The very first details on Arkane Studios' and Bethesda's Dishonored have been revealed over on Game Informer, along with the very first screen, showing the game's hero brandishing a blade while being attacked by some sort of masked bandit fellow with a pistol and a short sword.

You play as Corvo, who begins the game falsely imprisoned for the murder of the Empress. Thing is, Corvo is her legendary bodyguard, so obviously something is incredibly fishy, meaning that the corrupt Lord Regent behind the plot to depose the Empress and have Corvo thrown in the slammer is about to discover just how legendary the game's protagonist really is.

Corvo is not only skilled in combat and proficient in stealthy tactics, but he also has an array of supernatural powers and gadgets at his disposal, which with his natural talents, make him one of the most lethal men in the world. You can combine these powers to create interesting effects, like stopping time, or knocking objects off a table to cause a distraction. Or you can summon a swarm of rats, possess one of them, attack a guard amid the chaos or simply escape with the swarm.

Dishonored apparently combines the key gameplay elements of "mobility, powers & gadgets, environment and AI", with a 'chaos' system that tracks how much damage and havoc you create, which in turn changes the game world. An assassination game at heart, Dishonored's world reacts to how violent you are while the 'chaos' element works behind the scenes, affecting the story and the decisions you make without overtly punishing the player or dictating the route they should take through the game.

Coming from Raphael Colantonio who was lead designer on Arx Fatalis, and Harvey Smith, who's known for being the lead designer on Deus Ex, Dishonored has the duo on board as co-creative directors. You'll be able to get creative with Corvo's skills and tactics when Dishonored releases in 2012. Check out the first screenshot below.