Dishonored Death Of The Outsider Review – Murder Without Morality
Official Score
Overall - 60%
60%
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider could have easily been great for value DLC, but as a stand-alone game for $30, some players may feel a little cold after the 6-7 hours of game time. There is an Original Game+ mode that adds new abilities to the characters of Dishonored 2, but if you've had your fill of reliving past glories, you'll probably get through the game in a solid nights' play.
Billie Lurk sits in the shadows of Karnaca as once again players are invited to explore their darker side with the stand-alone release of Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. Should you embrace the darkness of the shadows, or hang up your blades for good? Check out our review to find out!
Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider Review
A stand-alone title that builds on foundations put in place by Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider introduces fans of the franchise to a familiar character, but a first time protagonist, Billie Lurk. Complete with a small arsenal of new abilities, Lurk spends the duration of the game aiding her mentor Daun, who was originally part of the crew that set the entire franchise off in motion with the assassination found in the original Dishonored game.It’s all very much of the same for Karnaca. There’s only a few regions to explore, most of which were heavily featured in Dishonored 2. While this is somewhat disappointing on the outset, the additional activities and tasks thrown into the mix create for much more variety the second time around. Among these new activities is the introduction of Contracts. These are basically optional side missions that has Lurk completing various tasks with the promise of some additional Coin. You may be stealing a particular object from a trap ridden apartment, or throwing a mime off a bridge to stage a suicide. There’s a good selection and variety throughout, and it really goes a long way to freshen the entire experience.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider’s greatest asset is easily the new abilities. Unlike Corvo, Billie Lurk doesn’t receive her powers from the mysterious Outsider. She has been trained in the arts, and as such, there’s no magical potions here; just good old fashioned stamina. The Blink from previous games has been upgraded to Displace, allowing Lurk to traverse through areas previously unavailable, pounce from a great height for an aerial kill and an instant rebound, and even make enemies explode on contact. Foresight is another new ability; a spectral like skill that allows Lurk to take in her surroundings, find hidden items, and attack situations from entirely different angles. The game lacks the skill progression and unlocks of previous games, so it does get a little repetitive towards the end, but the new abilities are enough to make the majority of the game feel worthwhile.
The real strength from this experience comes with the lack of morality imposed on players. Unlike other assassins in the series, Lurk doesn’t have restrictions placed on her actions through fear of consequence. There’s no different endings depending on the body count you tally, so you can truly murder with impunity. The lack of morale shackles truly creates for a much more diverse and exciting playground, something I would have liked to see introduced much earlier in the series.
The story itself is largely given away by the title of the game, so if you’re hoping for some exciting plot twists and turns, you’ll be left disappointed. Fans of the franchise will love the additional insight into the characters and lore, but if you found your interest dwindling by the end of Dishonored 2, there’s not much here worth seeing.
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider could have easily been great for value DLC, but as a stand-alone game for $30, some players may feel a little cold after the 6-7 hours of game time. There is an Original Game+ mode that adds new abilities to the characters of Dishonored 2, but if you’ve had your fill of reliving past glories, you’ll probably get through the game in a solid nights’ play.
