The Dishonored Series as Environmental and Social Commentary
away , even as her fine clothes wear into tatters and her silken hair gets dull and gray . Plenty of time for reflection .”
This second dialogue option seems much more aligned with The Outsider ’ s machinations , such as they can be discerned , to have not a city of corpses but visceral and visible reminders of what evil has been wrought on it , Dunwall ’ s environment , and the whales .
Perhaps Billie Lurk ’ s ship , The Dreadful Wale . 22 provides the most poignant evidence of the games ’ focus on ecological disaster . The word “ wale ” evokes two homophones , “ whale ” and “ wail ,” while avoiding existing definitively as either one . It brings to mind the haunting cries of whale song and the sounds of terror the creatures make in the agony of their deaths at the hands of hunters . Ultimately , the game series offers no neat narrative conclusions to any of Dunwall ’ s or Karnaca ’ s problems . While a Low Chaos ending for Dishonored leads to Empress Emily Kaldwin gaining control over the plague and ushers in what The Outsider describes as a “ golden age ,” nothing is mentioned of the continued hunting of whales . Indeed , Dishonored 2 , taking place some fifteen years after the events of the first game , finds whale oil still the dominant fuel source for the entire kingdom . Although the player can take steps to make Karnaca less corrupt and more mindful of the plight of its mine workers , those are small movements forward , not radical shifts in everyday lives . The seeds for plague , the overcrowding , filthy conditions , and economic disparity , still seem to seethe just below the surface . If the situation is left precarious on Low Chaos endings , High Chaos endings end on bleak notes . Observing all the player ’ s choices , and commenting on them , is The Outsider ,
22 This is its spelling in the games .
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