What is it?
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a spiritual sequel to the classic Deus Ex, one of my all-time favorite games. The combination of role playing game character development, first person shooter, stealth simulation, freedom of choice and an intriguing world filled with conspiracy theories come to life, made and makes for a memorable and unique experience.
Notes
Human Revolution takes place many years before the original Deus Ex and is a surprisingly brilliant re-imagining of the world, where bio implants and human nano-augmentation is still in its infancy. As a mechanically augmented ex-SWAT head of security at a major corporation you complete various missions and explore a sprawling world along the way. You are often given the choice between stealth, guns or a grand combination and this makes for some rewarding gameplay, where the choices you make can have a wide ranging effect. The gameplay feels slightly simplified in some ways, but it does capture much of the spirit of the original and that is a major compliment.
The game takes a few missteps but overall impresses and it is one of the rare games that has had enough staying power to keep up my interest enough to actually complete it in some 50 odd hours over the course of two years. Looking back, it was pure joy to play and worth replaying just to try new tactics and explore the world further.
The story is interesting even if I was a little let down by the end. There are several ambiguous moral choices and most importantly, you are free to complete the missions in whatever way you find most intriguing. From gunning down everybody to completing the game without killing anyone (except the rare inconsistent boss fight), everything is possible here and each play style is catered for. The recently released director's cut polishes the game further and fixes some problems, so that is the version you should go for if you missed this gem.
Highly recommended.
Written By Steen
Online: Friday, June 6, 2014