Popular Culture Review Volume 29, Number 2, Summer 2018 | Page 83

Popular Culture Review 29.2
the ravaging of the whale population and environment while avoiding simple delineations of good and evil .
Even considering The Outsider ’ s willingness to potentially create more chaos , he does not appear to want this to be the path that his chosen ones select . He appears to favor a Low Chaos playthrough , as his tone in the segments in which the player meets him tends to reflect interest in Corvo ’ s choices , whereas The Outsider sounds colder , clipped , and snide on a High Chaos playthrough . An example of this is found in a mission in the first game involving one of the antagonists who Corvo must either eliminate or deal with in a nonlethal manner . Lady Boyle , one of the supporters of the Lord Regent and therefore of the coup and murder of the Empress , is well protected in her mansion , and reaching her is difficult regardless of which option the player chooses . Corvo can either kill her outright or orchestrate her kidnapping and living , presumably for the rest of her life , under lock and key . Here are the comments The Outsider makes depending on Corvo ’ s choice :
Death : “ I suppose she had to go . Supporting a tyrant , the Lord Regent . And living in opulence while the people of the city starve to death and live in fear of plague . What choice did you have ?” The question is presented with a healthy dose of scorn , given that the player embodying Corvo did have a choice .
Captivity : “ She supported a tyrant , the Lord Regent . And lived in opulence while the people of the city starve to death and live in fear of plague . Now she ’ ll live out her days , month after month , year after year , far
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