My first stop upon entering Gamescom 2016 was checking up on Bethesda and hearing any news about the upcoming Dishonored 2. As a fan of the original Dishonored, I loved the fact they were making a sequel. It follows Emily Kaldwin, princess from the original game, as an adult. Clearly she’s learned a couple tricks from Corvo, as she’s following in his footsteps this time around.
After being overthrown by an ‘otherworldly usurper’, Emily and Corvo must travel to the city of Karnaca. There, they will search for the key to restoring her throne. You may choose to play as either Corvo or Emily during this mission.
During a presentation with Bethesda, we were shown some exclusive gameplay of a level called ‘The Clockwork Mansion’. In this level, you are infiltrating the home of a renowned inventor. However, this is no ordinary home. The mansion has been rigged with traps, sliding panels, and clockwork soldiers making it a giant puzzle.
Within the gameplay trailer we were also shown some of the new mechanics and spells. Personally, I was quite impressed! The assassination’s look both swift and visceral. For example, using a skill called Domino, you can mark guards to have whatever is applied to one, applied to them all. What this means is if you decapitate one guard in a crowd of three, suddenly everyone’s heads are popping off like Pez dispensers.
All in all, I like where Dishonored 2 seems headed. The gameplay seems fun and new despite sticking to its roots. The art style is still quite unique despite a massive graphics boost. And to top it all off, if ‘The Clockwork Mansion’ is any indication, the levels seem quite inspired. If they’re all as thematically strong and diverse as a labyrinth filled with clockwork contraptions, Dishonored 2 is all set to follow it’s predecessor for memorable moments.
After seeing that, we were shown Prey, a new game by Arkane Studios. Truthfully, I had heard nothing about Prey until that point. So I went into this presentation completely blind to what was coming. However, after seeing what it has to offer, I’ll definitely be paying more attention.
Billed as a ‘re-imagining’ of another game called Prey from 2006, this new Prey follows the story of Morgan Yu, a human trapped on a failing space station, overrun with hostile alien life. The player can customise the gender and appearance of Yu. Facing off against shadowy creatures that can change their forms, Yu must find a way to survive the experience or become prey to these creatures.
Honestly, it looks like a mix of Dead Space and Half-Life. While the game is an FPS, it contains other elements to make it unique. For example, one of the games main weapons, the Gloo Gun, can both freeze enemies and build up terrain to help you navigate the ship. On top of this, you also have a progression system not unlike a skill tree, and special abilities. The abilities seem to rely on collecting resources within the environment. For example, you can break down matter in order to turn Yu into different objects. I was shown shown clips of the player becoming a copy of a grenade in order to navigate the level and explode enemies.
The entire concept seems quite interesting. I’d say Prey is definitely one to look out for if you’re a fan of FPS or horror games.
