Dishonored 2 Review Summary

Highly enjoyable gameplay: Players consistently praise the game for its fun and engaging gameplay mechanics. The combat and stealth elements are particularly highlighted as enjoyable and well-designed.

Freedom of gameplay choices: Players appreciate the freedom to choose their gameplay style and protagonists. This flexibility adds to the game's appeal and replay value.

Stunning visual style: The game's visual style and artistic direction are frequently commended. Players appreciate the beautiful graphics, art style, and overall visual experience.

Innovative level design: The game's level design is praised for being deep, innovative, and detailed. Players enjoy the artistic and well-designed levels.

Outstanding stealth mechanics: The stealth mechanics are highlighted as some of the best in gaming, providing an immersive and enjoyable experience.

Weak and confusing story: The story is widely criticized for being hard to follow, poorly written, and lacking depth. Many players found it unengaging and confusing.

Disappointing sequel to first game: Players feel that the game is a step down from the first game in terms of story, atmosphere, and overall enjoyment.

Game launch and crash issues: Numerous players reported issues with the game launching, crashing frequently, and not starting at all.

Enemy AI and detection issues: Enemies have problematic vision and detection mechanics, often seeing through walls and having inconsistent behavior.

Optimization and stability problems: The game suffers from various optimization issues, leading to stability problems and performance drops.

Stealth mechanics emphasis: Stealth is a core gameplay element, requiring patience and strategy. The game combines stealth with action, providing a tactical experience that emphasizes avoiding detection and using non-lethal methods.

Non-lethal gameplay options: The game offers extensive non-lethal combat options and strategies, allowing players to complete missions without killing enemies. This includes stealth and pacifist modes, catering to players who prefer a non-violent approach.

Multiple playable characters: The game offers multiple playable characters, each with unique abilities and powers. This allows for different gameplay experiences and strategies depending on the character chosen.

Impactful player choices: Player choices significantly affect the game world, story, and character fates. Moral decisions influence the narrative and gameplay, creating a dynamic and responsive game environment.

Complex and unique level design: Level design is a standout feature, with unique mechanics and maze-like structures. The levels are designed to encourage exploration and offer shifting rooms, providing a complex and engaging experience.

Game crashes and launch issues: The game frequently crashes, including on startup, and has various launch issues. Players report instability and problems with the game not launching at all.

Optimization and performance issues: The game has numerous optimization problems leading to poor performance. Players experience framerate drops, unstable frame rates, and general performance issues even on powerful hardware.

Hardware compatibility issues: There are significant compatibility issues with various hardware configurations, particularly involving AMD CPUs and GPUs, as well as NVIDIA GPUs. Some players also report issues with Intel CPUs and Linux systems.

Technical bugs and flaws: Players have encountered various technical bugs and flaws in the game. These include minor bugs, issues with fullscreen vs. borderless window modes, and other technical problems.

Loading and performance inconsistencies: There are inconsistencies in loading times and performance. Some players experience faster loading screens, while others report longer load times and performance issues.

Play the original first: Many players strongly recommend playing the original game first to better understand the story and gameplay mechanics.

Highly recommended game: Many players highly recommend this game, describing it as a must-have and a gem that everyone should play.

Buy on sale: Several reviews suggest that the game is worth buying when it is on sale, indicating that the price might be a consideration for some players.

Recommended for stealth fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of the stealth genre and non-linear adventures, as well as those who enjoy immersive sims and deep plots.

Fans of Dishonored 1: If you enjoyed the first Dishonored game, this game is recommended as it offers a similar experience with new elements.

Community fair range: $25.00 - $40.00.

Game completion: 27.0h.

Story completion: 15.0h.

Session length: 2.0h.

Dishonored 2 becomes enjoyable and rewarding after players overcome initial issues and explore the game's varied missions and locations. The fun is driven by the game's depth, replayability, and the impact of player choices.

Reported time to anchor: 1h.

Friction: initial concerns about gameplay mechanics; repetitive enemy dialogue; boring stealth mechanics for some players; major issues in plot progression and level design; mega broken bugs; boring story and characters.

Lore-First Traditionalist: Prefers to play the first game before the sequel to build a comprehensive understanding and appreciation. Motivation: To fully appreciate the sequel by understanding the backstory and references from the first game. Stance: sale.

Exploration-Focused Strategist: Enjoys exploring different routes, discovering secrets, and engaging with the game's level design creatively. Motivation: To explore and discover unique interactions and solutions within the game's levels. Stance: sale.

Non-Lethal Purist: Prefers non-lethal approaches, enjoys replaying the game with different playstyles, and focuses on mastering game mechanics. Motivation: To master the game's mechanics and explore non-lethal playstyles. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience of the game reveals significant technical barriers. Frequent crashes, performance issues, and launch problems are the most impactful themes. Users report frequent crashes and instant exits from the game, indicating stability issues. Performance problems, such as frame drops, are noted even on high-end hardware, suggesting optimization issues. Additionally, several users face difficulties launching the game, pointing to compatibility problems. Despite these issues, there is positive feedback regarding the game's narrative and world-building.

External guides: The primary user complaints revolve around performance issues, the need for external guides to understand game mechanics, and difficulties with exploration and puzzle-solving. These issues significantly impact the user experience, often requiring players to seek external resources for solutions.