth, meaning you will have limits for exploration, though the limits aren’t painfully obvious.

If exploration isn’t enough to keep you satisfied with this game, then you have some side quests/missions to keep you going. You will gather contracts and such on the black market, which leads you to small missions that require a certain action out of you (there are quite a few out there, so you won’t be bored). I won’t go into details about what/when/how, but I will say these contracts extend the longevity of the game, if you’re up for them, and they are challenging as hell. They certainly make the game feel much bigger than it actually is, which isn’t a bad thing, as that sort of design is ever-present in games like Skyrim and Fallout. And as much as they’re ‘contracts’, in a sense they’re more like challenges, which is what drives most gamers these days (see Destiny 2 for details). Getting a seemingly impossible task with certain steps set in front of you is going to be challenging. Walking into an area undetected and not killing a single soul to get a contract fulfilled is going to push you to the limits, though if Dark Souls taught us anything, sometimes an impossible challenge is a beautiful thing. Regardless, the idea of a contract/challenge certainly has Bethesda written all over it, which is fine by me. I want more to a game than a linear storyline and I want added value. Death of the Outsider brings both, which brings longevity to the experience.

Contracts and such aside, the skills tree and items acquired in the game to dispose of enemies or transport Lurk from one place to the next are pretty unique. For example, there is a technique you learn early on the game that allows you to transport yourself from one spot to the next, not that something like that isn’t new to the series, and also allows you to take control/acquire the face of enemies and stroll around undetected. The latter is pretty freaking sweet. There are a bevy of cool techniques that Lurk picks up along the way in her short, yet fun adventure. All of it, including an out of body experience, equals out to some interesting ways of progressing in the game. Again, these are the tools that Arkane provides to you in the game. How you use them is completely up to you.

Now, on the presentation side of the equation, it’s a gorgeous game, much like Dishonored 2. There are have been visual upgrades, again, much like in Dishonored 2, and times of visual wonderment where the environment is teeming with life and brimming with the series style and animation. The lighting, textures and shading are superb, as is the design of the world that Arkane built. I’ve always been in awe of the art style of the series, as it has maintained a unique, yet cool aura to it. It has always felt like a rough Guy Ritchie movie style, in the same vein as Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films, where it’s dirty, ugly, yet beautiful.

To support the visuals and really drive home the atmosphere, the late Daniel Licht put together a beautiful, sometimes haunting soundtrack that really brings each part of Dishonored: Death of the Outsider to life. String music, simplistic, yet detailed piano helps to drive home the point that the work in this game is broken, but still maintains (the best way it can) some sort of eloquence about it. Licht did a great job with Death of the Outsider and sold the story very well through his music, as well as brought the scenarios to life perfectly through lovely and sometimes intense melodies. His art will be missed, though I’m glad it’s retained in this final installment of the series.

As a whole, the entire package of Dishonored – Death of the Outsider is solid. You’re basically getting all the bells and whistles you would find in previous games in the series with more freedom and less restrictions to go take every living thing in your path out without prejudice. It’s one helluva last, if it is that, adventure to the series that is basically saying, “Go have some fun”, before waving goodbye on its lavish retirement plan. There’s certainly not a lot to dislike about this release, as it pretty much has everything you want. I guess the only knock I could find about the gameplay is that it is drawn back just a bit in comparison to Dishonored 2. I honestly wouldn’t expect it to be on the same level and scope as the second game in the series, but that’s the only knock I could give this game.