Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a cyberpunk stealth action game set in the fictional city of Prague. Does it stealth its way to success or growl in frustration like its protagonist? Let’s find out:
Author: Abhigyan (BANNED from SoQ)
Steam: Released
Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square Enix
Genre: Stealth, Action Role-Playing
Release date: 23rd of August 2016
Gameplay:
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided puts you in the shoes of Adam Jensen, a gruff voiced protagonist who needs to solve a conspiracy which features the Illuminati. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s story picks up right where the previous one ended with animosity growing between the augs and the humans. Let me get this out of the way first: I loved Human Revolution. I felt that Human Revolution didn’t the get recognition when it was released due to much bigger releases in the year. Slowly, that game has garnered a strong following, so for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided to follow in the footsteps of such a game was a very difficult thing to do. But Mankind Divided pulls it off with flying colors. It is one of those games where you make your own path in each level. The city of Prague in which the game is situated is one of the best examples of quality over quantity. The city is so richly detailed and there are so many hidden routes throughout the city just waiting for you to explore them. Each path becomes clearer the more you look at them carefully. Mankind Divided is a game that rewards your curiosity.
The gameplay is where Mankind Divided truly shines. Each and every level is like a world of its own and that makes it infinitely replayable. In each playthrough there is a different way that misses your eye the first time around. Mankind Divided excels in its level designs. Add to that the huge amount of weapons and augs available to you and you can create a lot of stories on your own. Talking of the augs, they have received an upgrade too. There are a lot more of these augmentations available this time around. They are fun and a blast to use. You can opt to use these and make your way stealthily or go all out Rambo on your enemies. Though by the time you unlock all of these augmentations you should be a walking Superman. That is where my biggest gripe with Mankind Divided is. The game plays a bit too easy in the later levels as the augmentations available to you make your enemies just fun distractions or more like targets on which you can practice your augmentations. The story is another place where Mankind Divided falters. The story is short and comes to a very abrupt ending obviously making way for DLC or another sequel. The scope of the story is also very small unlike the game changing scenarios of the previous game.
The gun play is more solid than the previous game but still feels a bit loose. The characters themselves are fun and I really liked Adam Jensen and his allies. The city of Prague also tells a story of prejudice and discrimination with benches where it is clearly written that the augs are not allowed there. Though the story is short, there are a good amount of side quests available. All of these side quests are well done and feel connected to the main story and the struggle of the augs. Mankind Divided also features another mode called the Breach mode. This mode is like a Mankind Divided clone with bad SuperHot type graphics. It is an arcade type mode and features leaderboards to compete against your friends. All the microtransactions for the game are also attached mostly with this mode, so I did not have much trouble with them. Overall, Mankind Divided improves upon every bit of its marvelous predecessor even with its faltering story.
VISUALS
Graphically Mankind Divided is very good. The city of Prague looks absolutely phenomenal when you make your way through its streets. The character models are well done and there is a lot of variety in the environments. It absolutely nails the cyberpunk styled visuals it is going for. Especially on ultra settings, the sights are drop dead gorgeous and there are huge amounts of detail available in each frame. There are a few lip syncing issues with characters and that sometimes takes you out of the immersion.
SOUND
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided features a superb sound design. With a really nice soundtrack which slowly builds up the atmosphere to the sudden change in mix because of your surroundings, everything is done very well. The voice acting is also one of the strong points of Mankind Divided. As I mentioned there are lip syncing issues but the voices are really good. Many people don’t like the way Adam Jensen is voiced a.k.a. the Christian Bale’s batman syndrome, but I really liked the way he talked. Overall, the sound of Mankind Divided is a sweet package.
OVERALL
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a game that improves upon every aspect of its predecessor except in the story division. It rewards your play style and has exceptional level designs. The city of Prague is gorgeous and densely packed. For those of you who are bored of the open world fatigue, Prague shows how much you can do in little space. Deus Ex:Mankind Divided is easily one of the best games this year and should not be overlooked.
(click on the image to see the rating explanation)
