The Beauty of Dishonored

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The first Dishonored is easily the most beautiful game I've ever played. It forgoes the slightly more realistic art style of Dishonored 2 in favor of a wholly imaginative oil paint art style. By utilizing cel-shading it's able to deliver more stylistic visuals that will age much better than games that try for nothing but realism, and will without a doubt always look fantastic no matter how much technology advances; just look at Team-Fortress 2 or Wind Waker.
A minor correction: out of the games mentioned, only Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild use cel-shading. The other games just use a style that's visually similar, but with more realistic lighting. Dishonored included!
It's worth pointing out that I was using cheats in order to more quickly get the footage I wanted. I have 177 hours on Steam, and have played through this game every way imaginable countless times, so you know. Dishonored sure is interesting with infinite blink distance. I'd totally recommend people who have played through dozens of times like myself do a cheat engine playthrough, I recommend the Wemod trainer.
PSA: Dishonored is completely playable, comprehensible, and navigable without HUD. Even if you're doing a full frontal assault playthrough that forgoes any notion of stealth, I totally recommend playing without HUD. It just further emphasizes the still unmatched art direction discussed in this video
The music in this video is from the Dishonored soundtrack by the late Daniel Licht
You can buy Dishonored on Steam.
store.steampowered.com/app/20...

[@daone1008]

Dishonored does not use a cel shader, despite the game's unique color palette, the lighting behaves more or less realistically. What makes it stylistic is the hand painted texture maps that mimic oil paintings and the exaggerated angular character sculpts. For what it's worth, the Borderlands series also doesn't use a cel shader, cel shading is a rendering style that aims to reproduce the harsh lighting of traditional animation which were painted on cels (clear plastic sheets.) Out of the examples you listed, only Wind Waker uses a cel shading style, the rest just have unique art direction and/or hand painted textures.

[@Leadhead]

Hmm, thanks for the info. All of those games totally fooled me. Regardless, non realistic art styles definitely age better

[@SommerSen]

Would like to see a "Know your non-realistic art styles!" Video

[@banania3839]

I started writing this and then i read your comment. It’s quite interesting to take a look at the game files and realize just how simple the textures are, less really is more. Cel Shading in and of itself is not very interesting if the textures are normal. The artists behind this game are really some of the best.

[@robomnemonic3751]

@@Leadhead The picture in the beginning at 0:04 is that from the game or from a concept art?

[@drew0001807]

Yeah! First thing I thought on the first minutes of a video. No cell shading whatsoever. That is exactly a moment when you are not interested in what an author going to say next. Cause he already not exactly prepared for this kind of video. So there is no point to watch it further.

[@fruitsalad4615]

Dishonored has probably one of the coolest world's ever, I could get so lost in it

[@kazzajaxon7566]

I realize it's sorta dumb to act like every game has to be open world, but I would honestly kill for an open world game in the Dishonored universe, there's just so much to explore.

[@dylanschang6386]

You’re right, expecting a truly unlimited open world game is a lot. If you were to do that with this game, basically all of the story would go out the window, which would be interesting, making it more like the “exploitable painting” this guy mentioned in this video. I think something like Dishonored in the scale of GTA V (in terms of open world) would be crazy cool

[@Jingo9935]

Yeah

[@NetPathfinder]

@@kazzajaxon7566 damn, I wouldnt mind we get Dishonored First-Person MMO set in the Empire of the Isles, the great ocean and Pandyssia in the future addons. Just imagine, role-play, all cities available, new lore. Amazing.

[@sethleoric2598]

I love Dishonored 1's Art style. It was unique with it's anatomy and shapes, and it combines Imperial Europe (Prussia, British Empire, etc.) and 1900s American Art Deco so well. That isn't even mentioning the scifi, dieselpunk,Pagan magic, and medieval style along with some 1800s expeditions stuff IT'S AMAZING

[@HuxLegends]

It’s WHALEPUNK

[@ricklominguez168]

And bro they leveled that shit up for dishonored 2. That game is a beautiful piece of media that deserves more praise than it already has. The art book is amazing.

[@kittenmittenkitten]

Viktor Antonov (Art Director for Dishonored) is pretty much the one figure in gaming who genuinely turns to everything he touches to gold, just a fantastic artist.

[@jacobchristie5818]

wtf was Anton sokolov named after him or just a coincidence

[@kell5292]

потому что он из России

[@lupusperegrinus5578]

@@kell5292 He is from Bulgaria. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Antonov_(art_director)

[@elijah4168]

You forgot John Romero

[@youmukonpaku3168]

@@elijah4168 the Daikatana John Romero? the one who left id behind because he didn't get along with John Carmack and Adrian Carmack, founded his own game studio, got investors on the basis of "I made Doom and Quake", then immediately made a game so bad it killed said studio? That John Romero?

[@caglardursun1085]

Finished this game 10 times, 5 times finishing it with collecting everything and trying every outcome I can think of. Didn’t regret a second of it.

[@JustaHollow04]

I finished this game many times too and don't regret anything. In my opinion Dishonored is a masterpice.

[@lyaeusv3828]

and you are a sociopath rait

[@shadowwarior2231]

finishing the game 64 times ( 60 times pirate version 4 times after i finally make enough money to buy it :D

[@malachimac2309]

Oh god I've been playing it since it come out and I've never stopped I've played it on 360 pc and one it's my favorite game of all time

[@SommerSen]

Same. Have done around 6 playthroughs in very hard

[@mohnmann]

@@SommerSen same man, in Dishonored 2 i completely maxed runes out, im at ng+ 14 lol. I just love this series especially the first title.

[@Grandmaster-Kush]

Just did clean hands playthrough and coming back to Dishonored felt so refreshing

[@finbarroberts8934]

Couldn’t agree more it’s my favourite game ever I just wish they’d make a new game in that universe!

[@eduardolobo2533]

ive lost count on how many times i’ve played through this game

[@ComradeCheekiBreeki]

I feel like Dishonored is the type of game that you either play, in some capacity, for your entire life, or you play once and never again. All the people I know that have played and loved Dishonored have played it in as many ways as they could possibly fathom. I swear to god, I find something new every time I reinstall. The line at the end, about the game appealing to any type of person, I feel like is applicable to even the stupid little things, like our outlooks on games reflecting our interests. Being a fan of military history for basically my whole life and a lover of fictional lore in general, there is not a single day I play dishonored where I don't stay up at night or daydream, wondering about what the more advanced parts of Dunwall's military would look like, how it's structured, what the labor camps in Tyvia would look like and how they're guarded, and what kind of armored support the various Isles use considering the City Watch has access to tallboys. It's so hard to put into words the way that Dishonored makes me feel. It's like everything good about video games combined into one, incredibly tight and intellectually provoking package.

[@Grandmaster-Kush]

@Glorious Bastard Same here, so much interesting lore and commentary about everything from workers rights in whale factories to ancient obelisks dedicated to the outsider on secluded islands, and alot of lovecraftian hints such as the flooded district housing the deep ones. The voice actor for The Outsider is one of my favourites, really nails the role imo.

[@Injustice_]

There will never exist a game that gives me these vibes, other than Dishonored. It’s such a masterpiece.

[@dumbfuk7701]

I took a screenshot of the clock tower on the mission lady Boyle’s last party and was really tempted to make it my wallpaper even though the screenshot wasn’t that good, the art style of the game is just that amazing to me

[@TXejas19]

Maybe you can find a better view online

[@benstich3616]

That was my favorite mission in the game. Played it so many times

[@dumbfuk7701]

Ben Stich yeah, the environmental design in that game is awe inspiring, I personally love some of the views you get in kaldwin’s bridge and the Flooded District

[@dumbfuk7701]

@Aurelian nice

[@jacobcavallin4047]

As an oil painter, let me just say that I loved every second of this essay. You've put into words how I felt about the game for so long. Dishonored is so beautiful. Cheers!

[@sillyoutsider566]

The line " am i just killing people because i havent stop yet " really hit me in the chest thank you

[@hooty7179]

It's weird. This is the type of editing and commentary from someone who has like 100k+ subs. Weird to see you with only 168. Now it's 169.

[@Leadhead]

Thanks! I try to make sure each video has a different feel from the others. The intros, outros and thumbnails are definitely the most fun part of the process

[@hooty7179]

@@Leadhead I can see. You put effort into them.

[@sethleoric2598]

He had like.. 200

[@hooty7179]

@@sethleoric2598 1 month ago. time passes.

[@sethleoric2598]

@@hooty7179 ah

[@DeoCreative]

Dishonored is in my top 5. Great point on games that go for a style rather than realism aging better than the latter.

