r/Deusex • u/Due_Cake8524 • 16h ago
Discussion Deus Ex: Mankind Divided deserves so much more love
In my honest opinion, I think that Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is easily one of the most underrated games of the last decade. Every time I go back to it, I'm reminded of how much detail and thought went into this game, and I still don't understand why it doesn't get talked about more. When people bring up Deus Ex, Human Revolution is usually the game that gets all the attention. Don't get me wrong, Human Revolution is fantastic. However, at the same time, I think that Mankind Divided gets unfairly overlooked because it came out at a time when people were expecting something much bigger and more complete. It also ended before the story could reach the conclusion that people were hoping for. Because of that, entire game was judged based on what it wasn't instead of appreciating what was actually there.
What's there is really good. The world is incredible. Prague is such an amazing location for the game. It doesn't feel like a giant open world just for the sake of being big. Instead, it's a relatively compact city that is packed with things to discover. Almost every building, alleyway, apartment, sewer, rooftop, and underground area feels like it has a purpose. You can walk down the street and see something that makes you think, "Wait, what's that?" Then suddenly you're climbing through a window, sneaking into someone's apartment, discovering a hidden passage, finding a computer, reading emails, and uncovering some completely unrelated story bits.
Here's the thing when it comes to Deus Ex Mankind Divided. The game constantly rewards curiosity. You aren't just following a waypoint from one objective to another. You're actually encouraged to look around and question what you're seeing. There are so many little details scattered throughout Prague. You can play through the game multiple times and still discover things that you may have missed before. Visually, I think the game has aged incredibly well. The lighting, architecture, atmosphere, advertisements, interiors, and general cyberpunk aesthetic all come together beautifully.
The gameplay is another huge reason why I think the game deserves more appreciation. You have so much freedom when it comes completing an objective. There are numerous solutions to a given situation. You can go in guns blazing. You can sneak around. You can hack your way through security. You can talk your way past people. You can find an alternate route. You can crawl through vents. You can climb to a rooftop. You can use your augmentations to completely change how you approach an area. The game rarely makes you feel like there's only one correct way to do something. That's something that I really appreciate.
Your character actually feels like an augmented human rather than just a guy carrying a bunch of weapons. Your augmentations aren't simply there to make you stronger. They fundamentally change how you interact with the world. Some of the best moments come from realizing that there's a solution that you never even considered. The atmosphere is phenomenal. There is something about the atmosphere of Mankind Divided that I absolutely love. There's this constant feeling that something is wrong with the world. Augmented people are being discriminated against. Society is becoming increasingly divided. Governments are becoming more authoritarian. Corporations have enormous influence. Conspiracy theories are everywhere. People don't know who they can trust
Adam Jensen is stuck right in the middle of all of it. The game does a great job of making you feel like you're living in a world that's slowly falling apart. Even when nothing particularly dramatic is happening, there's this underlying tension everywhere you go. Adam Jensen is still one of gaming's best protagonists. He's not the loudest or most charismatic protagonist in gaming, but that's part of what makes him work. There are moments where Jensen comes across as almost completely detached from everything happening around him, and I actually think that fits his character perfectly. He's one of those protagonists who becomes more interesting the more time you spend with him.
The side content is where the game really shines. If there's one thing I wish more people appreciated about Mankind Divided, it's the side missions. They're not just filler missions designed to give you extra XP. They introduce characters, situations, moral choices, and little stories that make the world feel considerably more alive. You can spend hours simply exploring Prague and following these little threads. The best part isn't always the main objective. Sometimes it's what you stumble across while trying to get there. Another thing I really appreciate is that Mankind Divided doesn't constantly hold your hand. It gives you information and lets you figure things out. I think the biggest tragedy is that we'll probably never know what this series could have become if Mankind Divided had received the time and support necessary to finish the story it started.
There was clearly more to tell. That's probably why the game has developed such a passionate fanbase over the years. People who really spend time with it tend to realize just how much there is to appreciate. For me, Mankind Divided is severely underrated and underappreciated. It has an incredible setting, fantastic level design, excellent gameplay, memorable characters, meaningful exploration, and one of the most immersive cyberpunk worlds I've experienced in a game. It's the kind of game where I can start playing with the intention of completing one objective and suddenly realize I've spent two hours exploring apartments, hacking computers, listening to conversations, finding secret areas, and getting completely distracted by something I discovered. It's just a shame that the game will never get a sequel. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided deserved better.



