In Dishonored 2, players will return to the Empire of the Isles, but this time they'll experience most of the game in a new setting. While Dishonored 2 begins and ends in Dunwall — the bleak industrial city of the first game — most of the action takes place in Karnaca, often referred to as the Jewel of the South. The capital of Serkonos — which is the southernmost island in the Empire — Karnaca is a dazzling Mediterranean-inspired metropolis with distinctly different culture and style.

Corvo Attano returns in Dishonored 2, but this time he's not alone. He's now joined by his daughter, Emily Kaldwin. Fifteen years later, both characters have grown. Now 25, Emily is no longer the innocent child from the first game, but a powerful figure who rules the Empire. And Corvo, having restored his daughter to the throne, once again serves as the Royal Protector. On the anniversary of the death of Emily's mother (and Corvo's lover) Jessamine Kaldwin, an otherworldly usurper seizes the throne, leaving the fate of the Empire hanging in the balance.

Players will choose to play as either Emily or Corvo, fully voiced with their own perspectives and emotional responses to the events transpiring around them. Emily is voiced by Erica Luttrell. Corvo is voiced by Stephen Russell. Other actors in Dishonored 2 include: Vincent D'Onofrio (Luca Abele, Duke of Serkonis), Rosario Dawson (Meagan Foster, Captain of the Dreadful Wale), Jamie Hector (Vice Overseer Liam Byrne), Pedro Pascal (Paolo, leader of the Howler gang), Sam Rockwell (Mortimer Ramsey of the Dunwall City Watch), and Robin Lord Taylor (The Outsider).

At this year’s QuakeCon, Smith showed off new gameplay behind closed doors – this time with Corvo in the spotlight. And from what he revealed, it’s clear that Corvo’s out for blood, playing for keeps.

While Corvo’s original powers are back, they’ve all been extended and enhanced. A high-chaos jaunt through the Dust District revealed just how brutal combat continues to be – but now with new tools at Corvo’s disposal.

And it all starts with Blink – Corvo’s signature traversal power. Our first glimpse of Blink shows us exactly what we expect to see: Corvo teleports from the ground to a balcony and ducks into a sealed building; Corvo instantly transports himself from a second-story window to some exposed ductwork across an alleyway. But Blink isn’t just for movement anymore. Twice we saw Corvo use his signature power in newly aggressive ways: blinking into a foe and immediately stabbing him in the neck, and later using it to slam into an enemy, shoving him back with deadly force. Corvo’s Blink also includes the “stop time and redirect” improvement from the Dishonored DLC The Knife of Dunwall (often called “Daud’s Blink” by the community and YouTubers), giving him more flexibility in traversal and stealth.

Likewise, Bend Time has been upgraded to allow for powerful new uses. Early in the demo, we see Corvo using this power like he did in the original Dishonored, slowing time to face off against a Nest Keeper (a creepy new bad guy who fusses over Bloodfly nests). While time is at a near-standstill, Corvo literally shoots both arms off the Nest Keeper with his pistol, then pulls out his crossbow to fire an Incendiary Bolt at a nearby nest. When time returns to normal, the disarmed Nest Keeper briefly writhes in agony, the nest bursts into flames… then the Keeper’s body rips in half at the torso, releasing a fresh swarm of Bloodflies. Corvo then escapes the dangerous infestation, transferring himself into a Bloodfly with Possession. (While we didn’t see it in action, we also know that Corvo can now upgrade Possession so he can transfer from one host to another.)

Bend Time can also be upgraded so Corvo can not only fully stop time (like in the original game) but also slowly advance time in order to set up a sequence of events. Late in the demo, Corvo is carrying the incapacitated Howler leader Paolo, his target in this mission. From a balcony above the street, he spots a hostile Howler gang member. Stopping time, Corvo tosses Paolo into the air, where he hovers in suspension while Corvo leaps down to deliver death from above to the Howler. Corvo then advances time just enough so Paolo’s body moves into reach, then grabs his target in mid-air before continuing on his way.

 

We also saw Bend Time used to strategically clear a courtyard of foes, with Corvo peppering the crowd with Sleep Darts and an Incendiary Bolt before cleaning up the remaining enemies in real time.

Windblast also makes a return as a highly effective way to blast back enemies. And, of course, Corvo still has all his combat moves and tools, including a Spring Razor that he used to eviscerate a couple of Howlers. Corvo’s sword and pistol also came in handy as he sliced, stabbed and shot his way through several other members of the gang in the proverbial blink of an eye. While the focus was on Corvo’s deadly new moves, he also has an arsenal of new nonlethal attacks, including combat choke, nonlethal drop attack and more – perfect for the player who prefers a quieter journey through Karnaca.

While Smith returned to the Dust District level that he debuted at E3 2016, we saw a completely different way to tackle the mission. And we’re not just talking about the choice of playing as Corvo instead of Emily.

Dishonored 2 will deliver the signature elements of Dishonored mission design: multiple ways to find and eliminate a target; the ability to tackle any obstacle using non-lethal stealth, deadly combat, or any combination of the two. But this time, each of the missions has an additional thematic layer. In the case of the Dust District, Corvo has a choice of targets: Either Vice Overseer Byrne, the local leader of a militant religious faction (and the target that Emily pursued in the E3 demo), or the head of the Howler gang, Paolo. At QuakeCon, Corvo chose to chase down Paolo, and in the process revealed new areas both outside of and within hostile Howler territory.

The most striking location might be the Crone’s Hand Saloon, a portion of which has been condemned due to a Bloodfly infestation. Nest Keepers, who roam around protecting and maintaining the Bloodfly nests, can be formidable enemies once agitated. While the game showed of a high-chaos approach – slicing through the insects and killing the Nest Keepers – we also saw that Corvo could Blink past nests without disturbing the flies… which will certainly come in handy for those who prefer sneaking over stabbing.

Also on display in the QuakeCon demo: more of the game’s new setting, including some intriguing interiors. Once again, the verticality of Karnaca was readily apparent, with towering buildings closing in on all sides. But beyond the dizzying heights, the buildings themselves had a much warmer, more southernly feel. Even in the condemned areas of the Crone’s Hand Saloon, the wrought iron bannisters and plantation-style doors stood out. And when Corvo confronted Paolo inside an open courtyard, the warmer ambiance was striking, with clay-tile rooftops, interior facing balconies and lush vegetation climbing up the columns and cascading down from the ornate railings.

 

Emily and Corvo have their own unique supernatural powers. Corvo's powers return from the first game, but each has been extended and enhanced. Corvo's Possession power, for example, can be upgraded so you can chain from host to host — or you can instead hide in corpses or sleeping enemies. Emily's Far Reach mobility power can be upgraded to allow you to steal objects from afar, or you can upgrade it to yank enemies toward you and take them out midair.

The Dishonored series is all about options and exploration, and Dishonored 2 takes that to the next level with deeper choices and even more ways to play. The game has many different pathways through each mission, but also different approaches — stealth or combat, lethal or nonlethal — and a wide array of supernatural powers that dramatically change the experience.

Dishonored 2 will deliver classic Dishonored gameplay, with missions that include many pathways to explore, creative approaches to reach your targets, and a myriad of ways to combine powers, tools and abilities to tackle any situation. "But this time we've put a greater emphasis on big, interesting mission themes — either from a gameplay or a fiction standpoint — making each mission a wildly unique place to explore" Smith said. Here are three examples: