Released in 2012, “Dishonored” is a shorter game that will give you a solid 15-20 hours of good plot, fun missions and unique storytelling.

Corvo, the bodyguard to the Empress of the Isles, and her daughter Emily are the main characters throughout the game. The game starts with Corvo returning from a diplomatic mission seeking aid from other nations to deal with the rat plague affecting the city of Dunwall. Just as Corvo reunites with the empress, an assassin kills the empress and Emily is kidnapped. Framed, Corvo’s thrown into prison and is scheduled to be executed.

Using sneak tactics, the player must escape, avoid and uncover the plots around him or her. The decisions you make throughout the game, like whether to use a sleeping dart or a poisoned one, greatly affect the game.

The more people a player kills, the more plague-carrying rats and infected people called “weepers” fill the city. The opportunities that the player has, along with the dialogue of the other characters, changes by the level of chaos the player creates.

Although reasonably short, the game offers a variety of missions with various ways to complete them. There’s an ever-present god-like character known as The Outsider, who has given Corvo special abilities, like being able to “blink” onto the roofs of buildings.

The Outsider will occasionally appear to talk about the interesting choices the player faces when he or she finds a shrine, bone charm or rune.

The bone charms, which are scattered throughout the city, allow the player to purchase new powers from The Outsider like the ability to become a rat or war hound. These new powers give the player different ways of completing tasks while also finding new routes.

“Dishonored” is a refreshing game for those who play the types of games that funnel the player through the plot. It offers the player the chance to choose what kind of person Corvo will be. For some, that might mean slicing their way through the citizens and guards of Dunwall, while for others, it might mean jumping from chandelier to chandelier, never gaining attention.

Although the graphics might seem slightly aged—even though it’s only two years old—the game is well worth the time. After you get around the small learning curve of how and when to use your weapons and what the best routes are, you’ll be well on your way to finding Emily and, with any luck, ridding the city of the rat plague.