Not long after its deserved Best Game win at the BAFTAs comes new downloadable content for Dishonored. 'The Knife of Dunwall' delivers a few interesting tweaks, thanks to shifting the story away from the campaign's protagonist Corvo and instead puts you in the shoes of Daud, the very assassin who ended the Empress's life. Picking up right after the Empress's assassination, Daud struggles to come to terms with the kill. He is then confronted by The Outsider, who teases that the end is near for him, but not before telling him to seek out "Delilah". A lead then points Daud to a ship named the Delilah, and onwards to a whale slaughterhouse where he intends to confront the despicable owner Rothwild. This is where the DLC's first mission takes place. Unleashing Daud's unique powers Dishonored players will be very familiar with how everything plays, but Daud comes with a slightly different arsenal of powers. 'Blink', for example, mostly acts in the same way, allowing immediate teleportation across short distances. But with Daud, time is stopped as you move and aim the reticule. New tactics can be potentially employed as a result. If you're in the middle of combat, a sneaky 'Blink' to behind an enemy opens up an easy stab in the back. Or, it could be used as a lifesaver when you're about to be caught, using the frozen time to take in your surroundings and carefully teleport to safety. Daud also has a couple of unique powers, including 'Summon Assassin'. You can mark targets for someone else to deal with, and it's effective as crowd control. Entering the slaughterhouse As always, players are given several ways to complete their objectives. In the first level, Daud must find a way into the slaughterhouse, but there are several ways of going about it. Using the main entrance requires a time card. Fortunately, a few workers on strike are imprisoned outside. Free and help them out, and they'll happily hand you their card. Or you can enter their cell, kill them and then take the loot. Or, in a new feature, Daud can use his network of assassins and purchase 'Favours' which will provide additional side-objectives and clues. In this case, a Favour can point you to a hidden safe combination scrawled onto a wall. Backtrack to unlock the safe and collect a variety of goodies - including a time card. Alternatively, you can ignore the main entrance and use the sewers. Using new weapons on new enemies 'The Knife of Dunwall' also mixes things up with a couple of new enemies. Machete-wielding butchers are easy to dispose of, but men armed with large circular buzzsaws - frequently found inside the slaughterhouse - are trickier adversaries. Facing them is a tougher proposition than your average guard, but fortunately, Daud has a couple of extra tricks up his sleeve that Corvo didn't have. Throwing chokedust stuns enemies and render them powerless for a few moments. You can use these seconds to flee and regain your composure, knock them out or brutally end their lives by stabbing them. Daud is an assassin, after all. There are also arc mines, which when placed zap foes to smithereens, sort of like an arc pylon. Luring a guard towards one is an effective tactic to dispose of him. Facing Rothwild Eventually, Daud will reach Rothwild's office and confront him, but like all marks, you can choose whether to deal with him in a non-lethal or lethal manner. But even then, there are multiple ways of putting an end to him. A quick stab with your blade would kill him, but you can also drag and strap him down in his very own torture chamber. Then it's time to make your escape. With two other missions after the slaughterhouse, 'The Knife of Dunwall' looks to be a solid piece of downloadable content for its reasonably modest price. From what we played, the gameplay feels fresh enough playing as Daud to revisit Dunwall, and getting a glimpse into the assassin's story is surely enticing enough for fans of Dishonored. Source Digital Spy 'The Knife of Dunwall' will be released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC from April 16 for 800 Microsoft Points / £7.99.
