Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Played this right after Human Revolution and I would say it's a worthy if flawed sequel. No need to repeat what other people have already said, so I'll keep it brief:
* Stunning visuals, great attention to detail and overall worldbuilding. There's only one hub area this time around, but it's big and somewhat affected by what happens in and around it over the course of the campaign.
* Voice acting, music and the overall soundscape are of high quality.
* I'd say the plot flowed along nicely, there was a heavier emphasis on involved side-quests compared to HR, some of which unfolded in stages over time. Most of the new characters appeared relatable and acted in a believable fashion according to their own motivation(s).
* Moving from cover to cover has been changed substantially from HR and The Fall, giving you more direct control and flexibility (just point the crosshair at where you want to go). More mobility when it came to jumping, leaping and whatnot. Overall, Adam felt way less stiff with much greater mobility.
* Gunplay was way smoother and refined. Probably the best of the entire franchise.
But it's far from a perfect game:
* A very buggy and potentially unstable game. Leaping from cover to cover isn't reliable enough, the physics engine goes haywire way too often and crashes appear unavoidable even with band-aid fixes. Just less frequent.
* The enemies like their aggressive rushing and swarm tactics, which meant I found myself massively outnumbered every single time I made the slightest mistake. Essentially fighting half the map at once. Compared to HR, patrols also appeared to be considerably more challenging in general (tightly packed and overlapping), with very small windows of opportunity to strike.
* Performance is inexcusably poor and uneven on modern hardware considering it's a game released in 2016.
* Some menus suffer from the style over substance syndrome, in particular the hacking minigame. Unnecessary visual clutter and much less streamlined.
* Two of the three story DLCs felt as if they were artificially carved out of the main game.
* Very heavy-handed imagery about segregation, extermination of undesirables, racism and concentration camps. Really thick.
* The police curfew was not a good design decision in my opinion.
* Unconvincing final boss fight because there wasn't any reason for me (or Adam) to get emotionally invested in the villain. He simply wasn't allotted enough screen time.
* Unfulfilling ending since MD ends on an obvious cliffhanger that never was. Just like The Fall does.
* For me, MD was way too noisy in city areas. NPCs never shut up, there's relentless modern military shooter combat chatter, and also at least one TV playing Picus 24/7 (if not multiples) or a radio in every single room you'll visit. Nothing compared to the muted but certainly less annoying setup in HR and The Fall.
* Multiple "Player, do your goddamn mission!" triggers which felt completely unnecessary and out of place in a Deus Ex game.
Despite my criticism, I think Mankind Divided is still a game worth playing, but please keep in mind it won’t run stable out of the box on many systems. To improve stability, I’d recommend:
1.) Restrict the game to four CPU cores by using this shortcut. Let MD start Steam for you (this is important!).
%ComSpec% /c start "" /high /affinity F "x:\xxx\Steam\steamapps\common\Deus Ex Mankind Divided\retail\DXMD.exe"
2.) Don’t use the DX12 renderer. Also don’t max out all the graphics settings.
3.) Try DXVK which is a wrapper from DirectX to Vulkan. The game will stutter whenever you first enter a new area because the shaders need to be compiled, but performance afterwards should be more consistent.
As far as the DLCs are concerned, I’d suggest to play them in this order to best blend in with the main plot:
Desperate Measures
- After Adam’s return from Golem City. Debrief at TF29 and then head off into the DLC.
System Rift
- Do Sarif’s side-quest as soon as able.
- Complete Desperate Measures first.
- Do the bank heist and then kick off SR right away.
A Criminal Past:
- Safe to play as a prologue without spoilers, but you won’t be picking
up on certain references or events that happen in the main game.
-So best left for last.

An incredibly underappreciated Immersive Sim
As someone whose favorite game is the original Deus Ex and a massive critic of Human Revolution's more streamlined level design and mechanics, I went into Mankind Divided with the lowest expectations possible. I had heard terrible things about this game's pre-order and marketing, as well as the general consensus leaning more towards the idea that this is an inferior game compared to Human Revolution.
Truth is, after beating the game, my expectations were greatly surpassed. Not only is this a rare case of a good modern Immersive Sim (something I'm also not a huge fan of) but also a great entry in the Deus Ex franchise with enough connections to the original game and fun mechanics that will encourage repeated playthroughs to experience all its different playstyles.
Mankind Divided's level design, side missions, gameplay, and art style are all top-notch and should serve as an example for what a modern triple-A game should be like. The different augmentations you can obtain while playing the game really enhance the experience and combat to a whole other level. Nothing is more satisfying than using all your different augmentations in tandem to bypass or eliminate large amounts of enemies. The game really showcases true expression in which upgrades you choose to invest your Praxis Kits in and which ones you do not, especially with Adam Jensen's new experimental augs which quickly became one of my favorite aspects of the game.
Where the game falls flat, in my opinion, is probably its story. It feels like a middle entry in a much larger plot, and it sort of ends when things are getting interesting or leading up to the events of the original Deus Ex.
As a final note, many people say this is best enjoyed as a stealth game. Honestly, screw that. Embrace the true power of Adam's new augmentations, get the strongest weapons, go guns blazing, and have fun just being a god among men. This is not only a great Immersive Sim but also a great game overall, and that's coming from someone who went into this expecting to hate it.

