Welcome back to A Creative Review with James Cooper. Today Coop tackles an enormous painted wallscape for Arkane Studios’ new first-person adventure: Dishonored.

What’s In a Name?

This wallscape is for a new game called Dishonored. Apparently it’s set in a place called Dunwall, which is some sort of cross between Victorian London and Edinburgh - somewhere dark and damp basically - in the 1800’s in a time where whale oil is used as fuel. 

I mention all this because from the piece alone, you really wouldn’t get any of that. You also wouldn’t know that it features voice talent from the likes of Susan Sarandon and Carrie Fisher, or that despite it being a first person shoot ‘em up - you can actually win the game without killing anyone. 

Photo credit: ADstruc

All of this seems interesting to me. Maybe it would to other people too? Clearly the main the drivers for game purchases today are product reviews and trailers. No amount of amazing advertising is going to persuade you to part with fifty bucks if your gameplay stinks. But, as with movies, I just feel like we could do so much more with this space. 

I get that it’s a reminder and it has to be clear - but if you’re painting the side of a massive building in Manhattan, why not use something more intriguing than game art and a big title? Sorry, don’t send this guy after me!

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That’s all folks! Want to get involved? Send us the best or worst billboards you’ve seen and we’ll choose one every week. Just email coop@adstruc.com.