#its funny but my main complaint with Arcane is.....................the arcane. like the entire thing about The Arcane as a concept sucked

[good-wine-and-cheese]

Man the more I think about arcane season 2 the more frustrated I get

[caphayzardous]

arcane season 2 spoilers

anyway we all know I only care about viktor. I kinda feel like there were some major scenes missing there. like yeah i get what happened off-screen for all that, just that personally I am always interested in "watching someone become a cult leader" u know. or become a robot freaky guy. I think that a bit more of that corruption could have been shown because it's Interesting. and also because he ended up being kind of important to the Plot right but was not really.. Around. anyway large main cast and only 9 episodes I get it my fave will never have enough screentime etc etc.

and then also idk he had that happy cult where yes he could inhabit their bodies at will, but they did otherwise seeming to be thriving and having free will (I think?) and like. the turn from that to 'no I gotta take away the free will' is a bit like rushed LMAO. like yeah it was going to go that way but really, like that? sure he got exploded, plus it's da magic and stuff messing with him a bit, it's not just viktor-as-we-knew-him making that leap, but yeah man idk

all of this pairs alongside with my other complaint which is: Too Much of Jayce being Boring As Fuck again ! mans boring what can i say. whats up with that scene where he busts in and ruins like 4 different happy endings at once. I know that's ostensibly because some future viktor encouraged it, but then that act was also the turning point for vitkor fully 'evolving' people, so ? idk maybe he woulda got to that point anyway (you know what cults, literally all cults, are like)

Jinx was interesting, Vi and Jinx still have an interesting story together, the back and forth "one last betrayal, one last I've-always-got-your-back" maybe was a bit like drawn out right at the end but hey it suits 'em. I liked Jinx's arc w da kid. The entire time I was watching this season i was remembering someones commentary of s1 which was "damn this show really likes to kill children, huh" and uh well Yeah. rip but in terms of plot that one was real cheap and I think honestly boringly predictable to do the 'rip it all away again' thing for jinx. round 3!

A bit interesting watching Jinx go quiet depwession and Vi go rage depwession but perhaps also I just think after a whole season 1 of tragedy it was like man . . . can they catch a break though. and I dont think that having jinx do the sacrifice at the end was really necessary or satisfying. it was satisfying having those two unite. but I think jinx has actually died enough LMAO

Cait's arc. uhhh. like. man. woof. nah. pretty fucking egregious choices, words, and actions, there! she kinda fucked up a lot this season. I was vouchin for her and Vi in s1 but honestly by the end of this one I'm liek dude. like idk about that. I guess Vi already compromised or rewrote her morals when she agreed to uhh [checks notes] "Gas Civilians utilising Zaun's literal air ventilation systems" while hunting for her sister. so. sure. the cell makeout scene was so funny for how intensely censored it was.

Ekko was cool I liked His Episode w the parallel stuff that was interesting and also a bit sweet. he kinda faded into da background a bit all season and hten I thought he was going to come in clutch but he kinda didnt. I mean he did, in the way everyone did, but not for the actual resolution.

speaking of the resolution look idk space viktor scenes are ok they are like. ehh. ok. that imagery was all a bit wishy-washy 4 me. but it was alright. kinda sweet to have those two reunite sure but. idk their friendship breakup wasnt like...... I mean it was like a gradual falling out? sorta? 'jayce growing apart from viktor' and then 'viktor refusing to compromise his morals any further and deciding to leave' u know I think its nice they were partners at the end again but who am I kidding jayce is too boring for me to give a fuck his friendship (or... whatever we are calling it :) ) with viktor IS interesting but once its over im kinda like good riddance !

Mel is cool idk man I didnt expect her to disappear and come back a mage umm like she was a bit more interesting as a manipulator or even as A Person u know ? but good for her. As for Ambessa I will say she is. well. consistent. actually, until the robots thing - I know she's obsessed with obtaining A Weapon but that particular angle doesnt seem to align with her principles at all. but yknow. these things happen. still kind of tracks for obsession to win there.