Mankind Divided might well have been (hopefully not permanently) the last nail in the coffin of the Deus Ex franchise, but I’ve always had a special appreciation for the game.
The IP has been dead for several years, and although the industry tends to zombify such things, i don’t hold out much hope for a new title with the budget and care it deserves.
Anyway, for better or worse, whether clumsy, incomplete, unintentionally comical, and slightly broken, Mankind Divided is an excellent game.
Undoubtedly, a considerable improvement compared to Human Revolution, even if the intelligence factor, when it comes to narrative, is almost equally matched by stupidity.
Relatively more self-contained than the others, Mankind Divided has a more modest structure, placing most of its missions in a sandbox located in Prague instead of an intricate journey around the world.
Prague is a masterclass in design. A relatively large, complex, interconnected area, perfectly readable and easy to visually memorize, full of secrets and rewards for the curious and attentive. Exploring it is a complete delight.
As one of the best examples of level design in immersive sims, Prague perfectly accommodates all traversal options available in the player’s skill tree, expands as new abilities are unlocked, and presents all its spaces functionally and purposefully, serving both gameplay and the narrative aesthetic the game communicates.
It’s a dense playground of options and well-set, accommodating all the game systems and its narrative content in a way that never feels repetitive or restrictive. The dynamism of the gameplay drowns out any sense of boredom.
I’ve finished the game three times, and this last one, I spent hours freely exploring every bit of the scenery, looking for additional rewards, side stories, and secrets, besides trying to do all the main and secondary material. And I still believe there are things left to discover, new strategies to experiment with, and different solutions to old puzzles.
This is the type of game where you always feel you have multiple options available at every minute. And you never get lost or stuck for too long when encountering a problem. You’re always rewarded for your creativity.
The systemic nature of the game, with easily identifiable enemies and obstacles and clear rules for manipulation, generates fantastic emergent situations that can easily be worked to your advantage. If you know what you’re doing (or not), it’s fantastic to be surprised by things you didn’t even know could be done.
Objective markers are the most redundant thing you’ll find here. And I strongly recommend turning them off. Reaching objectives guided by the design of the environment is always viable and generally more rewarding. Your attention is golden.
Let the game guide you, absorb the atmosphere and details. Enjoy the experience without rushing.
The levels outside Prague are well-made too, but they don’t linger much, so it’s hard to instill a deeper appreciation for their experiences since most of the game’s content is located in the city.
The mix of combat and stealth remains at the expected level of competence. You have to tolerate a bit of jank in some things, but overall it’s excellent.
Combat is sharp and consistent, with lethal, relatively intelligent enemies, little ammunition available, and no random respawns or artificially designed areas to accommodate shootouts (making any fight in the game feel more organic and dynamic). Each fight can be costly, and you’re discouraged from head-on confrontations whenever enemies appear.
Play the game on hard (Give me Deus Ex or I Never Asked for This), and you’ll have to respect the enemies and be as lethal and precise as possible whenever things go wrong.
Stealth works especially well, with a cover system optimized for more stealthy operations and a myriad of new tools, both lethal and non-lethal, to assist in these endeavors.
Jumping from one to the other is smooth, and combined with the movement mechanics, you have versatile and always fresh gameplay. Among the versions of the game I’ve had, I must have played almost 100 hours and still haven’t gotten tired of how fun it is to navigate this game.
The other aspect of the game, and perhaps the most precarious part of the experience, has to do with the conversations and ultimately with the narrative itself.
The writing isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s very inconsistent, featuring characters with artificial voices and personalities without much nuance or credibility to take their speeches seriously. It’s not uncommon to find characters whose intentions are hard to decipher or understand why they behave in certain ways or occupy certain positions within organizations. If the performances were more competent and the tone more identifiable, some of these figures might not sound so strange and out of place.
The plot is relatively competent, presenting a simple but multifaceted conspiracy connected to the sociopolitical tensions of the universe’s background.
This background is a bit forced to evoke allegories about racial segregation, apartheid, and the like.
It’s somewhat poorly thought out and incomplete, with high-class citizens or those associated with large corporations being racialized, systematically oppressed, and isolated in ghettos and concentration camps, only to be ultimately eradicated from society.
All this within two years… It’s a stretch, to say the least. Hardly convincing.
It’s as if everyone suddenly became extremely stupid and adhered to the clumsy puritans of Human Revolution, hating prostheses and implants simply because they went through a collective trauma, whose main victims are exactly those they want to isolate.
A bit of collective hysteria or angry discussions about regulation? Yes, that I accept. Racializing people with prosthetics, no matter which kind? Is just too ridiculous.
“Cyberracism”/apartheid seems like interesting and provocative ideas to explore in this universe, but the execution wasn’t very good, and the result doesn’t say much about the subject itself, even though once you dive into the details of the newspapers, books, and articles, it proves to be much less stupid than it initially appears.
They were more successful in addressing loaded issues through aesthetics and at least tried to extract real discussions from the allegory. About how the political game would work around such a case and what the sociopolitical and economic implications of such a gigantic schism would be. How billionaires, mega-corporations, and other power figures would take advantage of the crisis to thrive, and so on.
It’s bad, but not as bad as Detroit Become Human.
They probably failed due to a lack of time to tie up the details or a more incisive commitment to the argument. But hey, at least the subject is not as abstract as in Human Revolution.
In my book, any story that invites its consumers to think about sociopolitical issues at any level, even if somewhat clumsy, is already better than the vast majority of power fantasies we see out there.
And Mankind Divided is a power fantasy about being a super cyborg spy who shoots blades from his arms and steals beer from his neighbors… So it’s the best of both worlds, i guess.
The gameplay more than sustains the experience, which otherwise would be somewhat mediocre. The graphics are passable, the music is wonderful, and in the end, it doesn't leave much to be desired.
I definitely recommend it.

