Dishonored 2 is a masterpiece. I’ve had that fact drilled into my brain by friends and colleagues for years now, but for once, it’s actually true. Arkane Studios’ immersive sim is a bold, beautiful, and uncompromisingly vast journey into a wonderfully twisted world.

Today the game celebrates its fifth anniversary, and it hasn’t aged a day. Compared to the 2012 original, it was more ambitious in every conceivable way. Corvo Attano now has a voice, no longer a silent spectre who creeps through the shadows slitting throats and hurling unsuspecting guards into bins. He’s also joined by Emily Kaldwin, the shy little girl having transformed into an Empress who rules over four entire kingdoms.

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The duo could be unstoppable under the right circumstances, but unusual deeds in the night eventually see their rule collapse into nothingness. Emily’s aunt rocks up and claims Dunwall is hers to rule, murdering your colleagues and staging a coup that sees that state turn against you in a matter of moments. You choose to play the unfolding campaign as either Emily or Corvo, providing a distinct perspective on events as your monarchy is torn to ruins right before your very eyes. I’d argue that the populace probably wouldn’t believe their beloved Empress is evil so suddenly, but martial law is one hell of a thing I guess.

Dishonored 2

From the opening moments, Dishonored 2 provides a level of curated freedom that only an immersive sim can provide. You can follow the objective markers like an obedient little gamer, or hurl away convention in favour of crafting your own adventure. Given the first mission where you head towards a nearby dock is basically a glorified tutorial, there is so much to see and do in this small district that you’re quickly overwhelmed. You begin after the chaos has subsided, held hostage in your bedroom as a twisted soldier walks away and leaves you to rot. He’s a bit of a dumbass, with my first instinct to crawl out the window as I begin choking guards out and grimacing at the corpses that now litter my once illustrious home.

These traitors will pay, even if it means marking my kingdom with further bloodshed. Your manor is a small place, with guards patrolling the corridors as you creep around and take them out one by one, reading journals and listening to audio logs scattered throughout the place. Each and every action reinforces the world Arkane Studios has built, helping it feel like a living, breathing place that leaps out of the screen. I’m lost within moments, transfixed by its tale of familial struggle as it unfolds before me. And this is only the beginning - once you escape and reach Meagan Foster the game really comes alive.

Dishonored 2

Dunwall isn’t your only playground this time around, with much of the narrative taking us to the coastal city of Karnaca and the capital of Serkonos. You’re a wanted monarch, so staying away from the streets you once ruled is paramount. This also gave Arkane an opportunity to build upon its world, moving beyond Dunwall to craft a realistic background and culture to its many cities. Citizens walk the streets alongside you, and might even be willing to support someone betrayed by a system that is clearly corrupt and driven by witchcraft. It all depends how you act though. Murdering guards and leaving their bloodied corpses on the pavement will lead society to shun you, while being a stealthy pacifist will emphasize your kind heart, showing you will only use violence as a last resort and seek to help those in need.

I always try to be stealthy until things inevitably go to shit and I get spotted, and Dishonored 2 honours the playstyle in a number of compelling ways. Emily and Corvo have a sprawling selection of equipment and abilities available to them, and it’s impossible to explore all of them in a single playthrough. There’s so much freedom to the world and mechanics Arkane has created, and even five years later it dwarfs all of its contemporaries in terms of execution. It’s so ambitious, constructed in a way where every abandoned apartment or ruined shop is awash with fascinating details and secrets to uncover. Nothing feels like it doesn’t belong, and in a game this vast, that’s a crowning achievement that is yet to be matched.

Dishonored 2

I love Prey, and Deathloop is a fascinating mixture of fast-paced gunplay and the freeform exploration that defines what immersive sims are, but neither of them match the brilliance of Dishonored 2. Its gameplay is more engaging, while its narrative leans into classical fantasy tropes with myriad twists that help it stand out amongst the pack. Emily Kaldwin walks all over Colt, Julianna, and Morgan Yu because she’s fighting for something we can so easily believe in, while the world she resides in transfixes you in a way that Talos One and Blackreef simply don’t. They’re stylish, brilliant, and beautiful - but they ain’t Dunwall.

Five years later, it feels like Dishonored 2 never received the reverence it deserves. It was released at a time when Bethesda was giving out review codes on release, meaning a number of mainstream consumers weren’t aware of how amazing the game was until it had long been on store shelves. Now it’s found a second home on Xbox Game Pass, and can be picked up for mere pennies elsewhere if you’re willing to give it a shot. If you’re eager for an adventure that doesn’t hold your hand and offers an unparalleled level of freedom, Dishonored 2 shines in a way that few other games do. There’s nothing else I can say - it’s a masterpiece.

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