[@9000tastebuds]

I’ve been playing dishonored for 54 hours and this is the first time I see those landscape at 5:09 and boy, that’s fuckin beautiful

[@thedanishdevil9434]

Jesemines statue over Dauds head also shows as her death being on his shoulders with it being the only thing that could get through this legendary assasin, "wounding" him as a killer and somewhat softning him up but in the end making him stronger just like how the death of Jesamine made Corvo stronger giving them more in common

[@foulzy423]

Fiiiiine, I’ll go back and play Dishonored 1 and 2 for the 100th time Honestly my favourite games though, they will never get old

[@lyithostage580]

I completely agree with you, since i first played Dishonored i started enjoying video game art a lot more than i used to. However, i still think Dishonored 2 has a similar visual, with some slightly differences. Great video!

[@malachimac2309]

Except dishonored 2 is a disappointment 😭😭

[@JumalaPlays]

@@malachimac2309 it's amazing

[@malachimac2309]

@khandwa style I just think it never encapsulated the dark almost diesalpunk feel to it and it lost alot of its carttony dingy style and I personally not a fan of the story

[@JumalaPlays]

@@malachimac2309 understandable, it would be cool if it had the similar atmosphere but when i think about it, dishonored 1 already has the atmosphere and i do like that they tried something new, but i wouldn't mind a few levels with the same atmosphere as dh1

[@maestromouse2578]

@@malachimac2309 Karnaca is a warmer place than Dunwall and I think they did a great job showing the difference. When I first played Dishonored, I loved almost everything about it. The story, the atmosphere, the music, the visuals. That one thing I did not like made me exit in minutes. True, I came back a few minutes later with a shader pack, that had one single purpose: make the game even darker than the lowest light settings and just a tad bit more saturated, even though I am no fan of saturated colors. The blame is probably on my old monitor, but my point is: Dunwall can handle the darkness, it suits it well, while Karnaca gives you that mediterranean feel reminding you that being on the brighter part of the Isles does not guarantee a brighter life, and I loved it for that.

[@GG-bw3uz]

It looks like a painting yes, a painting I would love to get lost in.

[@yyyyy7789]

Are you kinda implying Delilah’s magic?

[@kennykelly9735]

The past 3 weeks I have been revisiting this series and all of its dlc and I gotta say that dishonored 1 and 2 are my favorite games of all time now everything hits the mark for me I can't really explain the feeling I have when Im in dishonored but it feels like I'm there like what I'm seeing is only a small part of a larger world I love the characters and the story it all fits together nicely and by the end its feelings of satisfaction that over come me this is the only game I can replay over and over and love it all the same as I did when I took my first steps out of corvo's cell truly a remarkable experience

[@gum13all88]

I personally interpreted the changes to the void in the second game as a representation of Delilah corrupting the void itself

[@JarlFrank]

My first playthrough of both Dishonored games was zero kill ghosting. Just can't bring myself to kill anyone in immersive sims like this

[@kickasterisk6155]

one thing that just struck me about the game was the distinct mood of dishonored, I can't phrase how it as eloquently as this video put did but I do recall listening to the drunken whaler song completely enthralled by how disturbingly sweet it was and how it was a perfect match for this game in general

[@lokp7]

I've been doing research for a long format video on dishonored's art direction ( actually cross-referencing paintings and all this stuff), and I thought I had everything I needed to start drafting the script until I saw your video; there were at least 4 good observations that I wouldn't have made myself. I do not know if my project will ever come to fruition, but if it does, I will make sure to reference your work.

[@Leadhead]

Thanks! It's like I said at the end of this video, each level in Dishonored could have it's own essay dedicated to just it's art direction. Going long form with it is a great idea! Send me a link once you finish it, I look forward to seeing your thoughts.

[@yyyyy7789]

So how is your project?

[@SpectreMkTwo]

I remember when dishonored was added to games with gold and found myself replaying it and the dlc for 3 years straight, my favorite single player series and I replayed it during quarantine. Still a banger, many people have skyrim as their favorite game but I have to say dishonored has to be the game that brings the most emotions to me, especially the wrenhavenriver theme in my head. The 13 year old boy I was had no idea how addicting this game would be. Artistically perfect in everyway

[@Hekateras]

The subtle blue glow of Daud's hideout is likely a deliberate reference to the art direction of the original Thief games, given that there is a direct homage to the intro of Thief 1 in that place as well.

