Great story, poor mechanics
posted by geekinphx (Phoenix, AZ) Jan 1, 2013
Member since Dec 2012
3
out of
4
gamers (75%) found this review helpful
I will start by saying that the game has a great story, and an excellent world. However, the game is rife with issues.
1) No background on Corvo. There is no storyline behind the main character, and the deepest that it ever goes into Corvo is an insiniuation that he may be the father of the Empresses' Daughter.
2) No rewards for stealth or "no kill" gameplay. It's easier to play the human blender in this game than to play the pacifist, and the only reward are achievments, which is great if you are concerned about the size of your e-peen. Most games I've played give you in-game rewards for difficult gameplay, but this game doesn't.
3) Convoluted tracking of kills. Played through the whole level without killing a single person? Expect to get that nice tick mark for not killing anyone? Guess again. Although the game fails to tell you this, if you leave a body laying around that is just unconcious, even if there are no rats nearby, they will appearantly magically appear and eat the person you knocked out. On top of this there are zombie-like creatures in the game called "Weepers" that are in the final stages of a plague, and are DOOMED TO DIE. The game tells you this several times, however if you happen to kill one of these zombie-esque creatures, it counts towards your kill count when trying to go for no-kill. I wonder if the dogs in the game count as a kill for "no-kill"?
4) Limited choice in gear, upgrades, and abilities. Everything seems to be geared towards either pure mayhem, or strict stealth, without much inbetween. There is ONE upgrade for the sword, and the upgrades for the crossbow and the gun are unimpressive. However, you will easily earn enough to get all of the upgrades before the end of the game, wiithout trying too hard.
5) Two endings. One good ("low chaos") and one evil ("high chaos"). Seriously, not all that worth it.
What the game lacks in mechanics it focuses on environment and immersiveness and does a great job. Worth $20-30, not $50-60.
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