The gameplay is refined from Human Revolution in subtle but noticeable ways. The battery recharge is a bit more streamlined; combat feels heavier, and is actually viable this time around; you have plenty of new augs at your disposal; even hacking has more depth than Human Revolution, an area that I thought couldn‘t be improved upon. New Game Plus is available as soon as you beat the game, unlike Human Revolution where it was an addition to the Director’s Cut version, and there’s even an extra difficulty mode unlocked after your first run. In short, if you’re just interested in Mankind Divided for more Deus Ex gameplay then you can‘t really go wrong.
That said, there are a few areas that are just kind of baffling for a game with as long a development cycle and such impressive marketing as this one. If you’ve heard anything about Mankind Divided before this video, you’re probably already familiar with the criticism that the game is pretty short. I’d say my play time was probably around the same as Human Revolution, but that’s because the hub of Prague is absolutely packed with secret areas and items hidden within the dozens of packed buildings. Even as a completionist there were several big secrets I know I missed out on, and for that I think it’s pretty impressive. But as far as the main story goes, that criticism is not unwarranted.
Hearing that Mankind Divided was only going to have one hub gave me flashbacks of Dragon Age II, and I actually almost cancelled my preorder out of terror. Thankfully I didn’t, because who knows what I would have done without the one-time use micro transactions Square generously gave me for the effort. Thanks guys! In all honesty I never even touched this stuff and I don’t see why anyone would, because by the time I finished the game and started New Game Plus I found myself with nearly every single augment in the game--by that point, I’d maxed out well beyond the augments I actually wanted for my character build.
The Dragon Age II comparison wasn’t entirely founded for the most part, but by the end the one-time hub was wearing out its welcome. In particular, the third act of the game is kind of a mess, requiring the player to go back and forth between areas of the hub with a very crowded and very hostile curfew in effect. I won’t give away the specifics, but with a pacifist run this area can become a complete nightmare with its heavily-armored and very closely-packed mobs of enemies. And if you’re going for all the side quests, get ready to see the same loading screen while running back and forth between several NPCs before finishing everything up. It’s a complete disaster and something tells me the developers intended for this to be a completely different area.
At certain intervals of the story the player is tasked with going through mission hubs, much like the previous Deus Ex titles. Rather than hopping around the world, in this game the hub area of Prague will shift in a number of ways. Going back at night with different things to see is cool the first time, and there’s a really cool branching mission that can actually affect the ending, but by the last time you see Prague it’s really not a welcome sight. Especially, like I mentioned, when it seems like this could have easily been a separate hub to lead into the final mission.
Even more disappointing, and I’m sure many of you have heard this already, but the game ends on a cliffhanger. Very little is resolved, and if you’ve followed side quests you’ll end up with more questions than answers. For a series that’s pretty famous for each entry having a conclusive and climactic finale, Mankind Divided just fizzles out with one single boss fight--which is actually pretty damn good--and a highlight reel of the consequences of your choices throughout the game. I’m typically not opposed to having loose ends tied up quickly as long as too many aren’t left hanging, but the big questions I wanted answers for were shoved aside until the next installment while the epilogue slideshow is mostly a bunch of story threads that really weren’t that important in the grand scheme of things. Knowing that this is part of a new series--one which I hope is nearer to its conclusion than its setup--and after seeing how choices were handled from Human Revolution, I don’t really care about the outcome of this sizzle reel as much as I would if the game were self-contained or at least offered some sort of resolution.
If knowing that you’re going to be left with more questions to the story doesn’t bother you, or if you don’t care about the story at all, I’d definitely recommend Deus Ex Mankind Divided. The role-playing options are some of the best in recent years, not quite as deep as classic RPGs of yore but definitely more personally involved than The Witcher and its nearly pure combat character building. It’s nice that some developers care enough to give players tools to create a person rather than a video game character, and Mankind Divided more than delivers. Adam might have his own personality and background but there’s still so much player involvement in his character building that it’s honestly pretty shocking. Is Mankind Divided perfect? Not at all, but it’s a wonderful groundwork for what’s to come. I just wish it had more resolution to its wimpy denouement.
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