[@vinslungur]

Sometimes I load up Kaldwin's Bridge and look at the water and sunset and listen to the sound design just to unwind. Never before have I loaded up a game just to spend a few extra minutes in it's world.

[@smoss9813]

I agree with most of your points but 2 things stuck out to me - I don't think it's cell shaded and I wouldn't describe it as a watercolour aesthetic, more an oil paint aesthetic, which makes sense when you look at the art inspiration. Still any love this games style gets is to be welcomed. Good work

[@Leadhead]

Both of those things are completely right, turns out Borderlands and Team Fortress 2 aren't cel shaded either

[@icarus9980]

Thank you, I feel like this game is underrated in a way and no one really gives it a chance it’s such a beautiful game. Amazing video

[@Leadhead]

Right? It's crazy how many people write this game off. Even if you don't like stealth, it amazingly fun to go full melee assault on any difficulty.

[@blessup367]

I know this is late but IMO, the reason dishonored didnt get the recognition it deserves because it crushes casual Gamers.

[@cyberreaper18]

I love this oil artstyle

[@shakurasender5583]

To the point about no high noons in dishonored, I think the opening level when you're first returning to the empress is at mid day

[@scrathed]

I go absolutely d'accord with everything you've said in this video essay - absolutely magnificent work! I never realized the fact that, when you get to choose to kill or spare Daud, you do it in the face of the one person you're actually doing all of this for... And that's deeply touching and just such a great way of level design... I have a different opinion on your thoughts on the development of the void tho - Yes, indeed I do like the depiction of the void in the first game better as well, especially all the playful floating deconstructiveness of the world should have been implemented into the second and third game installments more. But on the other hand, I think the depressing, massive darkness of the void in the later games fit the overall tone that can be read between the lines. I feel like Dishonored 2 is more dystopian in its end results - when you don't manage to reach the games goal, a loved character would be executed and a malign witch would sit on the throne to reign over the empire -even more than in the first game is on the brink of destruction and downfall. And so is the void - Dishonored 2 is leading up to the developement of Death of the Outsider - the void is changing with its inhabitant. The outsider appears way darker, weighing and depressing in the later games and I think the alteration from a playful almost hide-out-like realm to an uncanny, claustrophobic though immeasurably giant and thus pressing realm of darkness - and the change from a nuance-ful oil painting to a batted graphite and ink (at least that's what the void in the later games feels like to me) is fitting the change of topics in the games and in the meta-levels of their stories. So much for banter about the void. I really enjoyed watching your video and was amazed to still be told about details I missed in this game I spent so many hundreds of hours in. Thank you.

[@HuxLegends]

Easily one of the best game series’ to exist, from every aspect of the game. Alongside this, it’s possibly the only major existing example of Whalepunk, and that aspect of its lore is not even the most important part of its play.

[@tuxedofunk.]

From one fan of this game to another, I just thank you for making this video. Dishonored came out during one of the lowest points in my life, and I found comfort in playing that game to death: playing it one way, and replaying it just to do it again. I ended up settling on doing Very Hard + Blink 1 + no deaths + no spots for every single run, over and over, because that was my favorite way to play it, all on PS3. A few years later, I got it on PC and it was just like old times all over again with how many more times I’ve played it. To say it’s my favorite game would underscore just how perfect and nightmarishly beautiful I find it, much for the same reasons you’ve laid out here. I’ve dumped hundreds of hours and dozens of runs into this game across my life, and I’ll continue to do so from time to time as I feel that call from the void. Seeing somebody else say these things about this game just brought to life all of the same kind of ideas I’ve held onto for so long, but haven’t ever really expressed, so again I just have to thank you for making this video

[@ringostingo5892]

I don't know how you managed to make dishonored even better for me, I assumed it was impossible.

[@grubbiechirp5695]

God I love Dishonored... I remember three years ago I was so addicted to this game that played almost 100 hours of it. God I love this game... Practically shaped my tastes in art now

[@jabberw0k812]

Good video. The framing talk even pointed out a few details I've never noticed. People knock the Flooded District, but it's actually one of my favorite levels in the game. Definitely felt the same way about the Void in Dishonored 2...

[@nanoqht285]

8:39 Well, someone watched the canonical playthrough

[@darthnihilus7951]

"You still on for whiskey and cigars tonight?"

