Deus Ex: Mankind Divided review.
Exactly five years after Deus: Ex Human Revolution, humanity is divided. Augmented, society looks more and more like Germany led by señor snorremans. So there is work to be done, although Graddus could hardly keep up with his attention …
This is a modified version of the Deus Ex: Mankind Divided review from the new PU, which will be in stores on Tuesday.
I have not been in Prague for 45 minutes yet, but I have already completely forgotten what I came for. Yes, there was something about a train station bombing, augmentations that stopped working and if I remember correctly I just promised a chick that I would take on a corrupt cop. But I am too busy. Too busy with more important things, like breaking into my neighbor’s house and reading the emails on his computer. Because hey: who knows, that dick runs an illegal Neuropozyne business.
Real Deus Ex game
The way in which I experience the first few hours as Adam Jensen – hacking and stealing and especially not interested in the main story – speaks volumes. Mankind Divided is a real Deus Ex game, in which you determine your route from point A, which usually takes you to point B via a few manhole covers / roofs / air shafts. Or at least, that’s the intention. After all, along the way you will always come across secret corridor C or hidden hatch D, and before you know it you will be in the middle of a side quest that has little to do with your original mission but never feels like ripped-off filler. On the contrary.
Literally everywhere you discover fascinating . For example, in an abandoned house I come across a telescope, which – freaky as hell – looks exactly at Jensen’s kitchen window! No further information, no further explanation, but purely an atmosphere-enhancing set-piece that you pass before you know it. Just like when I sneak into Adam’s boss Jim Miller’s apartment, where I have a secret … No, you’ll find out for yourself. In any case, it is clear that the Prague hub level alone is more intriguing than 90 percent of today’s games.
Separate toilets
But hey, maybe you find that too tiring, that sniffing around. Maybe you are someone who enjoys following the story, which revolves around the contrasts between augmented and non-augmented. In that case, too, you have come to the right place at Mankind Divided. In previous previews I already talked about the dark, adult vibe and now that I have played the entire game I realize that emotionally this is one of the most moving experiences I have had. Your heart breaks at the umpteenth show of segregation: be it separate toilets for ‘normal people’ and augs or an innocent father being deported to the concentration camp in Golem City.
In the center is Adam Jensen, Task Force 29 anti-terrorism agent who goes on a world tour to pillory the perpetrators of all the misery. Of course, the man is again equipped with the thickest augmentations since Pamela Anderson’s breasts, including this time even a number of experimental TITAN models. To be honest, I don’t use them nearly as often as I would like, mainly because most of them encourage aggressive play and I’m more of a stealthy approach. But those times when I turn on my PEPS or fire a Nanoblade … Hmmm, delicious.
80s karate film
In any case, Mankind Divided plays a lot smoother than its predecessor. Weapons feel much less clunky, the cover system is very intuitive, and switching play styles on the fly is seamless. It is therefore strange that takedowns are still shown in separate, clumsy cutscenes, which look more like a cheap 80s karate film than the triple-A super production that is obvious to Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Also, I am not convinced of the enemy AI. They are strong and there are many, but after an alert you can often easily wait for those monkeys from cover. In addition, they have difficulty when you run around them.
However, they are minor annoyances that pale in the bigger picture. Because have I already told you how nice the weather is to manipulate conversations with key figures like an accomplished politician? Listening carefully to your conversation partner, picking up hints about his personality et voila: one simple conversation can save you a lot of trouble. For example, at one point I have to act tough when a sewer journalist (who, no joke, lives in the sewer) threatens to reveal the location of the secret Task Force 29 laboratory. I tell him he’s playing with fire. That he has no idea what is burning him. That innocent human lives are at stake. Eventually he tackles, but if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have vouched for the consequences. Did I mention there’s a psychopath in me?
Inner Kleptomaniac
No, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided isn’t reinventing the wheel. It builds on the solid foundation of Human Revolution, and in terms of gameplay it is more an evolution of the mechanics from games like Metal Gear, Thief and err, Deus Ex part one than there are completely fresh ideas. But hey, what does it matter? The things Mankind Divided does are doing really well and I never got bored from the start until the wtf final.
Is Mankind Divided the best Deus Ex game ever? Pooh, difficult. The game is of course better than part two, and yes: actually also than Human Revolution. However, only time can tell whether it will be as classic as the original …
But if you’d like to excuse me for a moment – I think I saw a window open at number 34. And a rich tatta lives there after all.
Conclusion
SCORE:
91 You have those game series that lose their luster over time. Their magic. For Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, however, the exact opposite is true: this old stealth master is more relevant than ever. Yep, after DOOM, Dark Souls III and Uncharted 4, 2016 has another indispensable single-player experience … You have those game series that lose their shine over time. Their magic. For Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, however, the exact opposite is true: this old stealth master is more relevant than ever. Yep, after DOOM, Dark Souls III and Uncharted 4, 2016 has yet another unmissable single player experience …
