Here's a rough recap of the Game Informer article.
- Visually the game pretty much looks like a more detailed version of the last game.
- Before anyone asks, there's no co-op, as they weren't sure how to design that in.
- The game runs on a modified version of idtech5 they've dubbed The Void Engine.
- The game takes place 15 years after the original.
- After the events of the first game, Corvo was concerned that at some point, people would attempt to assassinate Emily. As such, he spent said 15 years training her how to be a magical assassin like him whenever she wasn't too busy being Empress.
- The game starts out with you playing as Emily during a coup d'etat and having to escape.
- Afterwards, you choose whether to play as Emily on her quest to reclaim her throne, or as Corvo with the same objective.
- "When fans found out they could play Dishonored 2 from the perspective of Emily Kaldwin, they were overwhelmingly positive. "The response was stunning for us," Smith says."
- The game starts and ends in Dunwall, but the rest of the game takes place in Karnaca, which is inspired by Mediterranean European countries and is the birthplace of Corvo. Karnaca is also where the majority of the game takes place.
- There's a bunch of stuff about their art design process in here. Let's just suffice it to say that if you liked how the first game looked and how the universe was, you should be satisfied here.
- Anton Sokolov is back.
- The plot setup for how missions works sounds pretty similar. There's some public figure doing bad things and you get information/help from other characters to help in your goal of taking them down.
- The guards are a lot smarter this time and can also do things like vault around and scale objects to chase you.
- Emily has a new set of powers. Far Reach is this giant hand grappling hook thing that pulls you around. It's like blink, except you actually physically move across spaces, so guards can notice you. Far Reach can also be used as a weapon by swinging around environment objects.
- The game is a lot more vertical so these movement abilities are especially important.
- You can do non-lethal aerial takedowns.
- Missions have various options for completion and progression throughout, much like the previous game.
- You can use guards as human shields.
- Non-lethal/stealth options have been expanded quite a bit to be more up to par with the amount of lethal options.
- Another one of Emily's abilities is Mesmerize, which stuns multiple guards temporarily.
- You can puts guards into beds to avoid suspicion.
- There's a bunch of difficulty sliders for things like how visible you are in cover.
- There's quick saving/quick load in all versions of the game now along with checkpoints so you don't risk losing much progress at any given time.
- Coy non-comment about mods. Please download Bethesda.net™.
- Another of Emily's powers is Domino. You link up to four guards together, and then whatever happens to one guard, happens to the rest. For example, if you link four guards, and then lead one into a stun mine, all four are stunned.
- This also works with Doppelganger, where you create a clone of yourself, then link it to the guards, and blow up your own clone.
- Emily also has the Shadow Walk ability which lets her slink into shadows and squeeze into tight places.
- Some of the missions have neutral areas where you can go around and talk to the various citizens to get a feel for the city and hints toward your mission.
- Your base of operations is a boat.
- Batman Detective Vision returns.
- Both Emily and Corvo have a pistol, sword, and crossbow, but they look different. Also they have different end game upgrades to the items.
- Corvo has the same powers as the last game, but they're upgraded and expanded.
- Corvo is voiced by Garrett from Thief because Harvey and Raf like Thief and this game has obviously ate its lunch.
- Corvo's Bend Time ability can now also fast forward time.
- Corvo's possession ability can now be chained between creatures.
- The abilities now unlock in a tree.
- Corvo's blink can assassinate someone through a glass window starting at level 1.
- The mansion from the trailer is an interlocking puzzle level where you pull levers and open new areas and all sorts of stuff like that.
- The clockwork soldiers are now wood instead of porcelain, though it's nice looking wood.
- They're trying to make the ending and morality systems less bad this time.