[@thespoontoad9054]

this is one of my favourite breakdowns of dishonoured ive ever seen.while others are 1hr long, you managed to completely nail exactly what i love about the game in just under 15 minutes. The art style, the atmosphere, the level design. every small detail. It's what i really love about this game, and you visualised and explained it better than i ever could.

[@Hikarmeme]

Lady Boyle's mansion is probably one of my favorite video game locations to date. The warm lighting and elaborate architecture makes it incredibly cozy. And the gameplay gimmick it introduces makes the level memorable in terms of gameplay as well.

[@JosephJoeseph]

I just finished my second playthrough of dishonored today, right after I finished my first one 2 days ago because I had to play through it again. Years ago, when I didn't even have a system that could really run games, I watched a playthrough of dishonored. I remembered nothing from it, thankfully, I could experience the game on my own as if I had known nothing about it, but the one thing that I did remember were the visuals. Really, I forgot basically every single thing, but the harsh, blocky character designs, the beautiful colors, the aesthetics, the architecture all stayed with me, to the point where the open part of Daud's hideout, the part with the skybridges was so vividly in my mind, that opening picture as the loading screen ends and you walk forward out of the tunnels and see the balconies almost hastily slapped onto the ruined buildings was so engrained in my memory that I basically had a head start in discovering the level, I knew at least 3 enemy locations without even looking, it's how strongly the visuals stayed with me. It's definetely one of the most beautiful games out there.

[@Shaztopia1]

Great vid! Dishonored is one of my all time favorites, the creativity makes this game a must play. I will never get tired of playing through it, and next time I play through I'll be keeping a lot of this vid in mind.

[@mikelikesbikes1832]

I can't count how many times I've replayed this game not even for trophies or to find different outcomes just because of how immersed I feel in that world, the story and the gameplay. Favourite game of all time. I bought the game back in 2017 and now in 2020 I still play it.

[@breadinpain1266]

one thing i like about the character's in dishonored and their designs, is taht they all seem to take inspiration or are based off an animal in some way. it might just be me and I'm just thinking about it too much but I feel it kind of makes them more interesting. take for example the Pendletons, they all remind remind me of weasels or stouts. they all seems so stylized and a lot more memorable

[@RedFlameGamer]

Dishonored is the best stealth game I have ever played, and certainly within my top 5 favourites of all time. I've always found it to be an underrated masterpiece but I've always had trouble articulating my thoughts and putting into words all the little things that makes me love the game so much. Your video essays on the game succinctly explain a lot about what it is about this game that I find so enthralling, and they deserve so much more attention than they've got. It also makes me so glad to see other people who see this game the same way I do.

[@brendonhavener]

11:37 wait, you can break the cover? Huh, never knew that. I always possessed a fish and swam out.

[@lhanzejaredcarpio6037]

I freaking love dishonored. I remember when i was just watching gameplay videos in youtube because my computer couldn't run it. The first dishonored was my dream stealth game and i was beyond happy when i played the HELL out of it. One of the best stealth experiences i had alongside splinter cell chaos theory and hitman blood money. But dishonored will always be special to me.

[@BrotherSurplice]

There are some games that make me wish that I could forget everything I know about them and then rediscover them all over again. Dishonored is one of those games.

[@chriscormac231]

6:43 thirdly, for the story the times are perfect for *infiltration*, the desired gameplay

[@casseith]

What an amazing video. You definitely deserve more subscribers and oh boy, I mean MORE. Forgive me, I am still speechless. Editing and commentary are top-notch. :)

[@miumusic6510]

Also, about Lady Boyle's Last Party, it's a direct reference to Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death, which tells a story similar to Dunwall's. A deadly plague is killing every poor citizen while these rich privileged people have a fun party, ignoring the situation around them. After a while, however, a strange visitor all in black enters the party and is revealed to be a materialization of the plague itself, as a person, killing everyone inside. Fate comes for you, your ignorance has consequences. This mission is sort of a way to experience the story from Death's point of view.

