Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided refines and reinforces the defining foundations of the series.

Deus Ex's mix of shooting and stealth continues to flourish under Eidos Montreal, though the story isn't a match for the setting.

A beautiful, smartly designed game set in a gorgeous futuristic city, but with a story that doesn't quite do it justice.

Mankind Divided's cybernetic playground feels fresh, even if it doesn't go as far as expected

An excellent sequel that expands your toolbox and offers complex, multifaceted environments to explore.

A reflection of our world today, but it ends up a little too long winded and the narrative sometimes slows the experience to a crawl

Eidos Montreal's near-future thriller presents a visually impressive dystopian playground, but a wonky narrative and some shoddy touches tarnish its potential

Mankind Divided is a new version of one of my favourite games of all time and free from the execution problems that hampered that last iteration. The levels are bigger and prettier. There are no dumb boss fights. It gives you slightly more agency over its story. The new abilities are nice, even if they don't dramatically alter the flow of the game.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided doesn't succeed in making me care about the plight of humans and augs, but it still pulled me into its compelling cloak-and-dagger world where people in capes can turn invisible and shoot balls of lightning out of their arm. Oh, and your aug doctor looks just like Prince, so it's in the running for GOTY.

Despite its various shortcomings, Mankind Divided remains a worthy sequel to Human Revolution and one of the clearest signs yet that the immersive sim has returned to the top of the gaming heap. Whatever disappointment I felt about the limited narrative scope has been offset by the many surprises hidden in its wonderfully winding city hub.