Who else. uhh. why DID heimerdinger explode asfjsknd. did that serve any purpose. also Sevika had the MOST "this character will be killed off" energy for all of BOTH seasons I actually cant believe she lived to the end.

all in all. I liked season 1 more, I maaay have liked this one more if I had rewatched it beforehand, because I was playing a little bit of catch-up and the emotional points may have hit harder if I had rekindled my investment in the characters that s1 did stoke so well. I did like this one though. but. was not as moved by it and just kind of wanted to see how it all ended. and then it all ended and I was like ah ok. thats ok I guess.

in s1 I was all in for the tragedy and p sure I cried a bunch at various things lmao. in this one I felt like it was just hmm not cheap exactly but idk none of it really landed. maybe you can only watch vi scream and punch a wall so many times?

the animation still rocks though. (except why was one random guy in the last episode given normal eyes where everyone else is cartoon? it was so noticeable?) I like the sequences of Different Style as well. fun stuff.

did find it a bit funny how no one (of the main characters) is ever allowed to win in a one-on-one because they are all part of an equal and balanced Video Game its just kind of funny in the cooonstant match-ups in the show when you sort of pick that like. every fight is going to be interrupted, or made uneven by numbers, or etc etc for some reason and no one can ever appear to have too much of an advantage over anyone else, hahah.

[thesffcorner]

Dishonored Retrospective Part 11: Death of the Outsider Changes

My friends we have finally reached the end; Death of the Outsider. At the time of writing this, this is the final part of the Empire’s story; even if Arcane ever decides to revisit this world, the story that started with a man being marked by a demigod so he could save his daughter is over, and for the conclusion we are going up against that very demigod.

I will come clean with my bias immediately and say that I absolutely love this game. It’s my favorite in the whole series, both in terms of gameplay and story. So without further ado, let’s get started.

Story and Overview:

Death of the Outsider came out in 2017. It was originally planned to be an expansion of Dishonored 2, like KoD and BW were, but it ended up becoming a stand-alone adventure instead. In keeping with tradition, the protagonist has once again changed, and this time we play as Billie Lurk, right after the events of the second game.

It’s a new day in Dunwall; Emily has taken back the throne, the new Duke is ruling Serkonos and after 15 years and everything that happened in the previous game, Billie decides it’s finally time to find Daud. Inspired by nightmares in which she sees the Void and loses her arm and eye, she sets sail for Karnaca and docks at an abandoned carriage line near the Albarca Baths.

Karnaca has changed since last you saw it. Not only does it have a new Duke, but depending on what you did with Paolo in the last game, the Howlers are no longer the big bads around. They have been replaced by a new, much darker gang called the Eyeless, and these guys are heavy into the occult. The gang consists of a lot of different factions you’ve already fought before; Howlers, Witches and random thugs, which is fitting since the fall of both Paolo and Breanna have left a power vacuum on the streets of the city. This is also a handy way for the developers to reuse enemy models, while still keeping the story consistent.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the friendliness of both the Grand Guard and the regular City Watch. There are wanted posters everywhere for Meagan Foster, meaning that Emily was much less forgiving than she made it out to be in the last game. You will still want to avoid any official law enforcement, so it’s business as usual.

Enemies:

DotO continiues in the tradition of KoD and BW in that we have a few modified and few new enemies. First we have the City Watch, Grand Guard and Overseers, and for our gang quota we have the Eyeless. The first three are the same factions you have always fought, and as I mentioned the Eyeless are a joint group of some of the enemies you fought in Dishonored 2.

In addition we have some more Clockwork soldiers, though these guys are a nerfed version. They can’t see from the back anymore, and are much smaller, though they compensate for it with the world’s creepiest smile! I don’t know if I’d want to put my money in a bank that has psycho-robot guards that smile. 

For the new enemies we have the Blind Sisters of the Oracular Order, the Cultists and the Envisioned. The Sisters are the female counterpart of the Overseers who rarely leave the Abbey, but have done so now because of the whole the world is cracking and the Void is seeping through. You were introduced to them in the Royal Conservatory level of the previous game, but this is the first time you actually get to meet them. They are as, if not more dangerous than their Overseer brethren, and if I have one complaint about them it’s probably that they have no interesting abilities or powers. They are just female Overseers with swords.

The cultists are similar to the Eyeless, if the Eyeless were as, if not more fanatical than the Overseers. They are an odd mix of scholars and murderers, and their designs are quite cool in that their faces are starting to turn to stone. They also become invulnerable if they are alerted, though I’m not sure if this is a glitch or an actual ability. 

Their Envisioned cousins on the other hand, are possibly the toughest enemy to kill in these games. They are made of stone, and practically indestructible. They are the highest form of whatever the cult is trying to achieve; immortal, eternal and unperturbed by mortal affairs. The original cultists who killed the Outsider have now become Envisioned. 

Weapons, Powers, and Gameplay: 

For the weapons, Billie has even more variety than Emily. Like Daud, she uses a launcher instead of a crossbow and also like him she uses electric bolts instead of sleep darts. There are grenades, spring razors, sticky grenades, rewire tools, and stun mines and my new favorite weapon, the hook mine which can be lethal or non-lethal depending on how you use it. It’s pretty great option with some hilarious results.

The biggest and best change are by far, Billie’s powers.

