Back to the Future

Deus ex: Mankind Divided takes you to a dark, beautiful world of cyborg agents, conspiracies and social turmoil.

- Andy Kelly

While moody protagonist Adam Jensen is fitted with military-grade mechanical implants that let him turn invisible, punch through walls, and hack computers, most of his peers in this high-tech future just have advanced prosthetics. Cybernetic replacements for a missing limb or eye. But the ordinary citizens don’t see the distinction. To them, every augmented person is equally dangerous.

It’s a paranoia born of the so-called Aug Event, in which augmented people around the world were driven violently insane, killing millions. The truth behind this disaster is revealed in the previous game, Human Revolution, which an optional 12-minute recap video recounts in convoluted detail. Set just two years later, Mankind Divided is a direct continuation of this story.

Augmented people are now second-class citizens, harassed by the police, viewed with suspicion wherever they go, and sent to live in slums. The city of Prague is at the heart of this anti-aug upswell, which just so happens to be Jensen’s new home. It’s a weird place for someone like him to relocate to, but he has no choice: it’s where his latest employer, counter-terrorist agency Task Force 29, is based.

Prague is the only major city hub in Mankind Divided, which is slightly disappointing. I kept waiting for Jensen to fly to the next one, but it never happened. However, by focusing on a single location the artists have managed to pack in an incredible amount of detail. As you walk the streets your eyes are bombarded by holographic billboards, buzzing police drones, strange sculptures, and fascinating future- tech. It’s an impressively dense, hand crafted space, making Human Revolution’s cities feel pretty lifeless and cardboard in comparison.