Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Revealed, As Dark As Ever

While advancements in technology bring us closer to a future where technology and human life are brought closer than ever, the future that games like Deus Ex depict are nothing like the dreamy high tech utopia that tech companies paint. Instead, it is almost like Blade Runner-esque dystopia that magnifies the already existing divide between those who embrace technology whole heartedly, even into their bodies, and those who abhor the very notion. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided puts that schism under a microscope, in a medium that is easy to grasp by almost anyone.

For gamers, especially PC ones, Deus Ex has a peculiar and unique legacy in gaming history. The first person shooter/RPG hybrid is well regarded to have pioneered what is now called by some as "emergent gameplay", a type of situation where players arrive at solutions in ways probably unintended by the designers, using only the tools and world rules already provided in the game. In particular, the first Deus Ex was notable for allowing the player to finish the game without shedding a single blood. And without cheating, of course.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution, DX:HR, for short, the third installment of the franchise, was released in 2011 and brought back the game to mainstream consciousness, with modern 3D graphics, and a more intense action gameplay. The game is actually a prequel to the original title, taking place 25 years in the past. Darker than the first game, DX:HR sets a mood of where human augmentation, already causing biological and psychological problems, is on the brink of becoming a social problem as well, a conflict that comes to a head in Mankind Divided. In this fourth major title of the series, augmented humans have become outcasts, persecuted and perhaps even killed. Adam Jensen, the very same augmented protagonist of DX:HR, has to operate in a world that despises his ilk and has to protect the very people who wouldn't mind seeing him dead.

For all the praises that DX:HR garnered, it was heavily criticized for its boss fights, forcing gamers to actually descend into gunfights when everywhere else in the game, they can employ stealth and avoid all violence. This discrepancy was addressed somewhat later on in the Missing Link DLC. Hopefully, Eidos and Square Enix have learned their lessons this time around. Hopefully, the action-packed trailer isn't indicative of the type of gameplay that it will be limited to.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided still has no announced date but will be launched on PC, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One.