10 Times Video Games Made You Feel
6. Dishonoured Gives Us A Father Figure
Fatherhood is a major theme of Dishonoured, as much of it is spent trying to rescue and then defend the young Imperial princess Emily who has lost her own parents. And yet main character Corvo has his own father figure in the unexpectedly paternal presence of the boatman who takes him between the game’s hub and its various mission locations.
Samuel the boatman is a grizzled, grumpy sea dog with the hint of a man who has seen everything, and forms a comforting bookend to the game’s mission structure from the moment he arrives at the first prison-set level to spirit Corvo to safety.
And yet Samuel is more than just a narrative device. When Corvo’s allies turn on him to facilitate their coup on the Imperial throne, it is Samuel who stays loyal to Corvo and Emily, saving his life and helping him continue on his quest to restore Emily to the throne. Samuel even provides one of the game’s few moments of levity, in his exasperation at Emily’s recounting of the naughtiness she witnessed while being held in the attic of a brothel.
Our genuine fondness for Samuel, and our gratitude at his presence even when the game is tearing everything away from us, proves that emotional gaming moments don't have to involve misery and horror.