Unlike movie sequels, game sequels are often better than the original. However, with games costing $60 or more, many players are hesitant to purchase sequel games unless the franchise is very well established.

As such, Dishonored 2 struggled upon release. According to Metro, the title sold 38 percent less that the original game. However, part of this may have been timing. Dishonored came out in October 2012, before the Christmas rush. Dishonored 2 hit shelves in November 2016 right in the middle of a first-person shooter Christmas feeding frenzy. It was vying with Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare, a well-established franchise, for gamers' holiday dollars.

In an apparent attempt to bolster sagging sales, Bethesda is inviting players on all platforms (PC, Xbox, and PlayStation) to try Dishonored 2 for free. Engadget reported that players will be able to download a trial version of the game on April 6.

The trial will consist of the first three missions in the game. Progress will save just like in the full version, so if players choose to purchase the title, they can pick up where they left off.

Dishonored 2 still sells for $59.99, and there is no indication that a discounted price will be offered to those who download the trial. However, the trial may be enough to coax those who were on the fence about the game into buying it.

Dishonored 2 has received mostly good reviews. Metacritic gave it an 88 with no negative critical opinions. Out of the 62 reviews (for the PlayStation version) that the aggregation site looked at 59 were positive, and only three critics had mixed impressions. User scores were inline with the critics as well except for PC users who complained about performance issues which have since been patched.

Despite lagging sales, Dishonored 2 still received plenty of accolades from gaming publications.

We recently listed it as one of the Best PC Games you should be playing today, and according to the Dishonored Twitter feed, it has won over "100 'Best of 2016' awards."

While it may have gotten off to a slow start, Bethesda's offering of a free trial may trigger a sales rush for Dishonored 2 at a time when there is less competition.

Screenshot by Gamepur