Note: This review will contain spoilers for Dishonored 2, as the story presumes knowledge of key events on the part of the player.

When you make a spinoff to a game series that is also a sequel, you have two objectives. You need to make it logically follow from what came before, while also adding some new gameplay additions. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider does this mostly well, but not without some flaws.

Set some time after the ending of Dishonored 2, you are Billie Lurk. A former assassin, Billie now seeks to close the book on her past. However, one thing will require her to dust off her assassin skills. Her former mentor Daud is dying, and his last request is the last and greatest kill of them all, The Outsider, the emissary of the Void. Daud holds the Outsider responsible for all the supernatural misery that has plagued the world, and Billie Lurk, cursed with Void-given power as a side effect of the events of Dishonored 2, also wants to rid the world of the Outsider.

The main story is set after the Low Chaos ending of Dishonored 2. Billie Lurk must go through a series of missions set in Karnaca, the setting of Dishonored 2. These missions involve her trying to find a way into the realm of the Void to assassinate the Outsider. In the meantime, a cult of Void worshipers has arisen to be obstacles to Billie’s mission, and more than one of them may also have to fall to your blade in order to reach the Outsider.

The main gameplay loop is typical of the Dishonored series. Each mission involves stealth action through various parts of Karnaca. Using a mixture of stealth, various weapons, magical abilities, and lethal or non-lethal tactics, Billie Lurk must achieve her mission goals. Alongside her main mission are bonus missions Bille can do for others for various rewards. Billie can also obtain various equipment and other upgrades to make her progress easier.

It’s worth noting that this game breaks with the prior games in several ways. This game is very short, with only five or so missions. The Chaos system (which functioned as a morality meter) is gone, meaning there are no rewards for staying lethal or non-lethal. The magical powers function mostly the same, albeit with a few minor differences, like no need to find mana potions to replenish their use (as the magic meter refills completely on its own now).

Graphically, this title reuses many assets from Dishonored 2 due to being in the same setting. Again, it’s set in a bright and vivid setting with a seaside resort theme and mild steampunk influences. They do mix it up towards the end with some Lovecraftian locations, though.

Sounds and music retain the understated ambiance of Dishonored. There are a lot of recycled assets from Dishonored 2, including voiceovers. There is some new voice acting, which is just as competent. That aside, there is also little new that a veteran of Dishonored 2 wouldn’t have heard before.

Death of the Outsider can be controlled with keyboard and mouse or any Steam-supported controller. The default keys can be rebound, but the initial keybinds are pretty intuitive. Since this game is basically a standalone DLC to Dishonored 2, it does expect the player to be mostly familiar with the essentials up front.

This title is pretty stable. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider runs natively on Microsoft Windows. It will run on Linux via Steam Proton and is rated Verified on the Steam Deck.

Morally, there is a lot of concerning content.

Violence can get pretty graphic. The player can rather messily and gorily kill enemies if they wish. The player does have the choice to either evade enemies or, at most, knock them out instead. The player can, if they so choose, kill or spare almost any NPC, at their discretion. Due to the removal of the Chaos system, there are now no consequences for mass murder or showing mercy, so the player has even less restraint on their actions aside from gameplay preference.

Language can get very earthy. Expect to hear every word from f**k on down. There are also a lot of crude sexual terms and innuendos thrown around. Though no sexual activity is shown, there are some open references to orgies and other sexual acts.

This is a setting with a profound amount of supernatural influence. There is a being named the Outsider and a place called the Void. There is also an in-game religion with some trappings of Catholicism that opposes the Outsider. While they present the Outsider as evil, the Outsider is more of a neutral force. The Outsider is the “antagonist” of the game, but without going into too many spoilers, they can be dealt with in a non-lethal and moral manner.

Morally, Billie Lurk is on a quest partly for vengeance and partly for answers. They can approach their missions in a brutal and violent fashion or show as much mercy as possible. The only moral choice is at the end, namely, whether the Outsider is murdered or if you choose a less immoral alternative. There are also frequent depictions of smoking and drinking.

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is a pretty good (if somewhat short) game if you ask me. It’s technically sound and offers excellent stealth gameplay. Morally, it has a lot of themes not meant for any but mature audiences. If you want a good stealth title and liked Dishonored 2, then Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is worth playing.