[@stevesmith5883]

The talk about skyboxes and pointing the camara in a specific way to get an appealing shot reminds me of when I play the Witcher 3. That game is always fairly beautiful but the moments I'm taken aback by even after almost 300 hours of playtime is when I just mount roach and ride off into the sunset across wind blown fields. Much like Dishonered the world of the W3 both has beauty and uglieness. I will ride off into the aformentioned sunset, only to come across rotting corpses hanging from tree limbs, or monsters feeding on the remains of a battlefield mere metre's away from that moment of beauty. I think the sunsets stand out so much because as you mentioned in this video, they are seen much less than the typical blue skies.

[@4kkrysis921]

I like Dishonored 2's void better, and you can understand why they changed the visuals of the void like that, in Dishonored there were only 2 people who were directly connected to the void and the outsider, Corvo and Daud, they depicted the outsider's mark as a blessing in Dishonored but in Dishonored 2, as Delilah takes Emily's throne, Ashworth uses the void to mess with the Oracular sisters, Stilton going insane with Delilah's resurrection, the ritual to ressurect delilah itself and finally the ritual that created the Outsider are all indicators of how twisted and crused the void can be, and they needed this framing to come up with Dishonored:DotO, cuz imagine the trapped spirits in the end of DotO that were at the centre of the void along with Daud's spirit, all of them groaning for help or the envisioned walking the surface of the pretty place the void was in the original Dishonored. Pretty out of place right? Their aim in dishonored 2 was to faintly villianize the Outsider and the void, and so i think the change in the void in Dishonored 2 made it cooler and closer to its true nature than in the original Dishonored.

[@loganstromberg5533]

I'm so Happy someone Made a Video on This game, Dishonored is one of my all time favorites.

[@dannybrown4817]

This was uploaded on my birthday, and I love Dishonred the atmosphere is the best plus the nice gameplay and story👍

[@coolguychilldude3778]

13:37 do i see infinite blink distance?

[@Lua0x07]

LMAO

[@antler96]

This video is great. I love dishonored so much and its art style is fantastic. Like I have a folder of 128 screenshots just from playing the game that I use as wallpapers. It is so beautiful and I'm glad to see someone else talking about it.

[@maestromouse2578]

Now we only need that infamous brush from TES IV: Oblivion, and we are all set.

[@muppetfreak1000]

This game is my absolute favorite I have been playing it for years, and I never tire of the beautiful graphics, and gameplay

[@abdullahciam5599]

My man you deserve a million subs. today you gained one more

[@harmonyqueue]

I love this, but I also love the aesthetic of GR Breakpoint. What I want is to see environments in-game that feel realistic, even if they have properties inspired by games like Dishonored. Escaping into the world has been done. Historical realism has been done. What would a game look like if it blurred the line between the game world and the real world. Games like Forza Horizon 4 are testing this today. And if you peruse the forums for GR Breakpoint, it is the modern aesthetic of Auroa that brings people back to the game, even as broken as it is. We need to blur lines now. The next Dishonored could be a Mirror's Edge meets Bioshock meets AC Odyssey. A world of simple, modern architecture, decorated with characters whose good/evil attributes are visible in their physical appearance, and set in a place bustling with life. What would _that_ look like? What stories could be told there?

[@lordbanetheplayer8844]

I noticed while watching this video, that every single frame, is so beautiful, that I just wanted to screenshot every one, pront out, and hang up on my walls/use as a wallpaper, physical..or digital..it's just so.. beautiful..

[@HeyThereMister11]

This, this is why I’ve been playing Dishonored for over 7 months.

[@averyplaysguitar]

I’ve loved Dishonoured since I first played it on my PS3. Strange that I’m watching this the day I bought it again on steam.

[@hwalter1997]

Really well made video, makes me appreciate dishonored in a new light. Great analysis!

[@konaal.g1024]

Karnacca one of my favourite locations in gaming i love the southern european vibe and architecture

[@toetruck1589]

one of the things that made me notice how much dishonored looks like a painting is when i found an in game painting i thought it looked like someone just took a picture in the world of the game

[@jobejones185]

I find this game most fun to play with no knockouts, no kills, no powers and undetected and on the highest difficulty

[@personman1148]

Jesus

[@florbengorben7651]

YES. yes. I absolutely adore this game and you just revealed part of the reason I love this game so much. I had always known that I enjoyed the visuals with its fantastical oil paint realism that makes everyone look just a little bit off, but your talk of the specific color use and framing in many moments of the game had me sucked into the monitor and nodding my head because finally, finally there is someone out there that can really pick apart and appreciate the exact feelings in me that had gone unrealized for so long. Thank you for making this video. But as for my main reason in writing this comment, I wholeheartedly agree with your analysis of the differences in the void between the first game and the second. While I haven't completed Dishonored 2, I immediately noticed my own dislike for their take on the outsider and his dim-light realm. The void of Dishonored 1 has captured my imagination so many times over for its amalgamation of things and parts from the real world. It's the space, the void if you will, between the lines of the real world. It feels almost like if you turned your head in the right way, you could end up peering straight into the abyss. Dishonored 2, however, feels like a fake. It feels like a dark reflection of things never born, as if everything has already been constructed and then submerged in miles of tar. While that description sounds cool enough, I never feel the urge to explore it. All I want to do is leave. The void of Dishonored 1, on the other hand, has this unnatural, shimmering light, as if the air itself is glowing. It's a bright place, but wholly unreal. Being inside the void for any reason simply draws me in, and it makes me feel a level of respect for those who dabble in the dark arts. The witches, the empty wayward souls found in the gutters still clutching their scrimshawed trinkets, those who have chosen the path of the mark, I understand them. Their path may have granted them minimal boon and benefit, but more than that I think they all felt the irresistible pull of the void itself. I know I have.

[@AnimalBlundetto601]

Criminally underrated game, one of the best ever

[@beanbrain6162]

@Leadhead It was really interesting when you pointed out how so many other games have the blue sky with white clouds in the distance as their default skybox I think the opening mission in Dishonoured starts out this way too, as you make your way over to Empress Jessamine Before you become Dishonoured lol And after that, I don't think you ever see that type of skybox art again Sure, there are other blue-ish skies with clouds, but they're at night, and only look bright if you have your brightness level turned up on the higher end of the scale But even in a low chaos ending of 'Light at the end', the sky isn't blue and puffy, it's grey and overcast with clouds, calling to mind the very first scene with Jessamine's expository narration Actually, maybe there was blue sky in the second-to-last mission - 'The Loyalists'? Or third mission - 'The Golden Cat'? But that's kind of all there is Even so, it never really gets as bright and welcoming and vivd as that first opening level

[@Luemm3l]

What I notice in a lot of older games is that while the textures and animations usually havent aged so good, the lightning and also general art style and art direction have. I would love to upload some Dishonored 1 and Dishonored 2 screenshots I took back to back hat shows how good the games hold up in some areas and fall terribly short in others. I also played the stalker games and Metro Exodus recently and while no one would deny that Stalker looks like a kindegarteners drawing compared to Metro, there are some textures in Metro which are SO Bad, that high def mods for Stalker would give them a run for its money. You simply do not notice them while playing since there IS SO MUCH SHIT GOING ON in Metro Exodus on the screen compared to stalker, graphically speaking (i.e. lightning effects, the foliage of the fauna, little details on the characters weapons, arms, but also in the environment, etc. pp). But the actual textures of some things like plants, rusting cars and so on are actually really bad, even on 1440p and all details on max.

[@keirstenpattersoon9620]

ever since i played this game i have been mesmerized by the art direction this game has. it's one of my favorite aspects about the series

[@krypted_96]

im not sure if i was just looking to hard or not but in dishonered 1 the smoke behind the outsider seems to contort into faces and relics of ancient civilizations

[@SommerSen]

According to Blender Guru, photorealism is actually what *beginners* should aim for to get good looking proportions for caricature-style graphics

[@soulmechanics7946]

I loved the long, linear treks. It produced that long-game investment, infiltration, gone too far to turn back feel that until then only Metal Gear had communicated perfectly.

[@loganwendigo937]

This is still my favorite video game ever. I love it so much that I’ve replayed it every year since it came out.

[@curiouspers]

I hope you'll get a chance to appreciate bloodborne art style, and especially skyboxes. You make great content, I'm addicted to it, thank you!

[@Pumpernickel420]

Dishonored has been one of my fave games of the decade 2 is good but 1 fills me with so much nostalgia and joy I mean I've been replaying this game since I was 13, 21 years of age now and I can still go back and replay the fuck out of this game

[@vaan2720]

I can’t wait for dishonored 3. I know that it’s unlikely, but I really hope that there will be one. Ricardo Bare said that the series isn’t done for sure and that a third game may be possible in the future. I hope that the release of the Series X and PS5 will bring dishonored along

[@DiligentMantis]

Isn't there already a dishonored 3? (Death of the outsider)

[@vaan2720]

Roger Walt. DOTO wasn’t actually a third game. It was closer to a dlc. It was also pretty short, with only a few missions. I really like DOTO but I wouldn’t consider it a third game.

