Dishonored 2 feels like the same game as the first one in the series, but all the while, it has a different engine, which lends itself to faster combat, and refined gameplay mechanics, which makes the game more fun.
Furthermore, it is much, much prettier. It is a wonderful game, and has a story and art direction that is second only to BioShock Infinite, which is one of my favourite games.
The only problem I encountered during my incredibly Chaotic kill everyone and everything that moves campaign was that there just wasn't enough ammunition in the world to keep the bellies of my enemies full of bullets.
I hungered for more.
Dishonored 2 is set 15 years after the first game. There's spoilers here if you haven't played the first game, but basically, you get to pick from one of two characters at the start of the game, and this gives you a different perspective on the world.
Furthermore, depending on which character you choose, you get some different powers to use on your enemies. I played as Emily, because it was something new and fresh compared to the first Dishonored, and I'm sure there's incredible replay value there if you play from Corvo's perspective.
I don't feel like playing "from the other side", but I can see how it would work very well, given the way the story is pieced together.
The game mechanics are even deeper, with the ability to craft bone charms, which are devices you can equip to improve combat effectiveness.
The greatest part of this entire game, though - is the exploration. The world is full of branching, intertwining paths, and displays exceptional level design throughout. Towards the end, I got a little bored and decided to "speed run" - but only because I wanted to find out what happened in the story faster than meticulous exploration would have otherwise allowed.
Dishonored 2 takes you beyond a single city, and you instead get to indulge in multiple political intrigue, that links all directly back to the story. It's wonderfully constructed. Superb. It allows you to experiment, and you never feel hemmed in by walls. The atmosphere is sublime, and like the first, this is a must play, must purchase, probably must replay for all fans of immersive sims.
This has it all, with the exception of a level-up system for your "stats", instead you just throw "runes" into powers.
I loved this game.