DEUS EX

"This year has proven to be a very special year, not just for Mankind, but also for the Deus Ex franchise, 2020 marked the 20th anniversary of Deus Ex, and its legacy and influence, not just on gaming but also on the cyberpunk medium as a whole. While the series itself may currently not have future plans, there is no doubt its emphasis on nonlinearity and player choice while taking place in a conspiracy world inspired many titles, including the highly anticipated Cyberpunk 2077. The Deus Ex series is very good at capturing the zeitgeist and the vibe of the dystopian cyberpunk world, with locations varying from Hong Kong, Prague, Cairo, Detroit, and much more. It’s a pioneer in the immersive sim genre and has an unmatched philosophy.

For this year’s cyberpunkday, we at the Deus Ex Hub wanted to offer a little something to contribute to the original Deus Ex’s 20th birthday, hopefully by now, someone is re-installing it by the way ;). The game may have a different tone this year, especially with the pandemic outbreak, but nonetheless, its presentation quality has withstood the test of time, the exquisite feeling of its punchy cog protagonist traveling around the world, hacking emails and ATMs, reading newspapers, that are all scattered throughout your journey, in order to uncover a worldwide conspiracy. Don’t worry, I won’t delve into spoilers territory here, you have to check out the masterpiece of a game yourself. Here, you realize Deus Ex’s most powerful advantage, which is, in my opinion, Exploration. Exploring the world leads to dramatically different outcomes.

While Deus Ex may not be known for its vast, lush open-worlds, it’s safe to say Deus Ex games quite rather focus on small, deep rich worlds with interesting characters. As it was previously stated by the franchise’s creator, Warren Spector, “I’d rather do something that’s an inch wide and a mile deep than something that’s a mile wide and an inch deep. I want to create worlds, but by “worlds” I mean someplace where every object is interactable”. That quote pretty much explains the structure of the Deus Ex worlds, over the past 20 years the worlds of Deus Ex have followed that brilliant structure, but of course with a fresh paint and a few tweaks to keep up with changes in the gaming industry. And as technology kept moving forward, obstacles such as loading times have been minimized, and will probably keep going down that road until they are completely eliminated, all in order to create the ultimate immersive experience that no previous Deus Ex game has ever witnessed. Happy Cyberpunkday to all of you, and hopefully we will see the return of Deus Ex sooner than later. The Cyberpunk genre is currently going through a rise, especially that highly anticipated titles such as The Matrix 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 are sending ripples in the entertainment medium, the hype IS real and we at DX Hub are onboard with it. Deus Ex fans hope that this creates a market opportunity so that the Deus Ex saga and legacy can continue to live on, the last game in the series ended with so many plot threads and questions unanswered, and the community is in a state of trepidation, not knowing what the future holds for the next Deus Ex game.

The Deus Ex IP has a tremendous value, and a great potential to create something creative, ambitious and new, if the vision is fully realized, then Deus Ex can be a really unique experience, something that gamers will talk about how good it is for years to come (again)."

The Deus Ex Hub