The world of the Deus Ex games offers as much intellectual stimulation as it does exciting stealth-based gameplay and action. Set in a future where mankind has become obsessed with “improving” human bodies by adding machine parts, the franchise poses some challenging questions about the morals and merits of transhumanism, alongside a broader narrative about personal liberty and political machinations (with the Illuminati always somewhere in the mix).
The latest entry in the series, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, will continue the story of protagonist Adam Jensen, who first appeared in the 2011 prequel game Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Set some time before the original Deus Ex, Jensen’s story sees humanity at a tipping point where augmented humans are hated and feared by many - especially in the wake of Human Revolution’s ending, in which corrupted chips caused augmented people all over the world to lash out in fits of psychotic violence. A recent live-action trailer for the game depicted a world where augmented people have been corralled into ghettos to keep them separate from “normal” people, and now a fresh set of gameplay videos have revealed more of what this world has to offer.
First up is a gameplay video (above) detailing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s Breach gameplay mode, set in a virtual reality world where the player must “hack” through the highly-advanced security of the Palisade Bank Corporation using a digital avatar, putting an arcade spin on the usual Deus Ex gameplay. The visual design and stealth elements make Breach look strongly reminiscent of indie game Volume, which was released last year, and the hacking themes might be a little too close to those of Watch Dogs 2, which is also being promoted at this year’s E3. Still, hopefully the team at Eidos Montreal have found a way to make Breach unique.
The next reveal was Deus Ex GO, the latest spin on the mobile game series that previously included Hitman GO and Lara Croft GO. This spinoff of the Deus Ex universe is a turn-based puzzle game on which players once again take on the role of Adam Jensen to “work alongside your allies in TF29 and the Juggernaut Collective as you infiltrate locations to unravel the conspiracy behind a terrorist plot.” Check out the reveal trailer above.
Finally, there’s a full 17 minutes of gameplay from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s main story mode, in which Adam Jensen explores a futuristic version of Prague. The city hub is reminiscent of Hengsha and Detroit in Deus Ex: Human Revolution - a labyrinth of obstacles, hidden paths, sidequests, loot and documents for the player to get stuck into when they’re not off doing other missions. Simply heading from Adam Jensen’s apartment to the bookshop where his friend is waiting (along with a bunch of gangsters), the player crosses paths with a multitude of different routes and potential sidequests, and the infiltration of the bookshop shows off the variety of augmentations and weapons - both old and new - at the player’s disposal.
Overall, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided looks like a worthy follow-up to both the gameplay and narrative of Human Revolution, with all of the gameplay elements that fans of Deus Ex have come to love about the series. The Breach gameplay mode and Deus Ex GO aren’t quite as exciting, but they should still be worth checking out for players who finish the main game and want a bit more Deus Ex.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One from August 23rd, 2016.
