Dishonored: Death Of The Outsider (2017) review

With in its world of baroque aesthetics, Whalepunk tech and simmering supernaturalists, Dishonored has never struggled to find a following nor widespread appraisal from critics. Regardless, after an initial outing that greatly exceeded commercial expectations and a follow-up that reportedly fell short, it feels like the fate of the franchise is a little bit up-in-the-air.

In the face of that, a pretty strong case could be made that now is the right time to to shake things up. Previous installments have owed just as much to fresh ideas as they have confident execution, and there’s a lot to respect about a developer willing to take their biggest franchise back to the drawing board.

Instead of that much-needed reinvention, however, we’re getting Dishonored: Death of the Outsider.

The Pitch

The third major installment in the franchise, Death of the Outsider is a first-person stealth-action game that sees former-sidekick and ex-assassin Billie Lurk step up to take center stage in a new adventure envisioned as a closing chapter to the characters, settings and themes of the series to date.

Teaming up alongside her older, crankier, mentor Daud (a major character from the first Dishonored), Billie returns to the exotic coastal city of Karnaca out to infiltrate a sinister secret society and put an end to the enigmatic-but-familiar cosmic trickster known as The Outsider.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Billie Lurk fits right into the series’ growing catalog of cold-blooded killers. Rather than be gifted with supernatural powers by The Outsider, she’s cursed by him – losing an arm and an eye in the process.

While if the narrative cost associated with these newfound abilities feels like it's never quite adequately explored or explained, Billie’s skill-set still changes up the usual tenets of the Dishonored experience in enough ways that you won’t mind the dissonance. Billie can disguise herself stealing the faces of guards, temporarily leave her body behind to explore levels as a spirit and even make small talk with rats.

Of course, the ability you’ll be leaning on the most is 'Displace'. This is Death of the Outsider’s take on the first game’s iconic 'Blink' ability, allowing Billie to create a phantom of herself from a distance before teleporting to their position a moment later. Initially, the power comes across as a little less intuitive than the movement abilities found in previous games. However, over time, the possibilities quickly unveil themselves and invite all sorts of fun experimentation.

It helps that Billie constantly regenerates the magical energy used to fuel her and – perhaps most importantly – she all-but-starts the game with her entire arsenal unlocked from the get-go (as opposed to unlocking new abilities over the course of the game).

There is some customization in the mix through the collectable bone charms that modify things like Billie's health, damage and speed but for the most part, your success or failure will come down to those three core abilities. This results in an experience that plays a lot like previous Dishonored games, but is a lot leaner and more-friendly to action-heavy playstyles.

The game runs in the same Void engine used for the previous game and this year’s Prey, which is still very capable but isn’t as quite as jaw-dropping the third time around. Regardless, it gets the job done and arrives free from the technical issues that plagued the launch of Dishonored 2.

Though it’s been billed as a fully-fledged entry in the series, rather than a standalone DLC or expansion pack, the reality is that Death of the Outsider does sit a closer to the latter in scope.

There are a few rejiggered and revisited environs from the last game but just enough new stuff to keep things fresh. All told, I made it to the credits in about five hours. Fans will likely find it longer than the Knife of Dunwall and Brigmore Witches DLCs for the first game in the series, but less meaty than either the original game or its numbered sequel. Newcomers, on the other hand, might find it a great crash course in everything that makes Dishonored so compelling.

Unbowed, unbent, unbroken

Unlike prior protagonists Corvo and Emily, Billie’s actions aren’t informally bound by the Chaos system found in the first two games.

For the unfamiliar, this mechanic delineated the consequences of your actions towards a number of different endings. Play through levels in a way that leaves a high body-count behind you, and the tone of the story and world around you twists itself to reflect that. Alternatively, adopting a play-style that’s less-bloodthirsty might result in a more positive ending for all involved.

Death of the Outsider basically abandons this attempt to encourage less "noisy" play. It’s more linear than previous installments, and the only real decision you get to make is the one concerning the fate of The Outsider once you reach him.

The other big spanner-in-the-works this time around comes in the form of Contracts. These optional extra-objectives add a little bit of replayability to each mission and the opportunity to earn some extra cash to spend on upgrades. Some contracts will involve taking out a target. Others might involve solving a puzzle or stealing something without being seen.

They act as a bit of a substitute for the larger and more open-ended missions of Dishonored 2 and help the levels in Death of the Outsider come across a bit bigger than they actually are. In addition, they bring depth, substance and complexity that sometimes feels lacking from the main objectives.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. The levels in Death of the Outsider are gorgeous three-dimensional, labyrinthine murder-puzzles that are a delight to work your head around. However, the novelty of Billie’s skillset aside, they do all feel like a pretty close retread of what’s come before. There’s a breakout, a heist, an infiltration or two, plus a dramatic final confrontation. None of it’s bad but little of it feels particularly unexpected or innovative.

In contrast, the meaty themes and weighty story wrapped around Death of the Outsider's inventive mechanics is every bit as compelling as previous installments.

The writing here wrings a delicate-but-brilliant duality between the two core figures in Billie’s story –  Daud and The Outsider – and finds a fascinating resolution to its titular confrontation that leaves you with a lot to think about and much more to look forward to.

The Bottom Line

Seamlessly building on the loose threads of what’s come before to weave a grisly tale of revenge and redemption, Billie Lurk's return to Karnaca is Arkane-style storytelling at its finest.

If you’re a fan, you’ll likely find Death of the Outsider a strong, if restrained, bookend to this incarnation of the Dishonored franchise you know and love. If you’re an outsider, you’re probably better off starting with one of the earlier games – though this grisly, action-heavy installment has a lot to offer regardless.