Summary
Recent years have been hard forDeus Exfans. When the third game in the Adam Jensen trilogy was unceremoniously canceled in 2017, many fans thought the franchise would fall into another long hiatus the way it did afterInvisible War. Because of this, it came as a surprise when, in 2022, there was the surprise announcement that Eidos Montreal was working on a newDeus Exgame. Then, earlier this year, after two years with no updates, it was announced that the game had been canceled—another victim of Embracer Group’s long and relentless series of cancelations.
In the near-decade since the release ofMankind Divided,players have been spoiled for choice when it comes to immersive-sims. FromCruelty Squad’s surrealist biopunk take on the aesthetics of conspiracy theories, tothe 2017Preyreboot’s meaningful progression, open-ended gameplay, and sci-fi setting, there have been a number of ways forDeus Exfans to scratch their immersive-sim itch. Still, while many games have come close, nothing has quite filled the particular gap left byDeus Ex’s absence. Fortunately, that might be about to change.
The Core of Deus Ex Has Always Been Conspiracy Theories
FEMA camps, Area 51, Majestic 12, the Illuminati, CIA drug trafficking, vaccinations, sleeper agents, DUMBs, political assassinations, the exploitation of high-technology, mass surveillance, AI manipulation of the media, false flags, corporate collusion, economic manipulation –the originalDeus Expulled from all areas of classic internet-age paranoia to create a living, breathing world of conspiracies within conspiracies that fans are still dissecting and discussing 25 years later. But, while theDeus Exfranchise’s gameplay has been wildly influential, far fewer games have taken a similar approach to narrative.
During a 2017GDC talk,Deus Excreator Warren Spector talked about conspiracy theories that didn’t make it into the game. One notable conspiracy, omitted for being too silly, is the Denver International Airport conspiracy, which claims that there is a mysterious subterranean base hidden beneath the Denver International Airport.
Deus Ex’s Heirs May Be On the Horizon
Thankfully, complex conspiracy theory narratives—reminiscent of Robert Anton Wilson’sIlluminatus!Trilogy and Grant Morrison’sThe Invisibles—might not be unique to theDeus Exfranchise for much longer. Three upcomingimmersive-simsare jumping into the paranoid waters of conspiracy theories, looking to both pay homage toDeus Exfranchise and take its crown.
Core Decay
An upcoming ‘philosophical sci-fi adventure’ from Ivar Hill and Slipgate Ironworks,Core Decayis a love letter to both the originalDeus Exand the Adam Jensen reboot games. A globetrotting adventure that combines open-ended gameplay with murky motivations, discussions of what it means to be human, and corporate conspiracies,Core Decaylooks to be a faithful homage totheDeus Exformula.
Deep State
Taking things in a more esoteric direction,Deep Statetakes the conspiracy theories and adds a layer of cosmic horror. A shadowy organization, a partner back from the dead, and grotesque entities inhabiting a void beyond the universe come together for a narrative as muchinspired byResident Evil,Metal Gear Solid, and 80s action movies as by theDeus Exfranchise. With its more combat focused approach,Deep Staterisks taking away a degree of player agency. To mitigate this, solo developer FrogManDev plans to implement stealth mechanics before the game’s final release. A demo is currently available on FrogManDev’s itch.io page.
Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation
Taking equally fromDeus ExandCruelty Squad,Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulationperfectly captures the disorienting nature of conspiracy theories by throwing the player directly into the middle of one. Sinister voices, a mysterious guardian angel, and ideological factions all vie for the player’s loyalty, while keeping their own motivations close to their chest. With its bleak sense of humor, varied gameplay systems, andlo-fi graphics,Parksidemanages to accurately capture the mysterious, unsettling nature of the originalDeus Ex. A demo is currently available onParkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation’s Steam page.
Indies Look Set To Carry Deus Ex’s Torch
Things don’t look good for the future of theDeus Exfranchise. No games have been announced as in active development, andEmbracer Groupseemingly has no interest in getting one started. For now, it looks like it will be up to indies to carry the cyberpunk im-sim torch. With a number ofDeus Exinspired games set to be released in the near future, fans won’t have to wait too long to get their fix of sneaking through vents, hacking into terminals, and uncovering international conspiracies. It might not beDeus Ex, but it just might be close enough.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
WHERE TO PLAY
The year is 2029, and mechanically augmented humans have been deemed outcasts, segregated from the rest of society. Now an elite covert agent, Adam Jensen is forced to operate in a world that has grown to despise his kind. Armed with an arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations, he must choose the right approach, along with who to trust, in order to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy.HUMAN 2.0Choose from an array of cutting edge weapons and augmentations, customizing them to fit your playstyle.IN THE NEAR FUTURE, MANKIND STANDS DIVIDEDExplore diverse locations and discover a near future setting where humanty’s fate hangs in the balance.MEANINGFUL CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCESExperience the world of Deus Ex, where the decisions you make and the actions you take play a crucial role in determining the game’s outcome.DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED - BREACH - NEW GAME MODEDeus Ex: Mankind Divided – Breach is a live game mode, introducing a puzzle arcade approach on gameplay.