[@makssusnik5563]

I would also recommend The Long Dark for the similar, beautiful art style.

[@toakovika]

Maks Sušnik fellow Great Bear native? Hooray!

[@voxistaken]

I can’t remember how many playthroughs I went to platinum this game on my PS3 and I’ve never noticed how beautiful it looked. You could screenshot any part of the game and it would look like a painting.

[@katanakitty1717]

Ive beat this game time and time again, on 360, ps4, pc, I adore this series.

[@jgunner280]

I always thought Spyro had the best skyboxes, alongside some close competition with certain sights out of the souls games, and Skyrim. I love those more cosmic magical-infused skyboxes those games have, and they often grab me and hold my eyes to the stars, or moon(s). However as you mention it, I think Dishonored's is almost tricking me into loving it without realizing. I stop seeing its great design as a skybox, and look out more horizontally and just think... "wow, that's a lot of land out there". So few games actually decorate that much detail into the distant horizontal backdrop, and rather cover it with walls, or blank stuff like sunsets or empty skydrops. Its technically a skybox, but I'm just left thinking they really covered the wide land, and staring at that more than the sky, so it processes in my mind differently, but yet I'm still stopping to admire a lot of work being put into it that nobody else really tends to cover so often.

[@jackscarecrow5908]

I loved this video well done. I agree on the void change was different and the only excuse I can accept on the change was that "it was a deeper part of the void", as they described it as being underneath the waves a couple of times in the series. But I missed seeing parts of the world floating around. The art style in Dishonored 2 though was just as beautiful imo.

[@littlegreen9274]

Agreed, I appreciate how much Dishonored changed and improved from the 1st game, while still feeling very much like Dishonored. There's multiple things I like better about D1 over D2 and vice versa. One isn't better than the other since they both have great and differing aspects to each other

[@dd11111]

If you want any idea of, both the quality of this channel and the visuals of dishonoured. I have just sat totaly motionless for an hour watching these video essays. Time well spent

[@senrenson2468]

Thank you so much for this video

[@Leadhead]

Dishonoreds one of the best games ever! It's crazy to me that I've never seen a video about this before. I just wanna look at it all day

[@Dittachu]

I completely agree with all your points in this video. You did a great job describing it all

[@artisticautistic9489]

I probably played dishonored dozens of times, as I like to find the most optimal pacifist stealth route and post it here on yt (although I haven't uploaded lately due to pc limitations and school) but whenever I stop to just take in the world again I am still mesmerized by it.

[@imogenlesmolbean4300]

I think you should do a review on dishonored 2 of how beautiful it is, like it is so gorgeous and the visuals of karnaca are just amazing

[@the_bath3235]

He already did a video on dishonored 2. (Spoiler: he criticizes the visuals)

[@TheGreaterDane]

I wish this game didn't fly under the radar for so many people

[@mehmetkaramemis3540]

I never thought I would find someone that likes this game as much as me but now I realise I'm not alone. You probably watch dishonored stealth high chaos videos aswell😅

[@sinenomine8739]

As a stealth-action afficionado i've always considered Dishonored as a deeply unfocused and unsatysfaying game, especially as a stealth one, but your essay at least helped me realised what's so great about this game everyone is talking about.

[@ohokcool]

I'm glad you made this because when I played Dishonored 2, I didn't like it because something felt different. Seeing them side by side, I know now that what I missed was the art direction of the first game.

[@PuffinPass]

Dishonored and Dishonored 2 are probably two of my most played games, the world building in them is among the best made IMO. We don't talk about Death of the Outsider though

[@PatchworkLP]

Never thought of Dishonored like that. thank you

[@zarodgaming1844]

u describe game design as if the player is always making the most intelligent and thoughtfull decisions and playstyle choices ... that is very corageous xD

[@rockabillly88]

I love the linear aspect of it I just wish the games were much longer.

[@thishandleistaken1011]

Skyboxes in dishonored 2 are also very nice.

[@kryph1]

Man I cant even count the amount of playthroughs ive done of dishonored and the dlc. I fucking love this game

[@arjunratnadev]

a fine painting it is