#ws178

Dishonored Game Mechanic

The game “Dishonored” is a stealth action adventure game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks in 2012. In the game you play as Corvo who is framed for murder and is therefore forced to become an assassin who seeks revenge. The game has a mechanic which is called “Blink”, which is one of many skills Corvo can learn. This mechanic lets you move almost instantly forward to a chosen location, inside a set range. The Blink skill can be used in many ways, it is most commonly used to either assassinate someone by getting close to them extremely fast and then performing a silent kill or to reach a platform you would normally not reach. It can also be used to move past guards, since the ability does not create any sound and you can therefore use it without the guards noticing. The Blink ability is not a teleportation ability, it is more like an almost instant movement. If Corvo tries to Blink through a “Wall of Light” which is like a wall made of electricity, he takes damage or dies. He can also only go a set distance and he must be able to see the place to reach it, so one cannot use Blink to pass through walls. When Corvo is climbing or carrying a body, he can also use the Blink ability, however some objects like a bottle cannot be carried while blinking. The Blink ability cost mana, so he cannot use it the entire time since he will eventually run out of mana, however the mana cost is very low. One can also upgrade the ability, and this upgrade will increase its range. The DLC lets you play a different character, whose Blink ability also stops time if you are not moving. The Blink ability gives the player increasing more options and is extremely fun and smooth.  

The Blink ability is very mechanical, it has ma maximum range that can not be changed unless one levels up the ability. It can be cast in closer distances. The ability is made for combat but also stealth since you can use it to dodge certain attacks but also remain hidden from certain people and reach places that would be harder to reach otherwise. When using the Blink mechanic, the player must “equip” it. You have your different weapons in the left hand. (Gun, heart, abilities) When using the blink ability, one cannot simultaneously use the gun or other abilities. The miss use of the blink ability can cause you to fall to your death. The dynamic of the ability is very good, it reacts instantly when clicked and moves the character, Corvo instantly and smoothly to the desired location. The location that you will travel to can be seen by the blue lighted area. The aesthetics of the Blink ability are very good too. Since it is a first-person game, you cannot see yourself when using the ability, only in cutscenes. You do however fight people that can also use the Blink ability and it is very smooth and consistent. The animation looks almost as if you are crumbling away and then crumbling together again.  This crumbling is very fast though. You do not even have to stop moving when using the blink ability making it great for stealth and assassinations.  

The type of player is also very interesting in this game, since there are different ways you can play the game, stealth without killing people, stealth with killing people, or loud and killing everyone. The mechanics of the game change according to what you want to do. You can learn abilities that make it easier to remain undetected or abilities that will help you in a fight. Usually a player seeks different things from the game and some people will have more fun playing the loud style and some might like the stealth style more. The highest score in a mission is given if you have as little casualties as possible. The stealth way of playing is the hardest one but will also be rewarded with the most points. Creating a skill tree and different abilities makes it fun for the player to decide what style he wants to adopt and if he ever replays the game he can play the game in a completely different way.