Revisiting Dishonored 2, a player recounts their experience with a meticulous no-kill, no-detection playthrough, highlighting the game's intricate systems and the surprising challenge of its puzzle elements. This approach, a stark contrast to a previous high-chaos run in the original Dishonored, offered a fresh perspective on Arkane's signature immersive sim.
The High Chaos Catastrophe
In the first Dishonored, a direct and aggressive approach led to an unavoidable high chaos ending, marked by overflowing rat populations feeding on the city's deceased. This outcome meant that even attempts at stealth later in the game were hampered by the sheer volume of carnage, suggesting the game's chaos system was unforgiving of early-game recklessness. The narrative implication was grim: the city, and by extension its protagonist, had succumbed to a pervasive decay.
Embracing the Ghost
With Dishonored 2, the aim was different: a perfect, non-lethal, undetected mission. This ambitious goal was particularly daunting for someone whose prior experience with stealth, in games like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, had resulted in unintended casualties. After 40 hours of gameplay and numerous quick-saves and restarts, the player finally achieved this challenging feat.
The Clockwork Mansion and a Fiendish Lock
Even within the intricate Clockwork Mansion level, moments arose where the temptation to abandon stealth was strong. The culmination of this particular challenge involved confronting the antagonist Kirin Jindosh. While a lethal confrontation was an option, the player opted for a more elaborate revenge, incapacitating Jindosh and leaving him a babbling wreck, a fate the player felt was more fitting than a simple execution.
The true test, however, came with Jindosh's infamous lock. This sealed door required solving a riddle, and the player was determined to do so without seeking hints from in-game characters. The puzzle proved to be a significant hurdle, consuming hours of player time. Frustrated by the challenge, the player resorted to traditional methods, using pen and paper to map out variables, much like they had for puzzles in games like The Witness. Eventually, after intense effort, the combination was cracked.
While the satisfaction of solving Jindosh's final creation was immense, it also prompted reflection on the player's earlier leniency. The article hints that a good starting point for solving the puzzle involves considering alcohol, both literally and metaphorically, as a key element to the solution.
