The original Deus Ex was a game that I never experienced back when it was released in the year 2000, but in all honesty I doubt it would have had much of an effect on me at the time, probably because I was only ten. However that doesn’t mean that I haven’t heard a tremendous amount about the game since it was released; it was clearly an acclaimed game in the eyes of both the critics and the public. So when I heard the announcement that a Deus Ex prequel was in the works I was eager to see how Eidos could reinvigorate the rpg franchise and support the increasingly rare market for intelligent shooters, especially after the sequel that was viewed by many to be a disappointment (Invisible War).
It is the year 2027 and the world is breaking new ground in the advancement of human potential by attempting to merge technology with biology in order to determine humanity’s evolutionary path; a very intriguing prospect that we could very well see in the future awaiting us in the real world. Questions of morality and ethical accountability are continuing themes throughout the game and the player is ultimately invited to take part in this quandary as the narrative escalates, which is great to see albeit a little shallow at times, however it is nice for a developer to want to raise questions about morality and ethical issues that can only add credibility to the medium as a whole if it is done in a thoughtful and mature manner; which I believe HR principally achieves.
Not having any clear knowledge of the events of the first Deus Ex or the world where they took place I began Human Revolution with a largely blank slate. In HR we are introduced to a new protagonist called Adam Jensen; a gruff, ex-SWAT, security officer working for the seemingly infamous Serif Industries who are one of the major corporations driving the aforementioned custom evolution via the research and development of bio-technology or ‘human augmentation’ as it is generally referred to in the game.
The game begins with Eidos giving us a tour of Serif’s labs and the various technologies that are being researched but before long there is a major incident that results in Adam being seriously injured. Conveniently the technology created by Serif is used to save Adam’s life by augmenting his body, which we see applied to him via a slick montage very much reminding me of the beginning of Mass Effect 2 where its protagonist goes through a similar procedure in order to survive. This life-saving treatment not only saves Adam but also gives him enhanced abilities that players can upgrade throughout the game depending on how they wish to play by acquiring experience points. Examples of this include the ability to see through walls, invisibility, advanced hacking skills and an interesting offensive augment called ‘Typhoon’ which enables Adam to fire explosive ball-bearings in a circle around himself to defeat nearby enemies.
So the scene is set and now you must take control of Adam in order to find the people responsible for the attack on Serif Industries. The gameplay can be defined as first-person stealth action, giving players a myriad of options that enable them to be as silent as a mouse or as deadly as a hawk. Whether you wish to go through the game murdering everyone in sight using your augmented arm-blades of death (not their official title) combined with several upgradable weapons you can wield, or progressing through each area without a guard ever knowing you were there, you can choose, and I’m happy to report that it all works superbly well. The stealth mechanics without a doubt are enough for you to give this game a chance; they’re the best I have ever experienced and it is very pleasing to see Eidos improve upon the stealth genre so much, as it’s a style of gameplay that has always been a niche, only having rare successes with titles such as Metal Gear Solid, which I honestly feel looks mediocre in comparison to the stealth gameplay in HR.
Most mission scenarios will have you moving through various locations in order to acquire information or to find a particular individual. In my first play-through I decided to try playing as non-lethally and silently as possible. I enjoy the trial and error that comes with this style of play and I found manipulating the environment and AI was very satisfying when you’re able to sneak through an entire area leaving the guards completely unaware of your presence. You’re asked at the beginning of your first mission whether you want to play lethally or non-lethally and depending on your answer you will be given a choice of two weapons but in no way does this force you to play this way for the entirety of the game. As I chose to play non-lethally I was given the option to start with either a short range stun gun or a long range tranquillizer rifle. I went with the rifle which was fine, however when I later found a stun gun I actually preferred it as it knocks out enemies faster than the tranquillizer darts, which have a slight delay before they knock out enemies.
The fps gameplay feels good and HR has a good mix of lethal and non-lethal weapons that all sound great when fired. This is primarily a stealth action game and stealth is definitely the focus because although you can choose to engage the enemy head on it is almost always going to get you killed. Adam’s augmentations give him enhanced abilities but the game is still fairly grounded in reality in that it really doesn’t take much for the enemy to kill you. If you are spotted and remain out of cover for more than a few seconds you’re going to die, so while it is possible to play aggressively, taking cover is an essential part of the game. The AI are quite accurate marksman which some players may feel is a cheap way to make the game more challenging but I would disagree; so many games have enemies that are supposed to be soldiers or guards, experienced in frontline combat, yet they can’t hit a thing and you can stroll around casually without a single bullet flying your way. To me that is far less realistic than actually facing enemies that you would logically expect to be competent marksman.
