DEUS EX
Why It Isn’t Working So Well
For a well loved franchise that has been around for almost two decades, Deus Ex has a surprisingly low number of games. The series went on a long hiatus after just its second release, Invisible War. And while it seemed like the franchise was back and here to stay after its comeback with Human Revolution in 2011, it has been put “on ice” once again. Mankind Divided was, by all means, a really good game, but several people felt that it was a disappointment compared to its predecessor, and it was its relatively lukewarm reception and less than stellar sales that convinced Square Enix to put the brakes on the franchise for the time being. The ideal scenario, of course, would be Eidos Montreal making another new Deus Ex game at the earliest, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that is happening anytime soon.
How It Could Be Better
WITH ARKANE STUDIOS
While RPG developers like CD Projekt RED or BioWare would seem like the most logical choices to make a game like Deus Ex at first, the more you think about Arkane Studios and all the games they’ve worked on recently, the more sense this makes. Dishonored and Dishonored 2 are both excellent first person stealth/action games with branching storylines, and they’re both games that excel at building up atmosphere in a unique, oppressive setting- as is this year’s Prey, for that matter. Deus Ex as a series relies on much of those things- a well done setting, incredible atmosphere, a unique visual aesthetic, and a balanced blend of action and stealth are some of the things that form the core of the franchise’s identity. Using slick abilities to take down enemies or sneak past them, as well as to traverse dense, oppressive environments is also something that we know for a fact Arkane can incorporate in their games very well.