 Like with Emily, the developers decide that Billie too should spend the first level powerless, but they learned their lesion and made the level much more appropriate in difficulty for an under-powered character. It doesn’t feel like you should be able to use your powers but can’t for some reason.

Once Billie does get her powers, (in a pretty gruesome way thanks to the Outsider), her arm and eye get replaced with pieces of the void. She now has the ability to zoom into things (Corvo style) and reshape her arm into a sword. She also gets 3 powers which can’t be upgraded by runes and deplete mana when used. They are: a version of Blink called Displace; a version of Dark Vision called Foresight; and an entirely new power called Semblance which allows Billie to steal the face of anyone around her and wear it for a limited amount of time.

Not only are these powers super fun to use, but they can also be used in conjunction with each-other to traverse the levels in very creative ways. For example Displace is a very interesting twist on Blink; it allows you to place a marker and then displace to it. You can’t place a marker behind an obstacle and if you place a marker where someone else is standing, they will explode.

Foresight is a bit like Eagle Vision from Assassin’s Creed; it allows you to mark objects and enemies, but it also lets you travel in spirit form through grates, holes and even fly. What’s more, it can be used in conjunction with Displace, where you can place a marker in spirit form and therefore circumvent locked doors and obstacles.

This isn’t to say that Corvo or Daud or even Emily didn’t have interesting powers, but unfortunately a lot of them were geared towards a more high chaos style of play. The game never really encourages you to explore these powers in a real way, with very, very few exceptions in the first game like having to use Bend Time to get out of the duel with Lord Shaw. With Daud and Emily especially, upgrading powers like Far Reach and Summon Assassin is pointless if you are paying low chaos, because they only make your powers MORE lethal instead of helping you explore the world in more fun way.

Here, not only can you not upgrade the powers (thereby rendering them useless) but also none of them are inherently lethal. You can use Displace like that if you want to, but that’s not its primary use. Moreover, the game has entire challenges designed around these powers and using them, so it actively encourages you to use them and get comfortable with them. It honestly made me want to replay the other games by exploring the powers even more than I had before because it’s so fun.

Mana is no longer a resource you have to collect or buy, but this time around bonecharms are more important, since Billie can’t upgrade her powers. I will admit that I never paid too much attention to bonecharms in any of the other games, other than for collection purposes; this is the first game in which I considered crafting and had to really think about which charms were better suited for what level.

Another change is the absence of Outsider Shrines. Since the connection to the Void has been severed for a lot of witches and occultists (and Billie doesn’t need runes), there are no shrines in the game. Instead the Outsider speaks to Billie through rifts in the Void, which thanks to her new magic eye she can now see. These take the same form as the rifts we saw in Crack in the Slab and can be anything from photographs to wanted posters. They also cause some funny contradictions which we’ll get to in the level breakdown.

Billie also has a heart relic, similar to the one the Outsider gifts Corvo in the first game, except hers it’s a gift from Deidre (implying that Deidre was some type of a witch?). It allows Billie to listen to and understand rats which is a neat power. They will often warn you about impending danger, secret passages and generally cryptic warnings.

Favours, Black Markets and side-quests are also back. Favors can no longer be purchased outright, but this time they are rewards for Contracts, which Billie can take on and complete. There are tons of these, ranging from the lethal to the non, with some rather hilarious ones like killing a mime or robbing a bank teller. They can be found on notice boards in the Black Markets and are a fun addition to the content that also ties Billie more to what Daud was doing in the DLC with the favors.

Speaking of Daud, he’s one of 3 returning characters, other than Billie and the Outsider. We also have a ton new faces, which we’ll go over in the level breakdown but I’ll just list them here: Jeannette Lee, Dolores Michaels, Eolina Rey, Euterio Cienfuegos, Shan Yun, Ivan Jackoby, Sister Rosewyn and Brother Cardoza.

One thing that I do like to mention now, is how much these games took leaps of progress in terms of diversity. If you remember the original game, it had like 5 female characters in total, no female enemies, and no poc. Fast forward to this game, and our lead is a bisexual, disabled black woman, the main villains are an overweight Asian opera singer, a bespectacled councilman and a black female bank-owner, and the enemies are roughly equally divided between male and female and consist of all different races, ages (and even body types). It’s truly commendable how much these games improved on that front.    

Level Breakdown:

DotO has 5 levels, and like always they are divided in 3 categories: city, combination, and single location levels. The Dreadful Whale makes a return as well, but it’s a more limited space than what it was in the previous game.

And with that, it’s time to go over the levels. Join me next time, when we discuss levels 1 - 3 and some of the more interesting story beats. 

part 10 < > part 12