A mansion frozen in time, caught between ruin and its former glory

Countries & Cities · Published 9 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the world of Dishonored 2, time is not a constant. In one level, players navigate an abandoned mansion in ruins, only to use a specialized device to glimpse three years into the past, revealing the estate when it was still occupied and bustling with guards.

The game's setting, the coastal city of Karnaca, draws heavy inspiration from Mediterranean cultures, including Greece, Italy, and Spain. While the city's mining district is defined by frequent dust storms, the game's narrative complexity is matched by its mechanical depth. Players can navigate missions through non-lethal stealth or purposeful violent conflict, a choice that influences the game's 'chaos system.'

This system tracks the player's impact on the world. The aesthetic of this world draws inspiration from 1851 fashion, architecture, and technology. This setting is based on the Cypriot city of Larnaca.

Killing characters can destabilize the environment, even attracting bloodflies—insects that nest in corpses. The severity of the player's actions affects the quantity of enemies encountered and even the dialogue used by protagonists Emily Kaldwin and Corvo Attano. The amount of chaos accrued by the player directly impacts the dialogue used by the main characters. Furthermore, an increase in deaths leads to a higher presence of bloodflies.

Beyond combat, the game features unique environmental interactions. In certain locales, players can manipulate 'Walls of Light'—electrical barriers powered by wind or whale oil—to trap enemies. The narrative itself is driven by a struggle for the throne of the Empire of the Isles, following the coup by the witch Delilah Copperspoon, which forces Emily and Corvo to flee to Karnaca to reclaim their power. Players can also use a device to see three years into the past to view the mansion in its prime. This allows them to shift between two different points in time.

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