My introduction to non-linearity and choice in a video game was the first “Deus Ex”, released back in 2000 for the PC. Multiple ways to complete an objective and different paths through each level made it seem like a bigger game than it actually was. If you felt like playing as a pacifist, you could go through the entire game without killing a single soul; the same goes for players with a bloodlust. Choice can take on many different forms. Have you come to a keypad you don’t know the code to? Hack it. Hacking skill isn’t high enough? Use a multitool. Don’t have a multitool? Use some explosives to blow open the door. Of course, once you get inside the gate you discover a hole in the fence a little further down that could have been accessed if your arms were strong enough to pick up the refrigerator that sat in front of it.
That same freedom of gameplay returns to “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” which follows 2011’s fantastic “Deus Ex: Human Revolution”. The story places you in the shoes of Adam Jensen in the year 2029 where human augmentation is commonplace. After the events of the previous game, which, without giving anything away, has the world discriminating against humans with augmentations and turning them into second-class citizens. Adam is sent to investigate the nature of some recent terrorist attacks and who is behind them. The story itself is not as conspiracy based or globe-spanning as the previous games but it did a fine job of keeping me engaged until the end. There were more than enough side quests, conversations, new characters to meet and shops to break into that it more than made up for the shortcomings of the main storyline. The show stealer, however, is the fantastic world and atmosphere that Eidos Montreal has managed to create.
As soon as the beginning mission is finished, you are dropped into the hub-city of 2029 Prague and I immediately felt like I was a part of this world. Eidos Montreal has done a phenomenal job of creating a futuristic cyberpunk world where simply strolling down an ally and engaging in a conversation with a bum can lead you on a long side mission into the sewers, hot on the trail of a cult leader dwelling below. The common aesthetic of the art style throughout the game is a simple triangle. You can see it repeated in building and graphic design, as well as the clothing and fashion styles. It is a subtle theme, but it goes a long way to make this world in which you play feel real, futuristic, and connected.
The soundtrack is one of the best I’ve heard in a video game and does a beautiful job of immersing the player into this world. It’s an interesting fusion of electronic and ambient soundscapes that melds perfectly with the dystopian world that Eidos Montreal has created and you can almost get a sense of what the world might actually be like 13 years from now. The sound design is superb, adding to the already rich world. Walking down the streets of Prague, you pass by pedestrians speaking of current events, the bass of a nightclub up the street, and the aggressive manner in which the police arrest augmented offenders and harass you for your papers as you walk by.
Playing as Adam Jensen, you have access to a multitude of body augmentations which open up new paths to your objective and enhances gameplay. A few of the 28 augmentations attainable in the game are arm augmentations, allowing you to lift heavy objects; leg augmentations, allowing you to jump higher, and Icarus landing augmentation, allowing you to jump from any height and land safely. All these combine to cater to your play style. Want to sneak through a level without being noticed? Acquire the cloak and leg augmentations, which grant you invisibility and silent footsteps respectively. Want to go in guns blazing? Acquire the Rhino Armor along with the Typhoon weapon system to turn yourself into a tank.
Visually and graphically speaking, “Mankind Divided” is gorgeous. Character and object models are richly detailed and you can actually read newspapers and trash that have been cast aside on the street. The only point off in this category is in the lip syncing for NPC’s. It looks spot on sometimes and completely off in others. It’s 2016 Eidos, it’s not too hard to do some proper and believable lip syncing (Half-life 2 nailed it 12 years ago). Playing on the PC, it runs surprisingly smooth for a console port, although you'll still need a powerhouse computer to play on ultra settings. As of review time, I've only seen the game crash once and have run into almost no bugs.
Overall, “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” is a fantastic follow-up to 2011’s “Human Revolution”. Combining smart level design and a wide array of augmentations to cater to your play style, it unleashes you on a fantastic rendition of 2029 Prague. The only mark against it is the more reserved story than “Human Revolution”, but the amount of things to do will certainly sidetrack you into bliss and more than make up for its shortcomings.
I give “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” a solid 9/10
