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Consider this one of the weaker titles to have for this year’s Octoberween Gaming for 2014. I didn’t plan on having this on my list at all. But after trying out this title for free thanks to Microsoft’s Games with Gold program, I couldn’t help but decide on this game due to some of its supernatural elements. For some this game might not fit the bill for any Octoberween gaming when so many others offer more. But for me this game offers just enough to make it on my radar in my tastes of the unique and unexpected this dark night. Plus it is only fitting that the publisher to release this title is also releasing “The Evil Within” later this month. But for now why don’t we instead focus on my #08 choice this year, the first person stealth title Dishonored on the Xbox 360.

 

At first glance this game doesn’t seem fitting for an Octoberween choice for any Top 10 list. Though it has the in your face quality of any FPS that might deal with supernatural or demonic beings, it’s mostly focused on the gameplay type of stealth action. And given what we’ve come to expect from stealth titles like Assassin’s Creed, Metal Gear Solid and the Hitman series, this game would hardly stand in the way of the realms of otherworldly. Yet if you pay real close attention to the plot, and hopefully to the debut trailer, you’ll see that there are some fleeting elements of the supernatural involved. Perhaps not enough to stand out with other Octoberween titles one would expect. But there is enough blood and gore to make it fit in with any slasher theme be it a game or movie.

Dishonored tells the tale of the Empire of the Isles in what could possibly be an alternate reality take of the later 1800 to early 1900s England, where a mix of the industrial revolution and supernatural elements both coexist. You play the part of Corvo Attano, the Empress’s bodyguard returned from a foreign trip to the city of Dunwall in search of a cure for the black plague that is slowly destroying the Empire. Upon your return the Empress is assassinated and her young daughter kidnapped in a takeover masterminded by the powers that be. Framed for the murder and kidnapping, you’re broken out of jail by loyalist to the Empress and visited in a dream by a supernatural individual called “the Outsider” who imbeds Corvo with supernatural powers to aid him in becoming the ultimate assassin to take revenge on those who framed you.

For a revenge story it fits the mood well. During each level your given free reign on how you want Corvo to pursue his targets and decide if you want to kill them in either lethal or non-lethal means. Combat is half the fun as your able to use a variety of firearms, cross bow weapons, swords and sub weapons to take on city guards who stand in your way of your targets. Though it is tempting to outright kill people, the city changes depending on how lethal you handle missions, to the point where plague sickened people begin to overtake the general population as plague-like zombies. With a sandbox feel to each level it’s a treat to find multiple methods in how to approach your target while also getting the chance to take part in secondary missions that can help make your job easier in the main mission or reward you with rare items that can be used to upgrade your supernatural abilities.

This is where the game shines as a supernatural option for Octoberween gaming. Upon receiving “the Outsider’s” mark, you’re able to unlock and learn special supernatural moves or attacks that help aid you in becoming an assassin. Though you are able to use tools of the trade of assassination made by your own personal weaponsmaster, it’s the supernatural abilities that add a new twist to the methods of how you tackle any particular problem in the game. There’s a super dash function that helps you cross long distances or helps you up onto higher areas. There’s also other features like dark vision that allows you to see enemies thru walls to rat possession skills that allow you to enter into the body of a rat so you can scout ahead instead of sticking your head out and alerting the guards to your presence. You even get a mechanical heart that talks to you about your current surrounds and helps you locate runes and bone charms that can be used to help enhance and unlock upgrades to your powers. Examples can be to gain the ability to summer legions of rats to tear apart your foes to powerful wind attacks to knock over your opponents. There’s even one cool attack that will literally turn your fallen foes to ash so not to leave a body to alert the guards.

It’s the subtle ways that these supernatural elements are weaved into your physical attacks that make this game unique to play. Its one thing to be able to dash quickly between enemies with blink but it’s satisfying when your able to do that and also perform a quick decapitating blow to an unsuspecting guard or perform a time bend move to lay waste to a group of them with well place sleep arrows. The game’s plot itself feels more medieval than scary with the industrial setting and the advent of advanced technology such as force fields, mech-like troopers and whale oil used to help power most of the mechanical equipment found in the game. It’s an odd mix and when you read about it it sounds like it doesn’t fit. Yet for some reason the whole setting feels solid and real as you roam the streets of Dunwall. I can see how this game was a surprise to many when it was released and I was equally surprised that I found myself enjoying this title as an Octoberween title. It had just enough supernatural elements to make it feel like a game I could enjoy on an Octoberween night or a weekend binge session. It’s not the type of game that can fully get you in the mood for Octoberween gaming but it has enough of the elements in to make a good warm up title before you sink your teeth into a deeper, darker, spookier themed Halloween game.

Now mind you this game can feel a bit daunting with its sheer size and the many paths you have in trying to tackle a mission. I found myself being intimidated by a couple of these missions in trying to find the right method in advancing in the level, as well as determining how lethal I should be in my goal. There were times I wanted to go in with guns firing and sword swinging but remembering all the plague zombies I fought before always had me give pause to fully unleashing the full force of my supernatural powers. I actually felt bad one time that I killed a guard who happened to be engaged to one of the housemaids in the house he was guard, something I wouldn’t have even known about had I not tried to enter the house stealth like and eavesdropped on their conversation via the keyhole.

As much as I wanted to try out the DLC, which seems to deal with Witches and tells the tale of the assassin who killed the Empress, I mostly stuck with the main game itself.

In the end Dishonored is a great warm up title for any Octoberween game in either the day or the night. It doesn’t hold enough sway to make it a full on Octoberween title, but it offers enough supernatural and macabre elements to make the game interesting enough to get one in the mood for other Octoberween titles found in the rest of my Top 11. It’s a step up in the spook factor than Assassin’s Creed and Metal Gear Solid can be and it fits well enough to stand along the likes of bloodier title offerings during this time of year.

Naturally I got this game for free but you can find this game, complete with DLC, for $20 in some used game stores. A not bad asking price all things considering. So if you’re interested in playing an assassin with supernatural powers this game is the perfect fit. It was enough for me to get me interested in both the supernatural and my virtual reality killing ways.

My Top 11 Octoberween Game Titles for 2014

#11) Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir – 3DS: $9.99 new

#10) Resident Evil: Director’s Cut Dual Shock Version – PSOne (PSN): Free

#09) Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth – WiiWare: 1000 Wii points ($10)

#08) Dishonored – Xbox 360: (XBLA GwG): Free

What are your thoughts about this game? Is it a game that has enough supernatural themes to make it worthwhile as an Octoberween title? Or is it stealthier mission focused Skyrim? Let me know in the comments!