{"id":1047499,"date":"2026-01-17T23:29:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T23:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=485461"},"modified":"2026-01-17T23:29:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T23:29:51","slug":"if-you-loved-arcane-you-should-play-dishonored-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/if-you-loved-arcane-you-should-play-dishonored-2\/","title":{"rendered":"If you loved Arcane, you should play Dishonored 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Arcane<\/em> concluded its second and final season last Saturday. The adult animated action series produced by French studio Fortiche set in the universe of Riot Games\u2019 League of Legends<\/em> ended with a finale as spectacular as it was bittersweet, with the resolution of several major character arcs and the future of Piltover and Zaun\u2019s continued coexistence affirmed.<\/p>\n

Fans of Arcane<\/em> needn\u2019t be too upset by its absence, though, as showrunner and co-creator Christian Linke told Polygon that Riot and Fortiche are already at work<\/a> on several unannounced projects based in the League of Legends<\/em> universe. That\u2019s fine in the long term, sure, but what about right now<\/em>? <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for something, anything<\/em>, to tide you over while you wait for Fortiche to return to the world of Runeterra, your immediate first reaction might be to boot up League of Legends<\/em>, naturally, or maybe even Teamfight Tactics<\/em>, which recently got a new set<\/a> themed around the second season of the Netflix show. I\u2019m gonna make another suggestion, though: If you\u2019re only familiar with Arcane<\/em> and not the rest of the Riot universe, don\u2019t play League of Legends<\/em>. Play Dishonored 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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You\u2019re probably wondering, \u201cWhy shouldn\u2019t I play League of Legends<\/em>? I like those characters and that setting; shouldn\u2019t I play the game Arcane<\/em> is based off of?\u201d Normally, I would agree with that sentiment. But while the characters and setting of Arcane<\/em> are pulled directly from League of Legends<\/em>, the story and plot are more or less a wholesale invention for the show, woven out of the piecemeal sketches of personality added to the game over the past decade and a half. Furthermore, the moment-to-moment gameplay of League of Legends<\/em>, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game \u00e0 la Dota 2<\/em> or Heroes of the Storm<\/em>, is a far cry from the vibe and visual style of Arcane<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Dishonored 2<\/em>, however, fits that description almost perfectly \u2014 especially in its look and steampunk-inspired atmosphere. While bookended by sections that take place in Dunwall, the principal setting of the first Dishonored<\/em>, the 2016 sequel is set predominantly in Karnaca, the southernmost tip of the empire. Like Dishonored<\/em>\u2019s Dunwall, and more pertinently Arcane<\/em>\u2019s Piltover and Zaun, Kanarca is a city marked by the stark divide between the haves and the have-nots. The island\u2019s upper class is comfortably ensconced in lavish, modernist apartments and palaces of the island\u2019s verdant crest, while the lower castes are cast off to the offal-drenched docks, dust-choked canyons, and bloodfly-infested hovels of Karnaca\u2019s most uninhabitable corners.<\/p>\n

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If there\u2019s one thing Arcane<\/em> and Dishonored 2<\/em> share in abundance, it\u2019s their love of architecture, particularly turn-of-the-century styles like art deco and art nouveau. Karnaca confidently earns its nickname as the \u201cJewel of the South\u201d in Dishonored\u2019s universe, with an aesthetic that combines the Mediterranean style of Greek, Italian, and Spanish architecture with extravagant flourishes of art nouveau-inspired illustration. The architecture of Piltover in Arcane<\/em> is heavily inspired by art deco<\/a>, with its elaborate stained-glass windows and golden accents, while the undercity of Zaun derives most of its aesthetic from a combination of steampunk and art nouveau \u2014 especially in various posters and illustrations that decorate the city\u2019s interiors.  <\/p>\n

The visual style of Arcane<\/em> also shares more than a few common touchpoints with Dishonored 2<\/em>, with its angular character silhouettes, sharp profiles, and richly detailed facial features and expressions. Dishonored 2<\/em> is one of the most visually beautiful games of the eighth console generation, and so it\u2019s little wonder that Arcane<\/em>, one of the most visually distinctive and adventurous animated series in recent memory, would share an abundance of common inspirations.<\/p>\n

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