Yes. Yes, you got that right. I am going to talk about my favourite game of all time because I think this title gets way too little credit - because most people perhaps just don’t get it. But I don’t blame them. They probably also don’t eat sea urchin because they don’t get how exquisite that is.
A long time ago, there was once a game-changing game (Original Deus Ex)
Well, first things first: a long long time ago (I think I was 10 years old back then), there was the original Deus Ex. Apparently people loved it and it was a game changer back in 2000, probably much like The Matrix, with that upcoming heavy sci-fi/conspiracy theme that got popular back then. Oh, let’s not forget another of my favourite movies back then: Ghost in the Shell.
Watch the game on youtube now and it is not really spectacular. Means it did not age as well as let’s say Mass Effect 1 (though the latter is much more recent).
Still, the topics in the game are huge and the freedom you are given when fulfilling your tasks make you feel like you are an actual agent of a huge organization.
There was a sequel called Deus Ex: Invisible War, which was not very popular among fans of the original Deus Ex. However, like very few others, I find the story and the whole theme of the game got a step deeper and more detailed with the sequel (actually currently watching it - damn, female Alex D. is quite cute).
You can’t kill progress (not really, but let's just keep that)
Fast forward many years (and a little pre-prequel? named Deus Ex: The Fall) later, Deus Ex is reborn with the prequel Deus Ex: Human Revolution and following years later, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
I cannot explain in words how advanced Deus Ex: Mankind Divded is. Literally there is only one tiny thing (or maybe two) that annoyed me with the game, which really do no impact its greatness. I do encourage everyone to play this game just for the superior experience created and want to give several praises to the makers of this supreme masterpiece (no, I am not paid for this. I wish I was, I could be paid in Deus Ex goodies).
Gunplay is amazing, fun and there is nothing quite like it
Now let me get this straight: Deus Ex is mostly a stealth game, and I suppose it is recommended to play it this way. However, there is a mission where you have a bit of gun training and let me tell you - I was in awe at this. Never have I felt that cool shooting a gun and seeing it run through enemies like butter (Armour Piercing Ammo), and it never felt as smooth in any other game - but hey, here I have to say that is probably also due to the cybernetic weapon handling (augmentation).
Make sure to try all the delicious ice cream flavours, or in this case, augs
Brings me to the next reason why this game is amazing. Augs (augmentations) are your best friend. While augmentations give you the opportunity to enhance your body functions (like, jumping higher or carrying a little gun in your underarm that fires shots of blades or EMPs), your options are limited because you can only activate these enhancements with experience. So you have to choose wisely.
And believe me, it’s as hard as choosing an ice cream flavour when most of them look good. While you are feeling unsure which enhancements to try, you try one by one - and, as in my metaphor, you keep coming back for the other ice cream flavours to try them all out.
In my first playthrough, I was unsure which augs to choose. It took a long time for me to try the augs out with following playthroughs. I can tell you, I felt a lot like a child in an ice cream store. I kept coming back for more. And that is the genius part of this game - only during my second or third playthrough I understood that certain augs activated during the early chapters of the game give you a different game experience (not going to spoiler here, but ask me about this if you are curious).
A world of consequences and mistakes - just like the real world (but better, the real world 2.0)
Brings me right to my next point: this game is so much and so huge. In every corner lurks information about some citizen or character in the game. Or about the world of the Augmented/Non-Augmented people. About the whole political and social situation. Talk about world-building!
Best thing of it, you influence this world with your decision. And whole scenes play out differently depending on how you treat people! It’s about „embracing who you became“, as Adam Jensen, the protagonist would say - or in this case, accepting the decisions you have made. (Don’t get me wrong, some decisions you make will suck if you play it first without any prior warning but you can still do some things to turn them around.)
You live and breathe augmented Agent Adam Jensen
You are Agent Jensen, from the very beginning and, Jensen, you better get your shit together and do your job and don’t go crazy and don’t complain too much.
Yeah, yeah, such worn-out dialogues and these little speeches could be better - but honestly, it’s just how people would talk and react being in a team with him. You could still choose to ignore side missions and just be like: „none of my business“ (aka "I didn't ask for this"). But you are Agent Jensen, and you want to make things done wrong right. And this is the action RPG I was always waiting for, and I am sure a lot of (or at least some) others were waiting for it, too. You are this more than human-person and you finally have the powers and authority to change things in the world. Who the hell wouldn’t want to be in this role for once?
Forget about all those Red Dead Redemption/GTA-like „questionable choices“, where you can play out your vices. You can do something good for once. You can make it right.
Amazing characters, details and OST
On top of that, you have a whole set of main characters, which stories you can look into during your play (discover their lives). It has a detective kind of aspect in it, which you can choose to ignore if you want, but you will miss out on the details of the awesome characters which gives the story a whole lot of depth.
What touched me deeply about this game is just the amazing details: the OST gives you all the feels. It got me from kind of depressed in the beginning to further and further excited. It really ignited a fire in my heart as I progressed but it took me a long time to get into it. Never played anything as immersive.
Apart from the OST, there was more and more things I discovered on my following playthroughs that I did not discover before - and I also saw how the stories of minor characters in the games connected. It showed itself to me in my head as a giant interrelated community web (check the e-mails on hackable computers!), as if there was some sort of destiny and control in all of it. This is what the NSA workers must feel like (haha).
A gem like no other
Really, if you love the depth of games, this game is for you. I cannot recommend it enough. The game is short, but the more you explore on your following playthroughs, the deeper it gets. And it can't get much deeper than this. It’s like a small but deep crystal lake, just waiting for you to dive into it and become absorbed in the crystal clear and calm water.
I can only give it a rating of 99/100. Months, and probably years after this game, the bitter-sweet aftertaste will still linger with me and I wonder if I will ever find a gem like that again. Though this is not a love story, this is the story of the love of my life (of all video games).
Did you enjoy my paragraphing style here? I tried to adapt it to what I found easy to read when I read articles online, so I wanted to try this out. Always happy to hear feedback - and even more so your own Deus Ex or other game experiences :)
And check out this amazing announcement trailer if you don’t mind a few minor spoilers (and careful, some damn near perfect voice acting ahead).