This review is based on 100% completion and 59.1 hours of gameplay.
Recommendation:
Would I recommend this game? Yes, with an important caveat. The game is absolutely stunning, and the sound design is superb. The game's mechanics feel very good and fluid. And you will get more than your money's worth by playing through this game to completion, as there are numerous ways to complete objectives and play.
You'll want to get the deluxe edition, which includes the DLC, to get the most out of the game, but as always, I recommend waiting for a good sale before purchasing.
Important Caveat:
While I enjoy this game, there is one major drawback. I have a fairly decent rig right now, and it runs comfortably at higher settings. I only played on high for the majority of my time in this game, but during the campaign, I experienced multiple crashes and infinite loading screens, and the only way to fix this was to lower the graphical settings, which I had to do several times before it let me through the loading screen. Then I would be able to change back and continue playing.
The majority of the infinite loading screens appeared at the end of Golem City, and it happened all the way down to low graphics for me multiple times during both of my playthroughs.
It was a coin toss with any other loading screen or cutscenes, including transferring to different areas of Prague via train. So do keep in mind that you will most likely run into these issues when you purchase.
Achievements:
DLC is required for 100% in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
Base game:
Base game achievements can be completed in a single playthrough with proper planning and one perma-death run. Saving regularly will also allow you to load back to complete any that were missed. There are no issues with unlocking any of the achievements in the base game.
Breach:
This game mode requires an online connection, so check before purchasing that these are still obtainable. This was such a slog to get through; these achievements are not difficult to complete, but they are time-consuming and extremely tedious; these will be the most annoying to obtain out of all of them.
DLC: Jensens Stories
With a little planning, you can complete all of these in one run. It was not difficult at all and was very enjoyable. There were no issues with any of the achievements popping up.
DLC
This section will not contain any spoilers for the story. These are just my thoughts on the experience.
Breach: (while not technically DLC i have included this here) This is not my favourite game mode; it serves as Deus Ex's challenge mode, which I dislike in any game. It plays as one would expect from a Deus Ex title, but it offers the player nothing of real value. It's also worth noting that you'll need to be connected to the internet to play this mode, so make sure it's still available before purchasing.
Jensen’s stories
Overall, these were enjoyable and added a bit more content to dive into.
System Rift: This was a really good and fun little mission that felt really good to play. It was not a very long DLC, with you only needing around 2-3 hours to complete if you take it super slow. And it provides you with a really good story, bringing back an old friend for some more banter. This little DLC is worth playing.
Criminals Past: Criminals Past, like System Shift, is a well-designed mission that takes around the same time to complete and is enjoyable to play.
Desperate Measures: I’m not sure how to feel about this one compared to the other two. This one should have been included in the base game rather than added separately. It plays as well as the others, but the story doesn't feel right to me outside of the base game.

An incomplete masterpiece, i cant even imagine how good it could be if it was in the better hands, incredible level design , god i just love these IS games.
And Fk Square Enix, for it ruining every game that i love.
R.I.P.

A Game that fundamentally wouldn't be able to made again.
Whilst far shorter than i would have liked, Ultimately has left an impression on me that i don't think i'll ever be able to shake.
I'm truly sad this will never have a sequel like it deserves so much.

The only thing bad about this game is that it doesnt have a satisfying ending to the series. It was meant to be a trilogy, instead we got some garbage avengers game... And now deus ex is dead forever because of the "embracer group". The cyberpunk genre is cursed.