Oct 9, 2025
Architecture in Dishonored. Part 3
A lot of time has passed since our last dive into the world of the game Dishonored, so in order to refresh your memory or get acquainted with the two previous parts, I will leave links to them:
Part 1: stopgame.ru/blogs/topic/98004
Part 2: stopgame.ru/blogs/topic/98136
Now, without delay, let’s move on to analyzing the architecture at the “Dunwall sewers” level. In the Russian localization it was called “Catacombs”, which is incorrect, since in essence it is a sewer. And here you will have a couple of natural questions: “Architecture? In the sewer? The author has absolutely nothing to do?». At first glance, the level really seems uninteresting from an architectural point of view, but after spending some time on it, looking closely, I came to the conclusion that it is one of the most interesting in the game. I would also like to make a reservation that reading and deciphering architectural code is rather an individual matter, depending on your knowledge, experience and “observation”. And even more so in a game where the design is dictated not by everyday needs, but by conventions and works, as a rule, for gameplay. Therefore, my “interpretation” does not claim to be the only correct one and is only an attempt at analysis.
Main part
So, having passed the first enemies, kindly killed by rats, we find ourselves in a small tunnel. It would seem that there is nothing unusual, but, holding our gaze, we notice a very strange combination: brick walls, reinforced with iron beams, a concrete ceiling, and even a window. The first thing that comes to mind: once upon a time this was either a building, or its basement, or a street. That is, the walls that were originally built of brick were filled with concrete on top, and in order for them to withstand the significantly increased load, metal supports were installed.
We walk a couple of meters and notice signs that say that this section of the sewer was once the intersection of Barrowe Street and Lackwa Boulevard. Similar decisions take place in the real world. For example, in the prototype of Dunwall – London – in 1858, due to the lack of a centralized sewerage system, an event occurred, known in history as the “Great Stench”. The Thames and its surrounding areas were mired in sewage, entire streets were left in waste, disease was rampant, and people fled the capital en masse. It was after this event that a sewer system close to the modern one was created, of which some flooded streets became a part. Perhaps a similar situation arose in the game world, as a result of which the water sewer system was built, but the lore is silent about this.
We pass further and see many pipes above the drainage channel. We also saw metal pipes at the first level of the game, where we found out that they appeared not so long ago, at least much later than the bulk of the city’s buildings, since these water conduits do not fit into the architectural ensemble of Dunwall. Note that rainwater and sewerage are separated, from here we will draw a conclusion about the level of technical development of the Island Empire. Combined sewer pipes can cause serious pollution, so they are separated for further cleaning (I hope, because there is no way to observe this process in the game).
Well, where would we be without gaming https://blood-moon-casino.co.uk/ conventions?? Lamp hanging in the sewer… I wonder why? Well, we need to create a light source for the player, because moving in the “dark” is quite uncomfortable. However, this can be justified by the fact that the guards, having learned about Corvo’s escape across the river, went to look for him, so they had time to prepare the area in advance.
“No trespassing” (translated as “no passage”) is also a rather strange inscription for the sewer system. It can serve as confirmation for us that these canals used to be city streets.
In the next section, which was once Reform street (which is very ironic), we meet the first traces of human activity, and Dunwall opens up to us from the other side – a huge number of poor and homeless people are forced to take refuge in the sewers in order to survive.
We see a sign like this that reads: “Pollution is prohibited – draining into the River Renhaven”. We note that our previous thought about the separation of drains was correct – only rainwater flows (or should flow) in the channel.
The next part of the level is an open space that was probably just a drain before, as the lower part is covered in silt and boulders. But later it was narrowed – this is evidenced by the “conflict” of brick and concrete. The first indicates that the building belongs to the pre-industrial era, while the second, more modern, was added, most likely, relatively recently, in order to enclose the sump and eliminate the possibility of accidental falls. Concrete consoles support the new “ceiling” and an iron grille, which simultaneously protects people and allows water to pass through.
On the other hand, returning to our discussions about the possible origin of canals – former streets, it is logical to assume that this place was once a city square or intersection.
However, only after leaving this area, we immediately find ourselves in a cave, which is very strange if we are guided by the fact that all this time we were on the former streets of the city. It’s quite difficult to explain such an architecture, but we must not forget that this is a game where everything is possible. But still, one cannot help but be impressed by how man-made is woven into the natural environment – a lattice on top that allows rainwater to fall into an underground river, pipes supported by beams that are literally built into the rock.
A little further you can see a small flaw of the level designers – a dead-end tunnel resting on a rock. This hardly makes much sense, and it certainly shouldn’t be reproduced in reality. Although, it is worth noting, this is not so much a flaw as a convention dictated by gameplay necessity – in this “sleeve” there is a tripwire, and behind it a small cache – this is how the game “tells” us: “Listen, player, you can spend a little more time exploring the location – for this I will reward you, but keep in mind that sometimes this is dangerous and fraught with consequences”.
Entering the stream, we notice that, although it is limited by a concrete channel, it flows along natural stone. Having carried out a small logical chain, we come to the conclusion that once it was a river, which was later directed in the direction the person needed and turned it into a kind of storm drain.
Upstream we encounter a sluice built to control the water level in order to avoid flooding during heavy rainfalls. We are not discovering anything new for ourselves, since we already met a water lock at the very beginning of the game, and a much more advanced one in design and appearance.
But the next object on the level is much more interesting. Some kind of armored vehicle with two seats. Let’s remember the same beginning of the game, where we already saw motorized boats and ships. All this together allows us to get an idea of the stage of scientific and technological development at which the Island Empire is currently located.
Next we go down to a section that, to be honest, doesn’t make much sense. Perhaps the environment designers decided not to work out everything to the smallest detail towards the end of the level (or I don’t understand something). Because we see rocks mixed with brick walls, which, if it occurs in life, is extremely rare, and certainly not in the sewer. A lot of dead-end passages, an incomprehensible “ventilation”, a hook that makes a channel – all this is absolutely illogical from an architectural point of view. In the real world, such a drain would have been flooded long ago. Especially considering that the pipes that we can observe from above most likely come from the plant under which we are located.
The next thing the game draws our attention to is the rails running directly overhead. Through bright directional light, loud sound and a more open location, the level designer focuses our attention on the railway system in Dunwall. Perhaps these are the same “trolleys” that we saw at the level a little earlier. In any case, the carriages are quite small – this allows us to assume that public transport in the game world is not developed. All means of transportation, as we see, are very compact, accommodating only a couple of passengers, hence the conclusion about the predominance of individualism and social inequality in society, there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor. In this example, we see that in the game world the development of science and society has taken a slightly different direction than in real life.
And finally we come to the end of the level, where the player is rewarded for walking through monotonous (well, as we found out, not so monotonous), cramped and dark locations with bright lights and a grandiose landscape – a giant whaling ship with prey on board. Observing this surreal, but at the same time incredibly beautiful picture, we understand that this path was not made in vain.
Conclusion
So, to summarize what we saw and discussed today, let’s note the titanic work done by Arkane Studios. Despite the occasional minor flaws, the studio (as always) distinguished itself by its attention to small details, well-developed sections and skillful storytelling through the environment, even in such a seemingly uninteresting location as a sewer. We traced the history of this place, how it turned from the streets of the city into an intricate system of canals, now a refuge for all the marginalized sections of the population of Dunwall.
However, as I said at the beginning: all of the above is just my interpretation of what the authors wanted to say. Surely you have your own additions and guesses, which I will be happy to read in the comments. Thank you for your attention!
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