One of the sleeper hits of 2012, Dishonored has succeeded where so many new IPs have failed - it's pretty much guaranteed itself a sequel, with Bethesda's Pete Hines stating that "we clearly have a new franchise".
So how could Arkane improve on its shadowy steampunk odyssey? Alex Hawksworth-Brookes has a few suggestions.
1. Continuity from the first game's choices
Depending on how far you gave in to your murderous impulses in Dishonored, you'll have finished with either a 'good' or 'bad' ending. Each of these outcomes results in a radically different ending which not only affects the fate of Corvo and Princess Emily Kaldwin, but also that of Dunwall and its citizens.
The new story could focus on Corvo and Emily Kaldwin, or an entirely new character. Dishonored's endings offered some explanation as to Corvo's ultimate fate, but they were hardly in-depth, leaving plenty of room for his return in some unmentioned adventure. Regardless of who returns as the protagonist, it's paramount that the sequel acknowledges the events of the first game, and lets loyal players see the outcome of their earlier decisions.
2. Multiplayer - providing it's smart
Multiplayer can be very contentious when developers attempt to integrate it into predominantly single-player games. Franchises like Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect have successfully implemented multiplayer, but the likes of Bioshock 2 and Spec Ops: The Line demonstrate the risks of such a move. That said, Dishonored has numerous elements that could work very well in a multiplayer mode.
Something along the lines of Assassin's Creed's deathmatch mode might be effective, with players hunting for one another in a map populated with NPCs. An objective-based or collection game could be a useful way of showcasing the intricacy of the environments - perhaps players could race to locate and abduct a target.
3. A chance to explore Gristol and Pandyssia
The city of Dunwall is a fantastic creation: inspired by the polluted, oppressive society of Victorian London, the city takes players from dank sewers through grisly research laboratories to high society soirees. However, Dunwall is just one location in the world of Dishonored, located on the southern shore of the island of Gristol. With three other large islands in the same archipelago, each with numerous settlements, and the distant, dangerous continent of Pandyssia across the sea, there's plenty of scope for exploration. Those new areas could be used as part of a thrilling chase sequence, with players pursuing a target out of Dunwall and all the way to remote lands.
11 comments so far...
Alaric14 on 12 Jan '13 said:
I'd consider it a bold and beautiful strategy if Arkane decided to leave the assassin model behind and go with something new that invoked the Outsider's weird and wonderful powers.
Corvo was motivated by revenge and a desire to protect Emily, but let's assume for the moment that Arkane are coming up with different protagonists who have their own agendas in another part of the Empire. What about a thief character? The scope for new powers could change dramatically when the whole point is not to be detected at all, and suddenly that shadow power doesn't seem so hard to balance. The Outsider presumably takes an interest in people other than bodyguards, after all.
This would naturally piss off the action lovers who like to gut every NPC in sight, so there would need to be some kind of system that lets them maim and mutilate as they please without compromising the baseline 'don't be seen' criteria.
As for Dunwall, it should be put out of sight entirely for the sequel. Been there, done that. I want to see other civilised parts of the world come under scrutiny. Morley, Serkonos, Tyvia...Perhaps not the Pandyssian Continent just yet, although there were cryptic hints that it was a land fully under the influence of the Outsider, so that would be one hell of a mirror image to throw up for a sequel.
And multiplayer? No. I love Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode, but for some reason I can't shake the feeling that developing a competent online game has a negative impact on single player content and detracts from otherwise excellent gameplay experiences. Bioshock Infinite isn't doing multiplayer either and I don't see people giving Irrational Games a hard time over it.
kevicus12 on 12 Jan '13 said:
A more open-world Dishonoured would be great. I'd love to be able to roam the streets between missions, amongst the city-folk who could employ your services as side-missions. Are you playing as a merciful Corvo, rendering enemies unconscious? Then the good people of the city will seek you out for help. Playing a murderous, kill-all-in-my-way Corvo? Then the city's scum will ask you to carry out their dirty work.
I also like Alaric's idea of different characters with different powers. Maybe Corvo is now the head of some mercenary gang, and he has to decide which of his member's powers are best suited to a particular mission.
Either way, can't wait for a sequel.
bamit11 on 12 Jan '13 said:
No matter what they do I will be buying Dishonored 2. Also, I really enjoyed Bioshock 2's multiplayer, The only reason I didn't play it more was very few of my friends had it.
Judd on 13 Jan '13 said:
NO MULTIPLAYER!!! Im so sick of MP being shoved into every damn game. Games do NOT always need MP. Usually it just detracts from the SP portion and isn't worth playing anyway. A co-op mode could maybe be interesting, but no VS please.
Alaric14 on 13 Jan '13 said:
Excellent first post, good sir! Welcome to the forum.
ChillieBonBon on 13 Jan '13 said:
Perhaps the multiplayer could be like AC multiplayer in the sense of choicing who your going to be and then hiding amonst crowds to be anonymous. There will need to be a good number of game modes, mind, to keep the gameplay interesting.
For the single player, a more open world be be greatfully recieved as it'll give the story even more depth than before (if thats even possible).
And by the way Alaric, the new smilie that your using reminds me of the creature from Stephen King's IT. Thats going to awaken some scary memories
!
CunningSmile on 14 Jan '13 said:
You beat me to it, I was terrified when I saw it
msbhvn on 14 Jan '13 said:
My cousin is coulrophobic (yes, I googled it!
), she even has to shield her eyes in McDonalds. To be honest I find the Burger King mascot much more disturbing. 
CunningSmile on 14 Jan '13 said:
The old one that looked like a Burger or the weirdly grinning King they use now? The King really creeps me out as well. The last thing I want when I'm eating a food noted for having unidentifiable meat included in it's recipe is someone grinning at me knowingly.
On topic: I really enjoyed Dishonoured and will look forward to a sequel. I've read several ideas on other sites about Emily (possibly Corvo's daughter after all) being protagonist in the next game, with her own set of powers and objectives, and think it's a idea that could work well. It would automatically mean a leap forward of several years, and as a result even if set in Dunwall would mean a change of scenary and politics.
And didn't the devs say that they didn't put MP in the first game because it was wildly out of place? Can't see them changing their minds for the second.
Alaric14 on 14 Jan '13 said:
I'll see about designing something more appropriate.
ChillieBonBon on 14 Jan '13 said:
As long as appropriate doesn't mean scary as hell