Calum Petrie reviews Dishonored #4…
Corvo’s search for his long-lost sister reaches its heady climax as sorcery and suspicion spills onto the streets of Dunwall. But will his new protégé survive the arcane machinations she finds herself embroiled in? Find out in this thrilling conclusion to the series.
The final issue of Dishonored: The Wyrmwood Deceit starts off with the Martha in the process of an unorthodox interrogation of two street thugs. The information is delivered, though not before bloodshed, then the players all start moving into place for the finale.
Corvo continues his hunt with the person he believes to be his nephew, only for the cliffhanger of the previous issue to reveal the boy is not really of Corvo’s blood. In fact the boy is not actually real at all, but an illusion born of a witch’s painting. The trap is being laid beautifully and Corvo is stepping into place for his ambush, though in a moment of clarity he puts everything into place before he sets foot into the abandoned ship.
Martha limps through the street of Dunwall and returns to a shadier side of the city where her interrogation led her, now very injured and regretting not calling back up. When the street rats recognise her injuries they start to prey on Martha before a mysterious and intimidating figure swoops into to her rescue, which actually turns out to be an abduction.
Corvo, who is now aboard the abandoned ship, is confronted by the juggernaut Broken Tom, the man that badly injured Corvo in issue #2. When some quick thinking gives Corvo a plan and advantage in the fight, the aged Royal Protector uses his natural abilities to take apart his augmented enemy rather than using his gifts from The Outsider.
The issue is rounded off very cleverly with Martha waking up from her abduction; the woman who has been in the shadows for this whole series now face to face with the fierce city watch officer. In true villain style the witch divulges vital information about her plan – her next step is to creature a painted clone of Martha and implement it within the ranks of the city watch. When Martha uses her last ditch effort to save not only her own but Corvo’s life as well, a mysterious figure literally walks through a wall to save her and take her away.
Our long time hero is conversing with the boy he believed to be his nephew until recently; he watches the boy fade into nothing as his original painting was just destroyed by Martha. The man now questioning the motives of this elaborate plan and realising there is no evidence trail to follow. With a pang of regret towards to family he lost and his final thoughts of the issue being of the family he still has, Corvo will be motivated in the game’s release next month.
The final issue of the series dealt with the duo investigations of the story in mirror but sometime opposite approaches. The delivery of the tale was very well crafted and delivered in an exciting manner than never left me bored and just wanting to finish. My heart would sink at the end of each issue and now it is livid that the cliffhanger ending has just slapped me in the face! The art style in the series was vibrant and added layers of depth to the story. I could almost just read through the series again with the original games soundtrack and believe I was immersed even further into the story.
Rating: 8/10
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Originally published October 20, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
