Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

"'I once thought I could save the world... now look at it. Sometimes you just have to let go and embrace what you've become."

- Adam Jensen

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a cyberpunk-themed action RPG game in the Deus Ex series. It was developed by Eidos Montréal and published by Square Enix. It is a sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution but will take place before the events of Deus Ex. Mankind Divided was released on the 23rd of August 2016.

Adam Jensen returns as the protagonist for this installment of the series. He obtains several new augmentations in Mankind Divided. Like its predecessors, the game will place emphasis on player choice and freedom.

Setting and plot
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is set two years after Human Revolution in 2029. Adam Jensen is faced with the aftermath of the Aug Incident and the impact of his decision on how to resolve it. He feels as though the choice he made resulted in failure. Following Hugh Darrow's hijacking of the biochip signal in 2027, augmented people across the world were forced to violently attack those around them. The public is outraged by this event and they therefore aggressively oppose mechanical augmentation. This results in a divided world, where mechanically augmented humans are forcibly separated from non-augmented ones.

Jensen works for the Interpol-funded Task Force 29 that deals with augmented terrorists that have sprung up in response to this backlash. However, his allegiance is split between Task Force 29 (TF29) and a hacker group known as the Juggernaut Collective. Following his discovery of the Illuminati in 2027, Jensen is determined to bring down the shadowy group and collaborates with the Juggernaut Collective in an attempt to achieve this.

His work for Task Force 29 brings Jensen to an abandoned, partially-built hotel in Dubai. Here his branch of TF29 must break up an illegal arms deal involving mechanical augmentations. During this mission, TF29 and the gangs involved in the arms deal are ambushed by an unknown group of mercenaries wearing golden masks.

Some time after this ambush, Jensen travels to Prague, where he must deal with a group suspected of terrorism known as the Augmented Rights Coalition. He visits their Prague base in Golem City to question their leader, Talos Rucker. During his time in Prague, Adam also visits various other locations such as Růžička Station and the Dvali Theatre.

Continuing from Human Revolution
Eidos has explained that there are no plans for save files from Deus Ex: Human Revolution to carry over into Mankind Divided, so individual players' choices will not be reflected in the sequel. Instead, various outcomes follow from its possible paths. For example, regardless of which signal the player chose to broadcast at the end of Human Revolution, Panchaea collapses in every possible ending. Disinformation about what happened surrounding the Aug Incident leads to the truth being intentionally hidden.

The developers have stated that regardless of which signal is broadcast at the end of Human Revolution, the truth is obscured by rumors and disinformation, allowing them to use different aspects of each ending to form the backdrop of Mankind Divided.

Gameplay
The game will feature FPS, RPG, and stealth gameplay elements. This gives players a wide variety of options about how they approach each mission. There are several ways to complete each objective, with different player choices leading to different outcomes. It is possible to play through the entire game without being detected or killing anyone, including during boss fights. The hacking ability from Human Revolution will be available, although in Mankind Divided it will also be possible to hack objects remotely. The "conversation battle" mechanic will also make a reappearance.

New Combat and Tactics
The new combat system was designed to give players more choices. More ways to solve the same issue, whether through the use of augmentations, combat or possibly even dialogue. In the previous game, the combat system was not on par with the complexity of stealth. In Mankind Divided, players will be able to use more of the vertical space, glide between cover and make use of new non-lethal weapons. Improved is the cover system. Players can still crouch and move around cover, but now they can also click on an empty space near new cover and dash for it. If this doesn't feel safe, then players can go invisible using the new Energy System.

The enemies as well have new combat opportunities not seen in previous games in the franchise. They will use cloaking and shielding and can dash from one place to another, making combat more fast paced which in turn will require more planning and forethought from the player before leaping into battle, unless of course they use something like Titan Shield, in which case, go on ahead. Just be sure to watch the energy level!

New Weapons and Augmentations
As well as featuring certain augmentations from Human Revolution, several new ones will be introduced. These include a detachable nano-ceramic blade, a protective nanoshield, and a fist-mounted electro-shock system akin to modern-day Tasers, utilizing prongs that pop up on his hand from between the knuckles, injecting the enemy with electricity. This augmentation allows Jensen to tag and take out enemies silently and replaces the stun gun from the previous game. Jensen also has a directed energy cannon as part of his arm and hand augments. The energy is charged and released causing a strong knockback effect. Some enemies in Mankind Divided will possess augmentations similar to the ones used by Jensen, making them more deadly.

The Energy system existed in the previous game Human Revolution, but players were having to spend time waiting for a recharge or consuming items that would also do this. Energy is now on a long bar that gradually refills over time. Some augmentations have an activation cost that will lower the max amount of energy a player can have. This can be reset by using a Bio Cell. The Bio Cell also has other uses such as energizing devices, and are in limited supply, so players will have to choose how best to use them.

There is a new dash system call Icarus Dash. This can be used defensively during an attack on multiple targets, knocking them down. It can also be used to quickly move from cover to cover and even cover horizontal gaps to reach areas not otherwise available to players, similar to a teleport. This could be useful for crossing across ceiling areas or to make quick leaps into moving vehicles.

The game allows for greater flexibility in gunplay, allowing players to customize the sights and ammunition type of their weaponry. A new weapon, the Battle Rifle, has also been introduced, though little is known about it at present. Player will be able to change out or add modification and change targeting patterns on weapons in real-time. Ammo includes armor piercing rounds and EMP ammo for taking out electronics.

Several weapons can now be charged for a secondary effect. Jensen's Nanoblade launcher will launch the blade at a target, doing damage but if it is charged first, it will glow red and will explode on impact, increasing the amount of damage done. The P.E.P.S. non lethal weapon - originally introduced in Human Revolution, also has a secondary effect. The primary effect will knock enemies over. Charging it before using has the effect of knocking enemies out.

Story Branching
Everything matters, at least when it comes to the story decisions made by the player. Eidos Montréal, the developers of Mankind Divided wanted to be sure that choices and consequences pay off in many levels throughout the game. During conversations with both enemies and allies, players will often be given multiple choices that will allow them to approach the situation in different ways. They can try the direct no-give approach, or maybe try a little reasoning, or patronize them and see where that leads. Maybe a confrontation can be avoided completely, but if so, what is the long term cost and who will it affect? There is no 'morality system' per se, and players can choose to kill everyone if that is how they want to play the game.

Because of player choice, the game's final mission may not play out the same way it did for someone else, adding to the game's replayability. There are also side stories and exploration possibilities that are completely optional but players who take the time to complete them, will meet new characters and get a better understanding of the story as a whole. They allow the player to see even deeper into the life and backstory of Adam Jensen as well as the lives of the people around him on the streets.

Breach
Breach is a game mode that will be featured in Mankind Divided. Here, players are put in an environment that resembles a test chamber, and given the goal of locating several servers dotted around each level and activating them, then returning to their spawn point before the timer runs out. Some servers are hidden behind fake walls and secret doors, while others hang above on what initially appears to be inaccessible platforms. On average, Breach challenges can be completed in five minutes or less. Obstructing both infiltration and escape are a host of sentinels, drones, turrets, and later, the more powerful Prime guards. These opponents do not present much challenge in of themselves, but can still delay a player.

Strings of kills and other feats will boost a score multiplier, as will unlocking all the servers. Players' score is converted into a form of currency that can be used to buy booster packs of five cards. Each card can unlock a weapon, or upgrades, skills, health, ammo, and so on. More expensive packs provide rarer items. These packs can also be purchased through real-world currency.

Official app
An official Deus Ex Universe app has been released which provides information about the games and the latest Mankind Divided news. It is available to download from the App Store and Google Play. Once Mankind Divided has been released, it will serve as a companion app for the game. It currently features a scanner which can be used to scan triangle-shaped codes found in various promotional videos and posters. These codes unlock exclusive content related to the game and its development.

AugAware Campaign
Adding to the Augmentation theme of Mankind Divided, the folks at Square Enix and Eldos Montreal placed marketing, disguised as propaganda posters around New York City in August of 2015 - stating "Keep Our Streets Human!" These posters included a triangular QR code, and a URL of AugAware.org. The URL led to the official Deus Ex Website.

In mid April 2016, the team chose to promote the game even further by publishing the Aug Aware website. This unique site features several articles 'written' by those who strongly opposed the use of augmentation, stating that humans should be pure (or whole) and retain the physical limbs they were born with with mention of 'purists and the augmented being at war'. The site itself appeared to be under some type of cybernetic 'attack' by the Augmented Rights Coalition, possibly an attempt to stave readers from gaining insight and joining the side of the pure. The website has a countdown timer at the top, counting down to May 26th 2016 at 6am PDT.

Two videos also surfaced, one that looks like security camera footage depicting a man in a small market with a cybernetic arm that he suddenly loses control of, knocking over 20K worth of wine bottles. The other is of a man in an alley, beating another man with his own augmented leg. The description of the second video reads as follows:


 * The fear over the augmented community has boiled over into the streets, as evidenced by this video footage which shows an argument turning into a brutal fight. Unlike the Panchaea Aug Incident, the humans took this round, as a beast of a man ripped off an Aug’s leg and used it to beat him. “There is reason to be concerned,” says AugAware.org, the organization responsible for releasing the footage. The AugAware.org website seems to indicate that their anti-Aug awareness campaign is just beginning – check the site on May 26th to see what’s next.