An Action Packed Adventure!
I have to start off this review by stating that I spent somewhere around 22-23 hours with this game. You might be thinking to yourself; "Isn't that too long? Can't it be beaten much quicker?" and the answer is probably yes. It took me such a long time because this game is like one of those fantastic Goosebump's "Choose Your Own Adventures" books I loved as a kid. Massive levels to explore and a plethora of ways to accomplish your goals encourages lots of exploration. Did I enjoy Deus Ex in 2018? Is it too dated? Let's find out!
Deus Ex is HUGE. There are a ton of levels to explore until the conclusion of the game. You'll visit New York, Hong Kong, and even exotic locations like Area-51. All of these levels are multi-tiered to provide a player with many different opportunities to accomplish their goals. Most levels start you off either on a roof top or at ground level and from there it is up to you to determine how to finish the level. Want to sneak around and crawl through air vents and lock pick doors? No problem! Are you not the subtle type and prefer to blow everything to smithereens? Well we have an answer for you too! The beauty of Deus Ex is that no play style is incorrect. The levels are open-ended enough to allow for as much creativity as a player can manage.
Gameplay is fairly straightforward. You're running through levels shooting (or sneaking) by various enemies of varying degrees of murder on their mind. As you move through levels you'll be given secondary goals to complete, if you so choose, along side the main goal(s) of that level. What's neat about the secondary goals is that they encourage exploring the levels to complete specific tasks that will net you different kinds of rewards. Completing some goals will get you skill points which you can use to upgrade a variety of abilities, from lockpicking to swimming. You'll also receive augmentation canisters or aug upgrade canisters to increase J.C.'s augmented abilities. I very much appreciate the subtle push the developers give to searching high and low through a level because the rewards are worth it!
Only a few minor issues bothered me during my time with Deus Ex. The hit boxes are wonky and no one can argue that with me. Sneaking through levels was my preferred method of playing and it sometimes became a chore to play it that way since I'd sneak up on an enemy in an attempt to subdue them quietly only to have my strike not hit the 'sweet spot' on their character model and it alerted them to my presence. Sometimes you're able to take the time to strike, but more often than not the enemies turn around too quickly and you miss your chance. Another absolutely annoying problem for me is climbing a ladder. I don't know if it's because my fingers are stupid or if the hit boxes on a ladder are a lot smaller than the actual model itself. I'd say I died probably 5 times during my 22 hour playthrough of Deus Ex which isn't too bad but I felt stupid each time.
Overall Deus Ex felt great to play in 2018. I had no serious problems with any parts of the game. I sat down and played the game straight for 4-5 hour stretches because I enjoyed the challenge of moving around the levels and I was excited about seeing what newer levels offered. The story was enjoyable and the tidbits of backstory offered through data cubes, news paper articles, and characters engrossed me enough to keep me motivated in believing in the world that I was in. If you somehow haven't played Deus Ex yet, or feel like it's too 'old' for this modern age of gaming, I wholeheartedly recommend everyone give it a fair shot! Amazing adventure!
