Dishonored: Brigmore Witches DLC review - deadly finale

Attention

This review contains spoilers for the base game, Dishonored, as well as the previous piece of DLC, Knife of Dunwall.

When I started Brigmore Witches, the final DLC for Dishonored (original game review here), Arkane Studios and Bethesda's superb super natural assassin game, I had certain preconceived notions. At first, I thought I knew everything there was to know mainly because the DLC runs concurrently to the main story by simply showing events through the eyes of Daud, one of Corvo's adversaries. I thought Daud was the definitive villain and I also believed that I'd have no qualms facing the inevitable ending that resulted from my choices in the original game. I was wrong. Brigmore Witches establishes Daud, even more so than Knife of Dunwall (its review here) did previously, as not only a conflicted man, but a man that does everything in his power to make a difference, even when no one will ever notice - the sign of a true hero.

In the original game, players have a choice to either kill Daud, or let him live. All of these events that take place in Brigmore Witches eventually lead up to that moment, but let's back track a bit. The end of Knife of Dunwall left players with their right-hand assistant betraying them and on the verge of war with Delilah and her Brigmore Witches. The story picks up right where it left off and never slows down for the entirety of the 5-or-so hour adventure. The DLC is delivered similarly to Knife of Dunwall, as it consists of a few standalone missions with no "hub" like the original game. You can pick up from your last save, or start fresh, but I don't see why you'd ever want to start fresh when you can carry over content.

With a new pull power, non-lethal mines and new favors for missions - Arkane Studios squeezed in just enough new things to keep it interesting. The best things about this DLC actually has absolutely nothing to do with the gameplay, mechanics or features - it's all about the world and characters. In Knife of Dunwall, there was a severe lack of fresh environments - the first mission resembled every area in the base game and it never really took that extra step to feeling like a new experience. Every area in Brigmore Witches is unique and gushes with personality. From the Coldridge Prison in the opening mission, to the dock-side areas of the second mission and especially Brigmore Manor and its surrounding grounds - they all feel fresh.

To read the full review, go to The Koalition>