E3 2015: First Look Demo of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Evan Slead ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Head Movies Editor

The next installment in the Dues Ex franchise is coming in 2016 to all major platforms. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided takes place two years after the events of DE: Human Revolution. The augmented protagonist Adam Jensen is back, and during the E3 demo its clear that he is much better than before. The plot revolves around the fact that the people are still in fear of the augmented and are, in turn, being forced into ghettos of the city. The entire splitting of society known as mechanical apartheid. The VIP demo shown at E3 was an Alpha build, however the overall gameplay and visual aesthetic is solid. The demo began with a walk and talk in Prague 2029. The city is heavily monitored and controlled by police. Adam gets up to speed on the state of affairs in the city as he walks through the police barriers. The walk and talk portion ends with a terrorist attack on the train system. Adam is then in combat control to hunt down the terrorist leader responsible for the attack.

The gameplay portion of the demo began and the different modes were introduced: stealth, combat or both for gameplay style. Adam’s guns allow different types of ammo that give advantages over certain objectives. In stealth, Adam can turn on augmented cloaking to sneak past guards. The key to Deus Ex is a multi-solution, multi-path so stealth can be a great asset in the more sensitive moments. Within stealth mode Adam has new augmentations to utilize. The presentation demo showed the new augmentation tazer arm which allows Adam to target up to four enemies and shock them. The Icarus dash allows Adam to get over far obstacles as well as rush enemies. Remote hacking allows hacking from a distance for items such as cameras, turrets, and also allows him to explore new areas. The nano-blade augmentation is absolutely amazing as Adam launches a projectile blade at enemies that literally sticks them to the wall. It can also attach to a wall and set off an explosion. Overall the stealth mode allows a wide variety of sneak attacks and quick getaway options for the players that like to get in and out of a situation unnoticed.

The combat approach has been revamped to be an equal joy with stealth. Titan augmentation allows Adam to be indestructible for a short time and mow through enemies. Covering himself in a polygon style black mask, Adam takes out a turret with a paralyzingly grenade and then switches ammo to armor piercing to take out the turret. Focus mode allows Adam to move at high speed which the player interprets as slowed down time so they can make more precise shots. Again, the presentation player points out that there are several paths to get to the objective. The game allows the player to choose the best path for their chosen ammo, play style, and augmentations. It’s an amazing feature that will allow high replay value. Toggling into the RPG aspect of the game, the cut scenes have the debate options from the first game which allows the player to control the movement of the story. The presentation player chose the wrong debate answers and Adam was forced to escape the situation. Again, this added feature along with the customizable ammo, augmentations, and combat styles make the game feel open ended and specific to each player’s own game style.

Watch the Trailer Here: