As I’ve mentioned previously, I love Dishonored. It’s as close as we’ll ever get to being a magic ninja, and it’s a damn near perfect game. That said, there is one nitpick I have with the game.
Corvo, even before he got the Outsider’s Mark, was a master swordsman, a crack shot with both crossbow and pistol, and generally not the kind of person you mess with. With the Outsider’s Mark, he’s a teleporting, rat-summoning, time-freezing badass. Not that he really needs it, since he’s also the master of knocking somebody out with a brief application of a sleeper hold. He’s strong, he’s fit, he’s capable.
And yet, Corvo can’t punch. Seriously, if you’re trying to keep your Chaos down, and you get spotted or trip some alarms, you’d better have some Sleep darts handy, because otherwise you’re bumping off a few targets.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand precisely why this isn’t an option in the game. It was a conscious decision on Arkane’s part, I’m pretty sure. The controls are already complex and sometimes complicated to get the hang of. There’s a lot the game needs to be able to do.
Similarly, it does mean you have to tweak your strategy if you want a low Chaos rating, or just are low on health vials. The game makes a stealth playthrough relatively easy, but without the requirement of taking a second to choke out targets non-lethally, all strategy is lost. It’s actually a decision I approve of, on a critical level, because it makes me think before I act.
But as a gamer, this is a game full of people who may not deserve a stabbing, but definitely need a knuckle sandwich. Hopefully at some point, Corvo will learn some boxing. I’ve got a few Bottle Street Gang members who need a beatdown.
Or, hell, you could just go full-on homicidal maniac, like this guy:
Yeah, scoring this to Knife Party about sums it up.