Deus Ex returns to the current gen after a 5-year absence, and boy is it good to be back. The game once again follows augmented super-cop, Adam Jensen, as he works with a top-secret Interpol group, Task Force 29. The squad’s main objective is to monitor and disrupt terrorist activity throughout the world. Much like its predecessor, Mankind Divided allows players a myriad of skills and opportunities.
The game does an amazing job of creating a unique experience that transcends not only the FPS genre, but entertainment as a whole. In a year where we’ve seen great shooters like Doom and Overwatch, Deus Ex accomplishes to feat those games in one very important category, intelligence. What Deus Ex does best is present itself with a level of aptitude that is not seen often enough in the gaming industry.
The Game Conforms to YOU
Do you feel like rushing in to that building with a tactical shotgun, ready to blast through some poor NPC’s chest? Or perhaps you want to sneak in through a vent, carefully making your way into the enemy hideout as you slip in and out undetected. More than anything, Deus Ex relies on individual style. As the first mission begins Jensen is asked whether he wants to use a lethal or non-lethal weapon set.
While your decision doesn’t hold you back from any particular style later in the game, it makes for a perfect introduction to the way Mankind Divided is supposed to be played, however you want. Eidos Montreal understands that gaming is about the user’s experience, and they quickly relinquish all power to the person behind the controller. The game starts out candidly asking how you wish to enjoy the story, offering a much more relaxed, linear experience than in previous entries. This is a great move by the Canadian studio as it opens the game up to a larger fan base and shows it to be more inviting. For the more masochistic gamers (yes, I’m talking to you, Dark Souls lovers) Deus Ex offers an uber realistic mode entitled, I never asked for this. Enough Said.
The RPG element that revolutionized (see what I did there?) earlier entries of Deus Ex are back and better than ever. Mankind Divided offers players 28 unique augmentations which can be adjusted to better suit your playstyle for any particular mission. This means that a player can go from being completely stealth with a cloaking shield, to slicing baddies up with a retractable blade that doubles as a projectile in an instant.
While Deus Ex allows your personality to shine through in the gameplay, it urges individuality in conversation as well. Players are given several dialogue options, many of which will change the course of a mission or alter its ending. The depth of individuality that Eidos Montreal gifted this installment of the franchise is truly something special.
Technology in the Game is Actually Convincing
This is where Mankind Divided really steps up from other shooters and previous Deus Ex games. Whereas the plot of cybernetically enhanced humans is obviously a bit far-fetched for reality, the security and computer systems are impressively illustrated. While they are not exact replicas of today’s AI systems (it is the future, after all) the computer and security systems are extremely convincing. Slipping into the window of a locked apartment is the easy part. What will your course of action be when you enter the house, only to find yourself being scanned by an angry red beam that immediately identifies you as an intruder? No, you won’t be turned to dust by laser beams when your thievery is detected. Cortana is going to call the cops on your ass.
This is the beauty of the technology in Mankind Divided. When Adam Jensen runs through a laser security system his body does not fall to the ground in chunks of augmented limbs like Doom. An alarm goes off as a camera beams down on him and security forces are called. The solutions to mastering the games technology are also believable. How do you overcome such impressive home security? Simply find the owner’s computer and re-write the AI’s code to program your likeness as the original tenant.
Deus Ex has always been able to bring a feeling of realism to a somewhat unrealistic game. A similar approach is taken with the weapon technology. Shooting the police drones with regular ammo may not destroy but antagonize the machine instead, resulting in a deadly firefight with the law. The smart decision would be to switch to EMP ammo and send a strong jolt of electricity throughout the drone, completely disabling it and keeping your pal Jensen alive.
It Deals With Real Issues
The plot of Mankind Divided directly follows the events of Human Revolution. After the augmented humans were forced to attack “normal” people, the divide between the two has never been bigger. Terrorist bombings claim the lives of the innocent on a regular basis. Society is against the Augmented and constantly attempts to dehumanize them. As you walk through the streets of Prague you become witness to the harsh reality that is life for augmented humans. Police are often seen harassing the Augmented, holding a gun to their head for no apparent reason or forcing them to the ground.
Jensen himself is routinely stopped at checkpoints and hassled by police, this creates a sense of minority for the player. Why am I always being targeted? When you see a homeless man lying sick on the ground, no doubt he has an augmented limb, just like you. It’s almost impossible to avoid thinking about the darker chapters of our own world while playing. The claustrophobic feeling of discrimination is perfectly emulated as you wander Prague. Non-augmented people will spit at your feet and mutter slurs like, “clank” as they pass.
Eidos Montreal clearly wanted players to experience what it was like to be rejected by society. In doing so, the studio created a game that non only highlights the horrors of discrimination but provokes thought in players, something that is all too rare in videogames today.
