Dishonored Review – The Stealth Game That Let Me Choose Who I Wanted to Be
What Kind of Game Is It?
Dishonored is a first-person stealth-action game set in a dark, steampunk-inspired city where magic, technology, and the eldritch collide.
What’s the Story About?
The game follows Corvo Attano, the loyal bodyguard to the Empress of a plague-ridden, industrial city called Dunwall. When the Empress is assassinated and her daughter kidnapped, Corvo is framed for the crime and imprisoned. After a daring escape, he becomes an assassin guided by mysterious allies who believe in his innocence.
Armed with stealth skills, creative gadgets, and supernatural powers granted by a strange being known as the Outsider, Corvo sets out to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy that tore the empire apart. As he moves through Dunwall’s grim streets, grand estates, and secret laboratories, his choices determine not only his fate but also the city’s — whether it descends into chaos or finds redemption.
Why I Played It
[Major disclaimer: I was not the smartest nor wisest when I was young. So forgive young Carlo as I have. lol]
Back in 2012, I was a 24-year-old angsty boy fixated on the thought of revenge — both the act itself and the concept of it. Dishonored was advertised with the slogan, “Revenge solves everything.” Of course I checked it out.
Ironically, every choice I made in the series didn’t reflect that desire to “get even.” But more on that later.
Getting Into the Game
First-person games are my jam, so Dishonored was easy for me to pick up. The tutorials and hints do a great job teaching you the ropes without holding your hand.
What makes it shine is the sheer versatility of the world. You can throw whale oil canisters at enemies to make them explode, possess animals or people to sneak around, and find a dozen creative ways to solve problems. If you’re the type who enjoys experimenting, this game rewards imagination.
What Stood Out Most
This is my favorite game for a reason.
The story hooked me from the start — a man brought low by corruption and betrayal, clawing his way back with the help of powers beyond comprehension. What makes it special is the freedom to decide how you rise: slit every throat and leave Dunwall to rot, or take a quieter, more merciful path toward justice.
You can be a vengeful shadow or a spirit of justice, and both feel equally valid. The powers you wield make the experience even richer — blinking between rooftops, summoning swarms of rats, or disintegrating enemies through walls of light.
The lore also captivated me. Reading in-game books about Dunwall and the Empire of the Isles made the world feel alive. I wanted to know more about the other islands, their cultures, their politics, their monsters. And visually? For 2012, it was stunning. The architecture, the oil-lit streets, the plague-infested city, it’s a place I love to look at, even if I’d never want to live there.
What Frustrated Me
Dishonored 2. LOL — just kidding (I still love it).
For Dishonored, I didn’t have any major complaints beyond what I signed up for. Bugs made me laugh more than they annoyed me, and corrupted saves were more my fault than the game’s. If anything, I just wish it had more DLCs.
I’ve seen critics say the morality system is simplistic or the story predictable — and they’re not wrong. But for me, that didn’t matter. This was one of the first games I ever bought on Steam, on my first laptop as a working professional. So even with its flaws, it holds a special place for me.
Is It Sulit?
This is a harder question to answer objectively, but I’ll try.
Right now, Dishonored is priced at around ₱460 on Steam. For a 2012 stealth-action game that lets you approach missions in multiple ways, features a chaos system that changes the world based on your choices, and offers incredible atmosphere and world-building — yes, it’s sulit.
If you’re still unsure and think I’m biased (and you’d be right), just wait for a Steam Sale and grab the bundle with all the DLCs. Either way, it’s a must-play experience that helped defined a generation of immersive sims and, honestly, me as a gamer.
When I Think About It
When I think about it, Dishonored came into my life at the right time. Back then, I thought it was just a revenge story — that it was about getting even and proving something to the world. But looking back, it was really about how you choose to face what breaks you.
It’s easy to justify anger, to let bitterness guide your hand, but Dishonored quietly asks: What kind of person do you become when you finally have power? That question hit harder the older I got.
Now, I see it less as a game about revenge and more as a story about restraint, purpose, and learning to rise above. Even if the world around you rots, you can still decide what kind of mark you’ll leave behind.
So, old friend, what will you choose?
