10 Awesome Video Game Levels That Ended Painfully Soon
4. A Crack In The Slab - Dishonoured 2
Though Dishonoured 2 deals with witchcraft and other paranormal themes, the most defining moment is when it goes down the sci-fi route.
The core mechanic in the Crack in the Slab mission involves a timepiece that lets you switch between the present and the past in real time. Although this could've been a visual gimmick, it’s beautifully interwoven into the level design, puzzles, and stealth gameplay.
You might see guards in the present and avoid them by traveling to the past. You can remove an obstacle in one timeline to open a path in the future. Certain puzzles can be solved by manipulating the environment across both times, closing a door in the past to block a guard in the present, or triggering events that change the entire state of the mansion.
The different methods of playing in the past create distinct outcomes in the present, encouraging multiple playthroughs to see how each choice affects the world.
This time distortion is such a stroke of genius, it would've been awesome if it was incorporated in later levels. Too bad time-travel is never utilised again, compelling players to revert to standard combat and stealth missions afterward.