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Arkane Studios' bosses Raphael Colantonio and Harvey Smith have revealed new details about how Dishonored 2 will differentiate between Emily and Corvo, and what changes fans of the original should expect.

Speaking to IGN during E3 2015, the duo explained you won't be switching between the two characters as missions go on, but will instead face a choice near the start of the game that'll be permanent.

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"The way we’re doing it this time is you play Emily for about 20 or 30 minutes at the beginning of the game, then there’s this very dramatic moment where you can choose which one to continue with, either Emily or Corvo," Smith explained. "Then for the rest of the game you’re locked into that choice. But it’s the same series of missions whether you choose or the other, they just have different perspectives and commentary on it.

“ There’s this very dramatic moment where you can choose which one to continue with, either Emily or Corvo.

"They do have completely different powers, however. In the announce trailer you see Emily using a power called 'Far Reach'. She doesn’t have Blink, she has Far Reach, and it can be upgraded mechanically in different ways than Blink can be. You also see her using Shadow Walk at the end, and that’s a power Corvo won’t have either."

The duo also explained player feedback has played a major part in the development of the sequel. One of the biggest complaints about the original was that the game was too easy, so now a wealth of options have been added to make it tougher. For example, if you're feeling masochistic, you'll be able to toggle a setting that dictates how visible you are when leaning around things. Those who want an accessible game so they can explore the world can have that by remaining invisible when leaning, while those who want a challenge can make it so guards will spot them if they look long enough.

Another big addition was teased, though Colantonio was rather coy about it. He said in addition to the lethal and non-lethal playthroughs present in the first game, there's to be a third path. When this is combined with the fact you can choose between Corvo or Emily and more pathways through the world than ever before, both he and Smith believe there's a strong case for players wanting to go through the game again and push themselves with a new route, character and difficulty.

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As for those fearing Corvo may be taking a backseat in this version of the game, Smith emphasised that wasn't necessarily the case, and his skills have received a fresh lick of paint to boot.

"I feel like Dishonored 1 was Corvo’s story - in Dishonored 2, you can play Corvo, and we love Corvo – we’ve deepened and extended all of his powers. We’ve revisited all of his powers from the first game and added new upgrades and things. So he has his classic powers, but they’re upgraded and extended.

"But it does feel like there’s an excitement around Emily. It’s 15 years later and I think what Raf was talking about was after you finish Dishonored, you wonder how this girl will grow up. She was a 10-year-old, her mother was killed, she was from a position of privilege but then went through a tragedy and was raised by Corvo so what would she be like as a 25-year-old? We were really excited about seeing her story play out as the resolution of what happened to her mother, the assassination of this Empress."

We'll have more on Dishonored 2 as it's announced. In the meantime, we've already had a glimpse at an aging Corvo Attano and it doesn't look like the years have been kind.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter.