Review: Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches pits you against foes with comparable powers

If you’ve bloodied Daud’s sword in Knife of Dunwall, it’s time to unsheathe that bad boy and get ready to put the pointy end in some witches. Dishonored’s continuation and final part of Daud’s separate DLC is The Brigmore Witches. This coven, led by head witch Delilah, has been a generally pest to the assassin leader, and as their plot vs. Dunwall unfolds it will be all up to Daud to change the course of Dunwall’s history. Will this path be cleared in bloodshed or will no one ever know Daud ever completed the task?

You take the roll as Daud in the final half of this adventure. If you played Knife of Dunwall, you can continue with your save file. This means Daud will have the same powers, runes, chaos level, and saved decisions you made throughout your gameplay. I’m still a giant fan of Daud’s ability to stop time whenever he’s standing still while blinking – oh, the jukes and high jumps. You’ll get a few more gadgets but the meat and potatoes of this DLC really comes from the new levels – why mess with the equations that works though?

This DLC will add three full levels to your missions list. These levels include some disguising in a familiar environment, getting caught up in gang violence, and raiding the Brigmore complex. Poor ole Daud is haunted by the rampaging Corvo and knows it will only be a matter of days until he finds him. It appears that those who are blessed with the Outsider’s gift tend to hunt each other down for the slaughter. Similar to how Daud gives limited power to his lackeys, so does Delilah to hers.

For the most part, The Brigmore Witches plays identically to Knife of Dunwall. There are a few new enemies such as the demon dogs and the witches. The dogs are pains in the a@# if they attack in a pack. On top of the fun slice and dicing, you have to bash their skulls once “killed” to make sure they don’t reanimate. The witches throw all sorts of spells and horrible things at you. I strongly suggest taking them out from stealth or shooting a sleepy time dart into their witchy bodies. In the Brigmore Estate level, the ones I knocked out where either waking up or respawning, not sure what was going on there. I think it is a similar script as the first part in the last level of Corvo’s campaign.

I have to give it up to Arkane Studios when it comes to environment and atmosphere. The prison really feels like a full-on prison, gang-infested streets have battles going on, and creepy witch coven estates are… well, you get it – creepy. Through a favor system, you can buy boons before a level starts to help Daud out in the level – the most notable was a costume you can buy in the first level to blend in certain areas to make it easier.

Also new to this DLC are ‘Corrupter Bone Charms.’ Taking a bone charm slot, these give a benefit but also add some sort of crutch; use at your own risk.

In Dishonored I tend to play ultra-stealthy and carefully with a light touch when it comes to murder and rampage – this style of gameplay took me approximately three-four hours to complete. At $10 or 800 Microsoft Points, I recommend this DLC for Dishonored fans. If you played Knife of Dunwall, you absolutely have to finish Daud’s tale to see how it all fits in with the overarching Dishonored storyline. This DLC also serves as a viable excuse to play more Dishonored – which is always a good thing. Personally, I needed to know how it all ends.

[Reviewed on Xbox 360]