Behold, the first official trailer for Dishonored, the upcoming open world action game from Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios.
Dishonored was designed by Harvey Smith (previously of Deus Ex and Thief: Deadly Shadows fame) and Raf Colantonio ( from Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic) with a world envisioned by Half Life 2 art director Viktor Antonov. It’s not hard to spot the influences in this trailer from the Thief-esque stealth and magic of Dark Messiah, to the steam-punk designs of the world reminiscent of Half Life.
Our protagonist is Corvo, a once-trusted bodyguard of the beloved Empress before being framed for her murder. After escaping prison, Corvo goes underground and becomes an infamous assassin known only by his disturbing mask. He moves through the world assassinating various high-level government and corporate leaders in his quest for revenge and the truth.
So far, the steam-punk society coupled with the mystical abilities make the world of Dishonored look like an exciting place to discover and operate in. There will also be several interactions with the mysterious “Outsider,” described as part angel, part devil, and the source for all magic in the world–including the powers Corvo wields.
Dishonored will be a first-person game that combines magic and a bizarre level of technology that far pre-dates our own, but is augmented by the supernatural powers available. We know that in a GameInformer interview Harvey Smith stated that elements in the world will exist before players encounter them. The example given was that players could stop thugs from mugging pedestrians, however, if you discover those thugs early in your adventures you could stop take care of them then, ensuring that the mugging never actually takes place.
The game purportedly reacts to your decisions. Whether you play as an overly violent brawling assassin or take a more peaceful non-lethal tact, the decisions are supposed to affect the story, but it’s also not designed to push you one way or another.
There is no official release date yet other than 2012, but we do know that it will be on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.
