Deus Ex: The Fall

Deus Ex: The Fall is a title developed for Apple, Android mobile devices and PC. Set in the Deus Ex universe, it is the fourth game of the series and the first to be released on mobile platforms. The game is a sequel to the novel Deus Ex: Icarus Effect.

Premise
The year is 2027 -- a golden era for science, technology and human augmentation, but also a time of great social divide and global conspiracy. Ben Saxon, a former British SAS soldier who underwent physical augmentation, is desperate for the truth behind the drug conspiracy. Betrayed by his private military employers, the Tyrants, not only is his own life at risk, but for all augmented humans, time is running out...

Plot
The intro to Deus Ex: The Fall consists of a secret conversation between Bob Page and other members of the Illuminati. There is mention of a proxy firm and a ghost agent in New York, and clinical trials which require further testing, which Page assures can be seen to in Panama. He asks if they are at risk, and Jaron Namir responds that their new recruit is ready but unstable, and that "the scientist" is under control and will obey. When Page asks him about the two that got away who interfered in Geneva, Saxon and Kelso, Namir promises if they come out of hiding, he will kill them himself.

The gameplay begins with former SAS soldier Ben Saxon and former Secret Service agent Anna Kelso recovering in a safehouse in Costa Rica. Saxon recounts for Anna some of the major events of Icarus Effect, including the attack that killed his Belltower squadmates in Australia during Operation Rainbird, the assassination of Mikhail Kontarsky in the Hotel Novoe Rostov, and his escape from the Tyrants aboard their private Jet. During these flashbacks, Kelso goes into shock from Neuropozyne withdrawal. Due to a worldwide shortage of Neuropozyne, they have been rationing their remaining supply, so after Saxon uses the last of their reserves to treat her, he asks Janus for help on where to find more. Janus advises him to venture to nearby Panama City via train, and seek out the underground doctor Alvarez Araujo in the slums. Leaving Kelso behind to recover from her seizures and cyber-sleuth more information on the Tyrants, Saxon departs for Panama.

In Panama, Ben finds Dr. Araujo at an improvised free clinic in the Panama City Slums. The doctor gives him a free sample of an off-brand alternative, Zaaphire Biotech's Riezene, which Saxon can choose to take to relieve his withdrawal symptoms. However, Saxon ultimately elects to search for a Neuropozyne connection, as Alvarez is incapable of giving Saxon a major supply of Riezene, and he doubts the product's safety. The doctor directs him to meet with the LIMB clinic manager Camila Cardoso for a discreet supply of Neuropozyne, to which she obliges so long as Ben helps her investigate the local trafficking of Riezene. Cardoso directs him to Cobra, who tells Saxon to visit the hideout of the local Skulls gang to ask their leader, Diego, and offers a reward for his pocket organizer. After infiltrating the Skulls' hideout, Ben discovers a clandestine Belltower truck unloading the drugs and/or questions Diego, suggesting a sinister conspiracy: someone high-up at Zaaphire has been intentionally leaking the drugs in Panama City despite (or maybe because of) its limited clinical testing. Cardoso agrees to discreetly send anti-glial buildup drugs to a PO Box near the safehouse, and tells him the location of someone who might be able to give him answers to Belltower's involvement in these illegal Riezene field tests, the Belltower pilot Alex Vega.

In the Nightshades Club, Vega tells Saxon she has heard rumors that some of the guards have been taking some of the Riezene shipments and selling it to street dealers. She is currently assigned to protect WHO agent Stuart St. John, who is himself investigating Riezene, but Vega fears for his safety. Saxon agrees to warn the inspector so she does not get caught discrediting her own employers, with Alex saying she will owe him one. After breaking into Stuart's suite at the top of the Hotel Etana, the agent admits to Saxon that Riezene is not ready for market yet, and he plans to go public on Picus TV as a whistleblower for the events. Saxon is too late, however, as a Tyrants' VTOL blows open the window to the suite, and an augmented Sam Duarte shoots the inspector dead, revealing him to not only be alive, but working for the Tyrants. Before he can kill his former squadmate, he hesitates, and security forces begin to converge on the hotel, forcing the Tyrants to leave.

