Deus Ex: Human Revolution

2011

shooter
puzzle
role-playing (rpg)
action
science fiction
stealth
single player

The story

In Deus Ex: Human Revolution you play Adam Jensen, a security specialist, handpicked to oversee the defense of one of America's most experimental biotechnology firms. But when a black ops team breaks in and kills the scientists you were hired to protect, everything you thought you knew about your job changes. At a time when scientific advancements are routinely turning athletes, soldiers and spies into super-enhanced beings, someone is working very hard to ensure mankind's evolution follows a particular path. You need to discover why - because the decisions you take and the choices you make will be the only things that can determine mankind's future.

What it’s like

Rain-slick neon and warm amber interiors give Human Revolution its look, a near-future Detroit and Prague rendered in gold-lit offices, grimy back alleys and sterile corporate glass, with the protagonist's cybernetic augmentations glowing faintly under the skin. Camera sits close over the shoulder, and the city's skyline and rooftops stretch out in wide, hazy vistas that suit slow looking. The soundtrack leans on tense, brooding synth and orchestral swells, broken by long stretches of quiet hum from pipes, traffic and distant sirens. Pacing is deliberate: long stretches of talking, sneaking and exploring interspersed with brief, sharp bursts of gunfire, and gunplay is clean and unsparing, with occasional blood and bodies but no gore for its own sake. Its vibe is cool, thoughtful unease, a dystopian mystery about bodies and ethics that rewards patience, and the emotional register is serious and quietly melancholy as a man confronts what he has become and how much of himself remains. It suits a late evening alone with headphones, a long stretch of planning and sneaking, or a thoughtful weekend with the lights low. It is for players who want a story-heavy, choice-driven stealth RPG with atmosphere to spare and a moral question at its center.

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