Animated Shorts Reveal Dishonored's Backstory

Arkane Studios this week released a three-part short film series called “Tales from Dunwall,” which provide insights into the history of Dishonored‘s fascinating setting.

In case you didn’t know, Dishonored is set in a Victorian-era alternate universe, where instead of electricity, technology is powered by whale oil. You’ll find out how that came to be and more about Dunwall, in these short films. I’ve uploaded all three of them to YouTube and I’m embedding them below. When watched together, they do seem to be three stories that tell a single, connected narrative. It’s good stuff.

“Tales from Dunwall” was created by Psyop, an animation and design studio that specializes in this sort of thing. It’s rendered in hand-drawn, 2D animation, with 3D elements added in post-production to give it dimension and depth and enhance the artistry. The series is narrated by Chloe Grace Moretz (Hugo, Kick-Ass) and scored by composer Daniel Licht (Dexter).

Dishonored is expected in stores on October 9 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.