Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall DLC Review – Xbox 360

Dishonored was an amazing game when it came out last year. This action and stealth based adventure gave its players the option to navigate the world and complete the main story in almost any way they wanted as the framed royal protector, Corvo Attano. Now Arkane Studios has given gamers a new perspective into the world of Dunwall with its first piece of story DLC, The Knife of Dunwall for the Xbox 360.

While I won’t spoil much for those that haven’t beaten the main game, which you definitely should, this new story runs parallel to the main campaign. Knife follows the story of the Empress-slaying assassin Daud, voiced by Michael Madsen, almost immediately after the fateful events of the opening act of the core game. It’s actually rather nice to hear the main character actually conversing even though rather briefly with the NPC, unlike the always silent Corvo. Daud is wished away by The Outsider and sets the assassin on a quest to find Delilah. Months pass and Daud gets his first bit of info about a ship named The Delilah. The rest of this mystery has Daud visiting a few familiar places from the main game and two new districts.

This new DLC definitely shows Dunwall’s more dirty side even in the semi-upper crust Legal District. Apparently everyone’s not too fond of the Barrister Arnold Timsh and the abuse of his power. On the other side of the spectrum you have the Rothwild Slaughterhouse which gives you the gritty and possibly painful insight to the world’s procuring of whale oil. Both of these new locations are nicely created and full of different ways to get to and complete your objectives.

The graphics of this DLC are just as good as the main game and even the new characters look right at home and not out of place. An added thing that I rather liked is the Favors feature. This gives Daud a few extra options to navigate through the paces though a few helps you find charms with a little help.

Though as characters go, I must say that Daud is definitely more of a supernaturally charged badass than Corvo, though they do share very similar base abilities. They both possess Blink though Daud’s is cooler. Using Blink also stops time this time around when you’re standing still. Void Gaze is Daud’s version of The Heart allowing him to see nearby Runes and Charms. But perhaps Daud’s coolest ability is Summon Assassin which evens the odds in even the toughest of rooms for those going for a kill anything that looks at you funny playthrough. Daud also gets a little added or cooler gear like the Arc Mine and the Wristbow which is far cooler in an Assassin’s Creed kind of way. Choke Powder was also a huge help in my Low Chaos playthrough.

The Knife of Dunwall is a pretty good piece of DLC to an already great game, though some could find it pretty short depending on their play-style. I got a lot of enjoyment out of it though. I spent a lot of time exploring each level and finding all the little bits and baubles that flush out the world. And the best part is that this is that Knife will lead the way to the next and final DLC, The Brigmore Witches, for Dishonored to bring Daud’s mystery filled adventure to a close. For those that already own Dishonored, this is a must buy add-on and for those that haven’t experienced Dishonored, I say pick up a copy and get cracking.


Author: Jason Flick
Started my gaming life with a NES and copy of Mario at a young age. Since then I've found a love for all gaming things dealing with adventure, roleplaying and first person shooters across all systems, handhelds and PC. Joined up with Game Chronicles years ago to write about the games I love to play.

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