Dishonored 2
Dishonored 2 – The Evolution of Emily & Corvo
Dishonored 2
He was the Royal Protector, framed for the assassination of the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, unjustly imprisoned, and sentenced to death.
Barely escaping on the day of his execution, Corvo Attano is marked by the otherworldly Outsider, granted supernatural powers and becomes an assassin. Desperate to protect Jessamine’s daughter Emily and return her to the throne, Corvo soon sets out to avenge the Empress’ death.
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A powerful protagonist, Corvo emerged as a heroic and beloved figure. But when it comes to the heart of the original Dishonored, Emily Kaldwin arguably filled that role. A mere child in Dishonored, Emily was a mirror of the player’s actions. Corvo’s choices not only had a profound effect on the world around him, but on Emily herself, who would adorn the walls of her hideaway with art that reflected her mood. “We got contacted by so many players who told us that they literally changed the way they played after they came back from a particularly violent mission and saw that Emily had posted up these disturbed drawings in black crayon,” says Arkane’s Co-creative Director Harvey Smith.
Set 15 years after the events of the first game, Dishonored 2 marks not just the return of Corvo Attano but Emily Kaldwin as well. And, once again, the game begins with Jessamine, with Corvo and Emily paying tribute to the former Empress in the opening sequence. “Jessamine’s assassination casts a shadow over both games,” Smith notes. This time, however, the adult Emily is a fully playable character. “It’s ambitious to bring two protagonists to the game and let the player choose between them,” Smith says, “but we’re really excited that we did.”
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It’s one thing to be excited. It’s another thing to actually turn a non-playable character into one of the game’s two protagonists, figuring out not just how she’s evolved since she was a child, but also how this young Empress could provide a different gameplay experience than the grizzled, world-weary Protector.
Dunwall, Empress… Assassin
From the very beginning of Dishonored 2’s development, Emily was a focal point for Arkane. According to Smith, the team was “obsessed” with figuring out who Emily would be 15 years later in the game’s timeline. What would she be like on the throne? What would she be like without her mother? How would she turn out after being raised by the Royal Protector?
“When we approach a character like Emily, we need to know her history, her attitude, even her hobbies,” Smith says. “But at a meta level as a game developer, we need to know what her pillars are. And so for Emily we arrived at: Dunwall, Empress, Assassin.”
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Unlike Corvo, who originally hails from Serkonos (the capital of which is Karnaca, the primary setting for Dishonored 2), Emily was born and raised in Dunwall – a product of the city’s UK-inspired culture. But Emily is no commoner. “Except for this one tragic moment during the rat plague in the first Dishonored, Emily’s had a pretty good upbringing,” Smith says. She’s had the very best tutors. She wears the very best clothes. She’s protected (and, perhaps, sheltered) like none other in Dunwall. In short, she has lived the privileged life of an Empress. However, Emily was not only raised by Corvo but trained by him as well. “Corvo assumed that some day Emily’s enemies would come for her with knives out,” Smith says. “So she has the potential in Dishonored 2 to become an assassin.”
Powerful Differences
These three pillars are reflected in Emily’s demeanor, her powers – even her clothes. “Emily doesn’t wear rags,” Smith says. “She wears an asymmetrical-cut jacket with gold embroidery befitting someone who grew up in a palace. She has taste and she has the finest tailors working for her.” Even Emily’s weapons reflect her status as an Empress. “When she’s carrying a pistol or a crossbow, they need to look like they were made by the finest craftsmen in the Empire of the Isles,” Smith says.
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Even Emily’s powers – which are all-new and completely different from Corvo’s – reflect her character. “In a way you can say the Outsider marks people according to their personalities,” says Lead Designer Dinga Bakaba. “She’s an Empress. She’s younger. She has a different personality. So her powers reflect that. She has a lot of powers that allow her to subdue the will of others.” A perfect example is Mesmerize, which calls forth an entity from the Void that enthralls Emily’s foes, allowing her to either efficiently eliminate them or simply waltz past them untouched. Another example: Domino, which links people together so they’re affected with one action. Befitting an Empress, “Emily is pretty good at crowd control,” Bakaba says.
Meanwhile, all of Corvo’s original powers return from the original game, but they’ve been extended and enhanced. “You now have upgrades you can acquire, and you have a power tree,” says Bakaba. “I think players will have an interesting experience playing the game once with Emily and once with Corvo, because different powers mean different solutions to problems and a different experience.”
Voices Carry
The team at Arkane spent a lot of time thinking about the evolution of Corvo as well. A decade and a half later, Corvo is now the Royal Spymaster as well as the Royal Protector – the first person in the Empire’s history to unite these two titles. But perhaps the biggest change to Corvo’s character is the addition of a voice. In the first game Corvo was a silent protagonist. Now, he speaks.
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“I’m super excited about our choice for Corvo,” Smith says. “We were lucky to get Stephen Russell, who was the voice of Garrett in the first Thief. It’s 15 years later, and he’s going out to protect Emily one more time. Stephen just nailed it.”
The addition of voices allows the player to experience Dishonored 2’s story in different ways depending on whom they chose to play. While Emily (voiced by actress Erica Luttrell) and Corvo go through the same missions and meet many of the same characters, they each have their own unique viewpoints and emotional responses. For Corvo, the trip from Dunwall to Karnaca is a homecoming of sorts. “You can literally visit his home neighborhood when you play Dishonored 2,” Smith says. For Emily, the journey to Karnaca is a different experience. “At the beginning of Dishonored 2 she loses everything and she’s on the run,” he says. “This is also Emily’s first exposure to the way the rest of the world lives. They both have their own perspectives, and that was something important for us to get right.”
Haven’t yet experienced Corvo’s story? Pre-order Dishonored 2 and you’ll get a free copy of Dishonored Definitive Edition. And don’t miss your chance to grab a Dishonored 2 Collector’s Edition, complete with a replica of Corvo Attano’s mask, Emily Kaldwin’s ring and much more!
Take a deeper dive into Dishonored 2 with these Bethesda.net features:
Dishonored 2 at E3 2016 – New Setting, New Hero, Themed Missions
Dishonored 2 – Welcome to Karnaca
Dishonored 2 – Secrets from the Announce Trailer
