Watch: We chat Dishonored 2 with director Harvey Smith
Arkane knowledge.
Gamescom appointments are, by and large, a hurried affair. Get in, ask questions, get out, write up. Everyone, from developers to journalists to exhibitors, has a harried look in their eye and half a mind on where their next caffeinated beverage is coming from. So, sometimes it's nice to get a chance to sit down in an air-conditioned room and have a slightly longer, more relaxed chat about a game you're genuinely looking forward to playing. In this case, it's Dishonored 2, and I spoke to co-creative director Harvey Smith about, well, pretty much everything to do with the game, to be honest. The thought processes that led to the sequel, the reasoning behind having Emily and Corvo as dual (but not intersecting) protagonists, the nightmare that is designing levels that can be played not only with different sets of powers but also no powers at all, and certain incidents that may or may not involve drowning chambermaids.
It's a long chat, but an interesting one if you have the time. It's also funny listening to Smith talk about his experiences with the original Thief and the pleasures of discovering the 'rules' of an in-game world - I had the exact same experiences with the original Dishonored. Hands up if you got cheated out of the Clean Hands trophy for leaving an unconscious body somewhere the rats could get to it.