With the Tyrants now in Panama City, and aware of Saxon and Kelso's presence, Ben asks Kelso to leave the safehouse, and he tells to Vega to get them out of Panama as soon as possible to a location of his choosing. She begrudgingly accepts the job, knowing her career with Belltower is over anyway since they will blame her for the inspector's death, but cannot retrieve her VTOL until the company safeguards are removed. She asks him to infiltrate the local XNG Shipping Facility, which houses a clandestine Belltower training center underneath. In the base, Ben deactivates the surveillance equipment and Vega agrees to meet him at the Hotel Etana Helipad, a difficult task considering Belltower has declared the site a crime scene. After reaching the top of the hotel, Saxon clears the helipad of an 80-X Boxguard and two Belltower Spec Ops, allowing the pilot to successfully land and pick him up. They depart for Zaaphire Biotech's Headquarters in Canberra, Australia.

The game ends with Duarte and Jaron Namir apologizing to Bob Page for failing to kill Saxon and Kelso. Duarte vows to kill the rogue Tyrant before he can cause any more trouble. The screen then cuts to a "To be continued" card, hinting at additional levels of the game involving Ben, Alex, and Anna.

Unreleased Content
Unused text taken from the game's data files indicates the following future plot points:

After learning that Isaac Tiven created the Argus Implant in his head, Ben heads to Zaaphire Biotech Headquarters in Canberra, Australia to confront him. As Ben moves deeper into Zaaphire, it is becoming apparent that they were expecting him. Inside Zaaphire, the offices have been evacuated. Instead of TPS Reports, Ben finds combat rifles. Heading deeper into the facility, Ben must get past Zaaphire's security check point before entering the Labs, where Isaac Tiven most likely would be. Inside the lab, Ben confronts Isaac Tiven. He learns Zaaphire's plan to go public and the rapid unethical testing they have done with Riezene to move it to market more quickly. Isaac informs Ben that an old friend is waiting for him deeper in the lab. Ben finds his old squad mate, Sam Duarte, deep in Zaaphire Biotech. It seems Sam is being recruited by the Tyrants to take Ben's place. Sam thinks Ben betrayed him and is hellbent on revenge. Before they get too far into their conversation, Jaron Namir, Lawrence Barrett, and Yelena Fedorova appear, knocking Ben unconscious. Namir is sure to let Ben know that he could kill him if he wanted to. When Ben comes to, he is aboard Alex's chopper. They traced the Tyrants and are headed to New York City.

The big apple is home to the biggest, best, and brightest in the world. Here Ben has access to New York's LIMB Clinic, the Helipad, Metridyne Bank, Subway, and the Crystal Hotel. After Alex lands on the helipad, Ben exits the VTOL and heads to the Crystal Hotel, where Anna is waiting. After receiving Anna's scrambled comm message, Ben tries to convince the receptionist to tell him Anna's room number. Once Ben finds Anna, she sends Ben to the LIMB clinic to get his Argus Implant removed. She is suspicious that they are being monitored in the hotel and suggests they leave.

Once at LIMB, Ben is surprised to find Isaac Tiven who has had a change of heart. He removes Ben's Argus Implant. Isaac says the Tyrants manipulated Zaaphire Biotech's finances, which could contain evidence that might lead to what they're planning next. They decide to follow the money and need access to Zaaphire's financial records. Anna knows the hacker Widow who could get the job done and who resides on the old Carrier at Pier 19.

Pier 19 is home to all kinds of riff raff and undesirables. Docked at this pier is a Carrier that was once a proud military vessel, but has since been taken over by a group of hackers headed by Widow. Ben asks for help accessing Zaaphire's records at the Metridyne Bank in return for the financial benefit Widow can receive if they are successful. Before they can start, Ben must physically infiltrate the bank to plant an uplink. After getting the uplink from Widow, Ben infiltrates Metridyne to plant it. Deep within Metridyne, Ben plants the uplink and escapes back to the Carrier where Widow is waiting to hack Zaaphire's financial records. After successfully placing the uplink, Ben returns and Widow begins her hack. By hacking Metridyne's central server, she recovers evidence of VersaLife's involvement in setting up Zaaphire Biotech. It is not long before they are traced and a Belltower strike team attacks the carrier! Ben sees through Anna's eye augmentations that she is kidnapped by Sam Duarte. Ben is forced to escape.

