Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Reviews
A mechanically solid game with some fantastic level design that sadly delivers a narrative that is ho-hum at best.
Despite an overall disappointing story as well as a few technical shortcomings, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is still an easy recommendation to fans of the series and stealth action games in general. Fantastic level design, interesting new augmentations and gameplay improvements will ensure that Mankind Divided will be a game to reinstall upon its mention.
A slightly weak narrative can't obscure how compelling and exciting Mankind Divided's is to play. Here, the best stories are those you make yourself through emergent gameplay.
Mankind Divided trades some global breadth for localised depth, setting the majority of its free-approach missions in Prague. The narrative feels closer to home too, thrusting Jensen in with the oppressed augmented masses. It's a strong sequel, reinforcing the mechanics of player agency and unique world design Deus Ex is famous for, but unresolved plot points do disappoint.
I imagine the Internet will be abuzz with discussion on the "Mechanical Apartheid" issue, debating whether it was offensive, or if Eidos Montreal did enough to warrant the comparison, but aside from that, there is a very solid effort here. The new augments combined with better level design makes exploration more satisfying, and the little upgrades to hacking make that whole system more tense. While it's over a little too soon, if you enjoyed Human Revolution, there is a lot to like here.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided has a little bit of something for everyone. It's a must-have, must-play masterpiece. The entire industry is better now that this game is a part of it.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an impressive sequel to the brilliant Human Revolution. In the grand scheme of things, there are very few monumental changes, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? And everything that was broken in Human Revolution? It's all fixed. Held back from true greatness by the odd grumble here and there, Mankind Divided is worthy of anyone's time and money.
With familiar characters and concepts, upgraded visuals, excellent level design and some new toys to play with, the changes made between the last instalment and this one are welcome improvements without invoking the "if it aint' broke" rule. Veteran Deus Ex players will likely jump in head first and love every minute they spend in this world. This is certainly one for the fans.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided isn't going to reinvent the wheel but it does present some truly great mission design, writing and gameplay with a plethora of options for any kind of experience. The story could have been improved but Adam Jensen's world is still worth extremely compelling for RPG/shooter fans and stealth enthusiasts.
A stellar sequel and an outstanding game in its own right, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a AAA experience worth your attention.
By daring to make a statement, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided succeeds in being a nuanced, mature gaming experience that pushes the medium forward in major ways.
It feels the need to address real-world issues, but in a way that's fast and cursory and only pretends at depth while trying hard not to make anybody unhappy. Deus Ex cares enough to sit on the sidelines and play topical for show before moving on to the next attraction. It's become more 24 than Blade Runner, and while it still entertains, it's also lost much of the luster that set the series apart from the serialized masses.
A competent but ultimately confused return
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided feels exactly like Deus Ex: Human Revolution, for better and worse.
More akin to a great part one of a television two-parter – awesome, but not the whole story.
If you like sneaking around but hate engaging with provoking, meaningful discourse then Deus Ex: Mankind Divided has you covered.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided might fail on delivering a complete story that feels important or wide scoped, but that thankfully does not mean it falls flat.
She's a bit rough around the edges on the technical side, but it's that classic Deus Ex action that you can't really find anywhere else
Here's hoping that we don't have to wait another five years to see find out what happens next.
I'm so happy that this team at Eidos Montreal was able to continue on with the Deus Ex series. While Human Revolution was a promising title with some glaring issues, Mankind Divided is the work of a mature development team that has had the time to fix their weak points and improve on their strong ones. The result is a quality cyberpunk spy adventure with strong visual and level design, true opportunities for players to exercise choice, and some really cool cybernetic toys to play with. Go ahead, be the kind of Adam Jensen you want to be. Just don't forget to watch your back.