Furthermore my overall assessment of the AI is that it is very good. It is quick to hear your footsteps, spot you moving from cover to-cover and when noticing enemies you’ve previously apprehended they are quick to alert their comrades. Yes, there are a few ways you can exploit the AI but these aren’t a big issue, for example obviously if you take out a guard and another guard notices the body they are going to investigate, and this can give you the opportunity to now take out this guard in the same way and the process could be repeated multiple times. Although this is an exploit it doesn’t work every time as the AI is very good at locating your position if they hear your gunfire, so you can be spotted quite easily if you choose to fire while there are guards close by. I can’t see how a player repeatedly exploiting such things could really enjoy the game compared to experimenting with the wide array of intricate stealth mechanics that Eidos has included in the game but maybe that’s just me.
Apart from the solid gunplay HR also includes an intelligent conversation system much like rpgs such as Mass Effect or Fallout 3, however I would say that Eidos hasn’t made it as integral to the game as a game like Mass Effect which requires you make decisions in pretty much every interaction you partake in. Rather HR gives players fewer opportunities to make choices via speech but arguably when you are given the chance to influence and in some cases manipulate certain people it is a much deeper interaction. Eidos avoids the current trend of giving players any kind of moral alignment and instead lets the future narrative justify or condemn the choices that they have made. If conversational gameplay is something you enjoy then HR gives you the option to enhance this aspect of the game via upgrading the ‘Social Enhancement’ augmentation. This upgrade allows players to analyse the personality of the AI they are speaking with in order to more effectively communicate and/or influence them and gives you more advanced responses that are aimed at particular archetypes. Also, whilst interacting with certain characters a persuasion bar is displayed showing how well the interaction is going, in other words how likely they are to bend to your will which I thought was a great touch. Not only was it hugely satisfying to completely sway a characters opinion but the animation displayed during these interactions was also very impressive; there were occasions where you could see in a characters eyes, their mind changing, a realisation had occurred and what you had said to them had impacted their view. It was really enjoyable to see how some of the more serious interactions played out.
An area that Deus Ex really excels in is its sophisticated art direction. The stylish colour palette restricted to shades of gold and black really help to define the world and set it apart from other sci-fi offerings. HR has obviously taken inspiration from classic films such as Blade Runner but I think it has done a great job in creating a unique look that it can call its own. From a technical stand-point HR is an attractive game, it isn’t quite at the top of the class graphically but my experience on the pc was very pleasing on the eye. There were some minor frame rate issues and even though I began playing after Eidos had released the first patch fixing some of the games issues such as the overly long loading times, it still had some technical problems that led to me experiencing some frustrating lock-ups. I think the reason for this was due to an issue with DirectX 11; disabling it seemed to quell the problem but Eidos should hopefully have another patch on the way that can deal with this issue.
Other than the great visuals found in HR, Eidos has also done a fantastic job in the sound department with a stand-out musical score that runs throughout the game, intertwined with ambient delights flowing through the games various locations that make it a joy to simply explore the world around you. The voice work is also of a high standard with strong performances from the main cast of characters. The acerbic dialogue between Adam and his technical aid Pritchard is especially well done and supplies some comic relief in an otherwise stern narrative; with each character continually trying to degrade the other via their back-handed comments, almost forgetting that they are on the same team.
The missions in HR are divided into main missions and side missions and once acquired can be tackled in whatever order the player chooses. Great menus and map layouts aid players in the navigation of the open-world and also allow for upgrades to be applied at any time. The main missions are obviously integral to the story and if that’s all you care about you are free to focus on them, but the quality and variety in the side missions impressed me and I found myself completing most of them on my first play-through. Many if not all of the missions allow you to somewhat determine a preferred outcome that can impact future events and Eidos does a great job of giving you the freedom to make decisions that’s consequences are not always clear. Many games have gotten into the habit of creating a very black and white conversation system or moral path and I’m glad Eidos decided to keep a level of ambiguity in the moral efficacy of the decisions you make.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a sterling example of a stealth-action rpg done right and there are few games in recent memory that have achieved so many of its intended goals. Whether it’s the excitement garnered from clearing an area without ever being noticed using the excellent stealth mechanics or manipulating a character into complying with your agenda via the conversational gameplay, HR delivers. There are some minor technical issues that need to be addressed and I would have liked to have seen some more memorable, well-established characters but overall I think HR does a great job in telling a clever story that has some of the best rpg gameplay I’ve ever experienced. If you enjoy the rpg genre then HR will surely have something for you that few games can match.
Verdict: Play this game.
