Do you have what it takes to silence the supernatural?
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider was originally planned to be a DLC for 2016’s Dishonored 2, in much the same way that Uncharted: The Lost Legacy was meant to be a DLC for Uncharted 4. Since its inception, however, developer Arkane Studios has decided to release Death of the Outsider as a stand-alone title, and one which will likely wrap up the events of both Dishonored and Dishonored 2.
The game puts us in the role of Billie Lurk, an assassin that players were first introduced to in The Knife of Dunwall DLC for the first game. The game will follow Billie and her mentor Daud (a character whom fans of the series will know well) as they search for The Outsider – the mysterious and other-worldly young man who has been pulling the strings behind the events of the prior games.
The game picks up a few months after the events of Dishonored 2 and once again takes place in the city of Karnaca, a colonial city of the Empire built on a tropical island. For those who don’t know, the world of Dishonored is best described as a cross between Victorian English and steampunk ideals. The city mimics the architecture of colonial buildings found in the Caribbean, but is dominated by vast rail transport systems powered by whale oil and other industrial projects. As is the case with this setting, you can expect to find enemies like guards armed with swords and pistols, but also more unique and threatening enemies like the clockwork soldiers – automatons designed to protect the wealthiest patrons of the city.
Of course the real draw of Dishonored has always been its supernaturally driven stealth gameplay, and Death of the Outsider will provide players with new abilities to overcome the game’s challenges. Billie, unlike Corvo, Emily or Daud, does not carry the Outsider’s Mark – the brand that grants the others their powers. Instead, Billie has access to several magical items that enable her powers, such as a rune which allows her to communicate with the rats that scurry about the city streets – giving her information as to where items of interest may be found, among other things.
Billie will have access to powers like Displace where she can leave a marker in the world which she can teleport back to at any time. She also has Foresight, which allows her to pause time, leave her body to scout an area and tag targets so she can see them through solid objects when she returns, and Semblance, which allows her to steal the physical appearance of other people to sneak past checkpoints. In addition to powers Billie has a sword and various gadgets for both stealth and fighting, such as “hook mines:” devices that can be placed on any surface and will pull enemies towards them like a magnet.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider launches tomorrow on the 15th of September 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC. Because it is a stand-alone DLC rather than a full game, it is being sold at less than retail price at R400 on Steam at the time of writing.
Inside Gaming Today 