Reflections on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Exploration of its themes, characters, and impact in the gaming world.
Reflections on Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Exploration of its themes, characters, and impact in the gaming world.
Did anyone find this game as captivating as I did? It's strange how few of my friends match my passion. While graphics aren't the only factor, the level of detail truly impressed me (click to enlarge).
I really enjoyed this game, especially the setting and exploring the world. It was my first long play that I felt finished too soon—I'm not a fast player and take my time. I probably spent over 60 hours on the initial run. I played the original version when it launched, and Human Revolution: Mankind Divided gave me the most fun.
The game received considerable criticism, though some was justified. I really enjoyed it, completing it multiple times with a total of 94 hours. I intend to get the DLC once prices drop.
others have observed that having two methods to finish a task lets you switch between them without losing progress. You can still earn experience from the other task even after starting one. I noticed this in a mission where I had to enter the throat; after finishing one, I could advance and choose the second task, earning points from both. It seems the system should have prevented the unfinished task from being available afterward. Would that be the intended design?
I’m all about the visuals, man. Graphics are everything when you’re into gaming.
Actually, has the stereotype shifted lately? I believed the main divides in the gaming world centered on frame rates, field of view, and control methods. I thought graphics had become less important to players.
I appreciated the experience but encountered several challenges. Mainly, beyond a better cover system, the game felt little more advanced than Human Revolution. While you still had many augment options, most were essentially useless, especially the newer ones (except for remote hacking). You could still pick between lethal or non-lethal paths, just like in HR, but the stealth route with minimal augs was actually the smoother way through—though that seemed counter to expectations. In my first playthrough, I set the difficulty to maximum and relied only on a stun gun and hand-to-hand combat for takedowns; I never died.
Secondly, Golem’s setting was appealing but confusing to navigate. It might have been intentional to promote exploration, but there wasn’t much to discover there.
Thirdly, the weapon upgrade system seemed irrelevant, offering no meaningful impact beyond what was already present in HR. The changes were superficial, like adding a laser sight without altering gameplay.
Fourthly, the story was concise and felt incomplete. It seemed designed as an introductory chapter rather than a complete narrative, leaving the ending unsatisfying. I didn’t mind if Squeenix planned a trilogy, but each installment needed to stand alone with its own beginning, middle, and conclusion—even if it ended abruptly.
It felt like they expected me to invest years before delivering more content, as if my $60 was just a starting point. Despite the frustrations, I enjoyed the overall experience and found the graphics quite attractive, though performance was shaky at around 38 FPS.