Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

I might not have enjoyed it quite as perfectly as Dishonored 2, but Death of the Outsider is a fittingly melancholy way to wrap up a story arc I've loved. The Empire of the Isles is a strange and exquisitely horrible world, and this entry is no different.

For three titles now, the Dishonored franchise has portrayed a world of rampant greed that hides behind velvet and brass. The corrupt elite, they dress like royalty and sit in high towers, far away from the festering muck below. While Dishonored and Dishonored 2 gave the player a chance to send some of those high towers crashing down, I didn’t feel like I was doing any real justice until I was in the shoes of Billie Lurk during my time with Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.

An excellent game that delivers an above average amount of gameplay for its cost, giving you the freedom to utilize an interesting set of powers to track down and kill a god. Beautiful environments and varied objectives more than make up for changes to the Chaos mechanic from previous games in the series.

It was wonderfully satisfying to have more Dishonored to play, even if Death of the Outsider doesn’t quite meet the high bar Dishonored 2 set in story or mission design. Even though it’s a shorter and slightly shallower game, there are some exciting new abilities and interesting changes to the energy system, and the freedom from consequences of Chaos further encourage experimentation and freedom. All in all, it’s a worthy end to the story that began five years ago.

Assassinate a god in this expansion to our 2016 game of the year.

However, Death of the Outsider is a leaner and meaner take on the Dishonored series, and one that continues to highlight the special world that Arkane Studios have crafted. There's an argument to be made for the series to continue on as much as there is for the franchise (at least in its current form) to end on a high note like Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, and with that last point, it serves as a bloody finish to a beautifully violent series.

A resoundingly confident continuation of 2016’s Game of the Year, Death of the Outsider is a worthy addition to the Dishonored pantheon.

The gray zone.

Death of the Outsider's story never lives up to its promise, but strong mechanics, good gameplay, and a fascinating world pull it through.

If, however, you live, breathe and sleep Dishonored, with your limited edition Corvo mask on your bedside table, you’ll be in your element here. There are times when Death of the Outsider feels a little too familiar but, despite the game’s reuse of art assets, these moments are far and few between. An engrossing, well-paced send-off for a series that already tops the stealth genre, Dishonored doesn’t get any better than Death of the Outsider.

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If and when Dishonored returns, it will be in a different era and with new characters. I hope Arkane is as bold with its next work, as it was with the original game.