Skulk into a secure compound and eliminate a high-profile target, then make it out alive. The formula is nothing new, but imagine if Assassin's Creed hero Ezio could teleport. Or stop time. Classic stealth killers certainly seem superhuman, but they're traditionally bound by the laws of physics—until now.
Thanks to a mysterious benefactor, Corvo Atano—the hero of Arkane Studios' October release *Dishonored—*develops a range of supernatural skills that complement his more conventional methods. Why track sentry movements when you can possess a sewer rat and slip past unnoticed? Why navigate a cityscape when you can teleport from A to B with ease?
The game's creative directors are well versed in overpowered heroes: As Arkane's president, Raphael Colantonio worked on BioShock 2, while Harvey Smith was a lead designer alongside legend Warren Spector on the original Deus Ex. For Dishonored, the duo not only turned a snooper into a superman ("I've never put a stop-time power in a game that matters so much," Smith says) but they also gave him an array of gadgets that includes sleep darts and razor-wire trip mines.
Despite his extensive arsenal, though, Corvo is more than just a stone killer. "Revenge is the tone," Colantonio says, "but the motive is to set things right." And to do that, he'll flee the scene with more style than anyone else in videogames.
