I enjoyed this on the merits of being more Dishonored, but it's definitely the weakest link in the series, for exacerbating some old problems and creating some new ones.
Existent in 2 but far worse in DotO is how much the game wants to spoon-feed you all of the various paths you can take to completing your objective. Every alternate route and alternate assassination method is announced as unavoidably as possible, and sometimes the "special" routes are made so painfully easy they're easier than just up and stabbing the guy.
The level and mission design here are also weak showings for the series. There's a lack of good character buildup on the antagonists, something that 1 & 2 do really well, and the levels just aren't very interesting or fun to explore. Good Dishonored 1 and 2 maps feel like puzzle boxes to pick away at until the whole space becomes clear (sometimes literally), here it's just, like, some streets. The last level especially feels quite bad all around.
Lastly, the story and themes of this game almost come together but just don't. Character motivations are all over the place and generally kind of gibberish, and there's this thematic arc of redemption that half-assedly gets explored through the game before being hurredly thrown in as a fulcrum of the conclusion which, eh. I see what you're going for, but it didn't land.
All in all, as a Dishonored game it's still pretty good, but Dishonored 1 and 2 are some of my favorite games, and Death of the Outsider falls short of those highs pretty noticeably.
Existent in 2 but far worse in DotO is how much the game wants to spoon-feed you all of the various paths you can take to completing your objective. Every alternate route and alternate assassination method is announced as unavoidably as possible, and sometimes the "special" routes are made so painfully easy they're easier than just up and stabbing the guy.
The level and mission design here are also weak showings for the series. There's a lack of good character buildup on the antagonists, something that 1 & 2 do really well, and the levels just aren't very interesting or fun to explore. Good Dishonored 1 and 2 maps feel like puzzle boxes to pick away at until the whole space becomes clear (sometimes literally), here it's just, like, some streets. The last level especially feels quite bad all around.
Lastly, the story and themes of this game almost come together but just don't. Character motivations are all over the place and generally kind of gibberish, and there's this thematic arc of redemption that half-assedly gets explored through the game before being hurredly thrown in as a fulcrum of the conclusion which, eh. I see what you're going for, but it didn't land.
All in all, as a Dishonored game it's still pretty good, but Dishonored 1 and 2 are some of my favorite games, and Death of the Outsider falls short of those highs pretty noticeably.