Review: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Meet Adam Jensen, the human swiss army knife. 

Developer: Eidos Montreal
Publisher: Square-Enix
Platforms:  PS3/ Xbox 360/ PC [PC reviewed]

It’s been a long time coming but Deus Ex is finally back and the latest in the franchise manages to live up to the spirit of the original and than some. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the sequel to Ion Storm’s Deus Ex: Invisible War a title that to this day is still met with mixed feelings. Many gamers wanted more of the freedom that the original Deus Ex offered and this time out Eidos Montreal is aiming to deliver.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set in the year 2027, and follows the exploits of Adam Jensen, an ex-SWAT member who’s unwillingly augmented after nearly being killed by a terrorist attack in the games prologue. Adam is quickly pulled into a conspiracy that will have global consequences unless he can uncover the truth behind the attempt on his life. It’s a deep rabbit hole but a rabbit hole worth discovering.

Its been a long time since gamers have had the pleasure of experiencing a title with as much freedom as Human Revolution. While the gameplay can at times be a bit intimidating, Edios Montreal has made sure to bring some of today’s more modern game mechanics like cover, regenerating health, and an improved dialogue system and have melded it with the same open freedom of choice gameplay that has been a staple of the series since its birth.

Of these these new additions, I found the dialogue system to be the most interesting. Human Revolution is littered with key conversations which allow gamers to sway the story one way or the other depending on dialogue choices. These choices can unlock side quests and information otherwise unknown to the player, and even gain you substantial experience bonuses. Eidos Montreal didn’t try to stray from “Deus Ex” formula too much. In fact I would say that it’s not so much a leap forward for the series as it is a recreation of everything that made Deus Ex such a beloved franchise, along with a new coat of paint and a refreshing with some of todays more popular game mechanics.

One of Human Revolutions strongest points is its cyber renaissance created world. It’s a world filled with splashes of black and gold, giving Human Revolution a look and vibe that reflects the cyberpunk influences that created it (Blade Runner). But it’s easy enough to just talk about the goldish hue of the future, it’s a different thing altogether to experience the lived in universe that’s been created here. Future Detroit has the feeling of a city that has risen from the ashes more than once, but is now in a state of decay ready to explode into violence over the controversy of human augmentation.

In contrast Hengsha feels like a city of decadence and neglect with prostitutes operating freely in front of the cities authorities and the entire government having abandoned the lower city to its own vices. Hengsha brings back more than a few memories of Midgar from ‘Final Fantasy VII’.

The entire world of Human Revolution is a place thriving with varied and interesting characters; some of the real stand being Hugh Darrow, David Sarif, Frank Pritchard, and Bill Taggart. Eidos Montreal managed to have each character deliver their motivations for the most part splendidly by some rather decent voice work. Sadly, most of the other voice work in the game didn’t fare nearly as well. 

The less I say about the Hengsha side quests the better. Let’s just say that Edios decided to go with the classic slapstick Chinese accents of the early 50s. Sure it’s hilarious at times but more often than not it was just annoying. 

Combat on other hand is slick and satisfying! Stealth with its slower pace brought with it the thrill of the hunt. There’s just something primal about skulking in the shadows slowly marking several targets and then stalking them on their patrols knocking them out with their cohorts none the wiser. 

Gunplay on the other hand is no where near as thrilling or satisfying.  It works and sometimes well but it suffers more than anything due to some unwieldy controls. There were several times when I was attempting to reload only to accidentally toss a grenade and alert a room full of goons. It’s not the only troublesome moment I came across, more than once I would find myself stuck in a cover position behind a wall unable to get out, proving that all the augments in the world can’t help you if you’re stuck in a corner or frozen in  a cover animation. Even more maddening are the incredibly slow reload times for guns, which made it seem like Adam wasn’t in a hurry when I was getting my face shot full of lead.

Another rather odd sticking point in Human Revolution is Adams lack of speed. While Adam may indeed have augmented strength and can easily hoist over his head a vending machine, the poor man can’t sprint for more than 5 seconds. Proving that at some future time Alan Wake and Adam Jensen may have been running pals. 

Id’ be remiss if I also didn’t mention the amount of bugs I came across. I will say that my first play through was relatively bug free, but the second time through was laden with bugs. From people stuck in the ground to NPC’s disappearing completely and making a quest impassable. There was even an instance of a boss in the game freezing in place allowing me to just do damage until I cued the cut scene. Overall these bugs didn’t ruin the game but they do put a black mark on an otherwise truly engaging experience.

Those looking for a quick game to complete need look elsewhere as Deus Ex: Human Revolution is packed with replay value. Multiple ways to complete side quests, different play styles, four different endings, and three modes of difficulty; there’s plenty to keep you coming back for more… and that’s not including the sandbox time just screwing around. A full play through should run you anywhere from 25 to 30 hours, and this is just playing casually.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a fun, captivating and incredibly satisfying experience. In a world where developers are more than content simply creating a world with only one way to do things, Eidos Montreal has gone above and beyond to create a title where freedom is its key differentiator. Sure, there are some sore spots that tarnish it from reaching the golden hue it so lovingly holds on to,  but I’d be hard pressed to damn a title for much like Daedalus trying to fly to close to the sun. It’s a title that embraces openness like few games do and in the process has managed to be one of this year’s most ambitious titles; and a title that I highly recommend for old Deus Ex fans and those looking to join the revolution.

Galaxy Minute

-Does justice to the name Deus Ex while bringing a fresh perspective and plenty of new gameplay additions to the franchise.

-Unique and interesting ways to approach situations. Remember, there’s more than one way to complete an objective.

-Most of the augmentations are cool and satisfying to use.

-Not enough points to go around ensuring you’ll want to play again just to see how different Adam can turn out.

-High amount of replay value, multiple endings and several ways to approach every mission ensures you’ll come back for more at least once.

-Watch the credits all the way through, there’s an extra scene at the end.

By: Cameron Ellis