Details have finally dropped on the next installment of the Deus Ex series, titled Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. While the reveal was planned for earlier today, details leaked yesterday, prior to the trailer’s launch, on NeoGaf, followed by a cover reveal by Game Informer.
The internet first heard rumblings of the title way back at the end of March 2014 when Square Enix filed a trademark for the title, but since then there have been few further updates. The last hint at it was during a blog post from Eidos Montreal last October where they talked about the future of the series and Deus Ex Universe. Until now.
The game is set 2 years after the finale of the critically acclaimed Human Revolution and sees the return of protagonist Adam Jensen. Jensen is now a member of a group tasked with finding and neutralizing augmented terrorists in a world that fears augmented humans after the final events of Human Revolution. News indicates however that none of the game’s endings are considered truly canon.
The trailer shows the return of the style featured in Human Revolution, and the music of Michael McCann, as well as showcasing a few of the new abilities available to players. It seems that more consideration will be given to stealth and social based paths through the game, more in line with the original Deus Ex or the Human Revolution Director’s Cut. Likely a good choice considering player’s disappointment at being locked into having to punch their way through boss fights in the initial release of Human Revolution.
Something else hinted at in the trailer is a greater focus on the Illuminati and the return of Majestic 12 from the original game.
So far everything looks great for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, even at this early stage, and all signs point to this being another combination of the things that made Human Revolution a hit. Giving stealth and social based paths through the game a greater focus will certainly add to the games replayability and with McCann returning to do the soundtrack there’ll be atmosphere abounds as we wander through the neon lit streets. My only worry is what they’ll do regarding the ending of Human Revolution. For Deus Ex: Invisible War, the second game in the series, the studio took all endings for the original and amalgamated them into one branch, something that made no sense whatsoever in the scheme of things. I’m hoping they either choose one to go on from or disregard everything so far rather than try to please everyone.
I also wonder if the storyline for Mankind Divided will affect the steps taken during production of Human Defiance, the Deus Ex movie that’s apparently still in the works.
Whatever happens, I know one thing for sure, I most definitely asked for this.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided updates can be followed on Twitter via: #CantStopProgress
