One of Dishonored's biggest selling points is its unique take on the steampunk aesthetic. At a recent preview event for the game, Sebastien Mitton, the game's art director, and Viktor Antonov, visual design director for ZeniMax Media, explained how this strange world came into being.

Dunwall, the city which players explore in the game, has been heavily influenced by London. (The city itself is set in the Isles, a clear reference to England.) Although inspired by an iconic real-world city, Arkane Studios wanted to create a place never seen before on any medium.

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Dunwall is a Rat Plague-infested Victorian city, ruled over an oppressive regime led by the villainous Lord Reagent. Framed for the murder of the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin, you step into the shoes of Corvo Attano, a former bodyguard turned assassin. But you are no mere mortal--you have been granted supernatural powers by a mysterious deity named the Outsider. Thus sets the events of Dishonored, Bethesda's upcoming first-person action/stealth game developed by Arkane Studios.

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