The player controls Corvo Atano, a former legendary bodyguard to the Empress who is not only a fine swordsman and marksman, master-at-arms, and cunning infiltrator, but also possesses great supernatural powers.
The game is played in first-person, with an emphasis placed on stealth action and the utilization of gadgets as well as the environment to eliminate opposing forces. In the Game Informer cover story, it was mentioned that every enemy in the game (even bosses) can be neutralized non-lethally, if the player so chooses. Lead designers Harvey Smith and Raphaël Colantonio have described the game world as a "simulation"; if the player encounters thugs harassing an innocent passerby, they can be fought off, but the thugs themselves exist within the game world prior to the event, rather than simply spawning in at a designated time or place. If the player encounters the thugs ahead of time, they can be defeated and the mugging will never take place at all.
Corvo has access to swords, daggers, crossbows, and guns, including powerful but slow pistols and muskets. His supernatural powers include the ability to freeze time for a certain period, create powerful gusts of wind, possess any living creature, summon plague animals such as rats, and teleport short distances.