The New York subway has become a dangerous place lately, overrun with Anarchists. Here Ben can access the Pier, New York Streets, and the UGSE (United Global Stock Exchange). After Anna is kidnapped, Namir contacts Ben here and tells him to watch the news. Here he sees that the UGSE is under siege and heads there to save Anna. Ben infiltrates the UGSE to find Anna. He needs to make his way to the roof. Ben finds Anna and Sam on the roof of the UGSE for the final showdown. It could be presumed that Ben tries to convince Sam that Namir is the one who sabotaged Rainbird, but is ultimately forced to fight Sam to save Anna, and has the options of sparing or killing him, before finally regrouping with Anna and Alex and convincing the latter to join the Juggernaut Collective as in Deus Ex: Hard Line.

Characters

 * Alex Vega
 * Alvarez Araujo
 * Anna Kelso
 * Ben Saxon
 * Camila Cardoso
 * Cobra
 * Diego
 * Janus
 * Jaron Namir
 * Lawrence Barrett
 * Mikhail Kontarsky
 * Sam Duarte
 * Scott Hardesty
 * Yelena Fedorova

World Locations

 * Costa Rica
 * Moscow
 * Panama
 * The Tyrant Jetliner

Development
In March of 2013, Square Enix trademarked and registered domains linked to the Deus Ex series: DeusExTheFall.com and DeusExTheFall.net, but nothing official was released. However, on June 03, 2013, Deus Ex: The Fall was teased on Twitter by Human Revolution developer Eidos Montreal in a subtle tweet, which said "Are YOU ready for The Fall?". Hours later, a new tweet was released, saying "Who is Ben Saxon?", suggesting a connection with the book Deus Ex: Icarus Effect. Another tweet, which said "Where will YOU take The Fall?" with a short teaser, reveals that an announcement will be made on June 05, 2013, a few days from E3.

On June 05, 2013, Eidos Montreal officially announced Deus Ex: The Fall for tablets and mobile devices.

Reception
The iOS Release of the game met with mixed critical reception, averaging scores of 69/100 on Metacritic and 70% on Gamerankings. Reviewers agreed that despite The Fall being an overall shorter, worse written and less complex Deus Ex game than it's predecessors, the game was still excellent by Mobile Standards, and more or less an acceptable entry in the series. One of the lowest review scores was by Eurogamer's Christopher Dolan, who criticized the game's poor visuals, controls, combat and even story, in addition to poor performance by the game itself. He assigned the game a total score of 5/10, one of the lowest by a major reviewer, but both Metacritic and Gamerankings recognize reviewers that gave the game a 4/10. User reviews were far more negative, averaging 4.4/10 on Metacritic.

In early 2014, the game was ported to Android Operating System and Windows. The Windows release saw much worse reception, this time averaging 45/100 and 44% on Metacritic and Gamerankings, respectively. Critics cited the minimal effort done in porting the game, including features left in from the mobile release, such as the inventory shop, lack of a jump button, and permanently bound controls. Andy Kelly of PC Gamer described the game as "truly one of the worst PC ports [he had] played in some time", and YouTube consumer advocate Totalbiscuit condemned the game in a "review" on his channel. This backlash lead to Square Enix releasing a small patch in August that allowed mappable controls, added more audio options and fixed some of the more noticable bugs, but as of January 2015 no further patches have been released for the game.

Sales figures on The Fall are as of yet unknown, as Apple, Samsung and Valve are all reluctant to release any metrics, but as of the 27-month mark since the original iOS release, no public talks of a new mobile game have been seen or heard of from Square Enix, N-Fusion or Eidos Montreal. Coupled with the strong negative public reception of the game, Square Enix may be waiting to release a more polished mobile title, or even abandon the platform entirely.