Dishonored 2 is a 2016 first-person action-adventure stealth game developed by Arkane Studios, expanding on the original with two playable protagonists — Corvo Attano and Empress Emily Kaldwin — each with distinct supernatural powers and playstyles in the sun-drenched city of Karnaca.
Dishonored 2 takes place fifteen years after the events of the first game. Empress Emily Kaldwin is deposed by a mysterious witch named Delilah Copperspoon, and either Emily or Corvo Attano — chosen by the player at the outset — must travel from Dunwall to the southern city of Karnaca to reclaim the throne. Each character brings a wholly different suite of supernatural abilities granted by the Outsider, making the game effectively two distinct experiences depending on your choice.
Like its predecessor, Dishonored 2 is a deeply systemic immersive sim that rewards creative thinking and player expression. The game can be completed without killing anyone, or with lethal force — and the moral weight of those choices shapes the world's chaos level and ending. Emily's powers include Domino, which links enemies so actions affect all of them simultaneously, and Far Reach, a telekinetic grapple. Corvo retains his classic abilities: Blink teleportation, Possession, and Wind Blast. Both characters can also unlock Void Gaze and a suite of passive upgrades. The game's levels are among the most inventive in the series — particularly the Clockwork Mansion, which reconfigures its rooms via giant mechanical switches, and A Crack in the Slab, where players toggle between past and present in real time to solve puzzles and reach objectives.
Karnaca is a vivid contrast to Dunwall's rain-soaked gloom — a Mediterranean-inspired coastal city baking under the sun, plagued by bloodfly infestations and the oppressive rule of the Duke of Serkonos. Arkane's world-building remains exceptional: every district has a distinct texture, every abandoned apartment holds a journal or a tragedy. The whale-oil economy, the Abbey of the Everyman's zealotry, and Karnaca's political corruption are all conveyed through environmental storytelling rather than cutscenes.
Dishonored 2 received critical acclaim for its level design, player freedom, and the depth of its interconnected systems. It holds a Metacritic score in the low-to-mid 80s across platforms and was nominated for multiple industry awards in 2016, including at The Game Awards. It is frequently cited as one of the finest examples of the immersive sim genre and ranks among Arkane Studios' most ambitious works.