Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

A great addition to the Deus Ex mythos, and more than just a better looking Human Revolution. If you’re a fan of the series, or even just the last one, then you can’t go wrong with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

77%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

optimization, monetization

75% User Score Based on 30,792 reviews

Critic Score 80%Based on 54 reviews

Platforms

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About

In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, you play as Adam Jensen, an augmented former police officer in a futuristic society torn apart by discrimination against mechanically-augmented humans. With cybernetic abilities and a range of weapons, Jensen must uncover a global conspiracy while navigating a world filled with intrigue and danger. This first-person RPG offers a deep exploration of themes like transhumanism and social justice, along with engaging gameplay and richly detailed environments.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+16

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 30,846 reviews

story6.8k positive mentions

optimization1.1k negative mentions

story
26,529 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
68%
6%
The story of "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it feels incomplete and abruptly ends, leaving numerous plot threads unresolved. While some appreciate the engaging side quests and environmental storytelling that enrich the world, others criticize the main narrative for being less compelling than its predecessor, "Human Revolution." Overall, the game is praised for its gameplay mechanics and immersive atmosphere, but the story's shortcomings, particularly its pacing and lack of closure, have left many fans disappointed.
- “The story is captivating, offering a depth of narrative and dialogue rarely seen in modern gaming.”
- “The side missions are well written and are often even better than the actual plot itself, and prague is a beautifully designed hub world that is filled with secrets to explore and discover.”
- “The story, while having holes, is still engaging, and the hub world is still fun to traverse and explore.”
- “Where the game falls flat, in my opinion, is probably its story.”
- “The story is the weakest part for a key reason; it was left too vague and too open-ended in the finale.”
- “The main story is too short and feels rushed, leaving many plot threads unresolved.”
gameplay
9,715 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
The gameplay of *Deus Ex: Mankind Divided* has been widely praised for its depth and variety, allowing players to approach missions through stealth, hacking, or direct combat, with many new augmentations enhancing the experience. While the game retains the core mechanics of its predecessor, *Human Revolution*, it introduces refinements that improve fluidity and responsiveness, although some players noted issues with AI behavior and occasional bugs. Overall, the gameplay is considered a significant improvement, offering engaging mechanics and a richly detailed world, despite criticisms regarding the story's abrupt ending and the presence of microtransactions.
- “The game has excellent varied gameplay, good graphics, very interesting side quests and gives you thoughts to think after finishing.”
- “Not only is this a rare case of a good modern immersive sim, 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.”
- “The gameplay is polished and tactile.”
- “So the stealth mechanics were completely ruined in Mankind Divided, when Human Revolution handled this far better with just a simple mouse click.”
- “The gameplay is too shallow; this is not an immersive sim.”
- “The gameplay is clunky and exactly like the original Human Revolution, movement mechanics are hampered by clipping issues, and terrain snags off of changes in terrain/texture, show how badly coded the movement mechanics are.”
graphics
5,776 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
3%
The graphics in "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" receive a mixed but generally positive reception. Many players praise the game's stunning visuals, detailed environments, and improved character models compared to its predecessor, "Human Revolution." However, there are significant complaints regarding optimization issues, with some players experiencing crashes, frame rate drops, and graphical glitches, particularly when using higher settings or DirectX 12. Overall, while the graphics are often described as beautiful and immersive, the performance problems detract from the experience for many users.
- “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 hub city of Prague has come to life masterfully, the gunplay and stealth mechanics are incredibly polished, and the graphics are just really nice in general.”
- “The stunning art direction, coupled with impressive graphical fidelity, creates a breathtaking aesthetic that immerses players in its dystopian vision.”
- “The main issue is that there are technical problems with the game; while I did get it to run smoothly at max graphics settings, I had to turn Vsync off to stop a stutter issue with the game and I ran into a few crashes in the early game.”
- “I experienced constant crashes and stutterings, even lowering the graphics, and figured out that the problem was not my GPU or CPU but the poor optimization of the game, especially in certain regions of Prague.”
- “The graphics are starting to look a bit dated but nothing crazy.”
optimization
3,174 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
53%
34%
The optimization of "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" has received significant criticism from users, with many reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, even on high-end systems. While some players have managed to achieve stable performance through various tweaks, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, particularly in demanding areas like Prague, leading to a frustrating experience for many. Despite the game's engaging story and visuals, the technical shortcomings have overshadowed its strengths, prompting recommendations to wait for further patches before purchasing.
- “Much more beautiful and more optimized than Human Revolution!”
- “Very impressive in my view, and had no performance issues or throttling on my M1 Pro with 32GB of RAM.”
- “The game is very capable of producing excellent performance & graphics with the right settings.”
- “The game doesn't run well even with low settings, the optimization is trash tier, do not buy.”
- “Inefficient optimizations have led to severe frame drops, and the entire game is riddled with vicious bugs; this series is severely overrated.”
- “This game is incredibly poorly optimized.”
monetization
2,584 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
76%
19%
The monetization aspect of "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" has drawn significant criticism, primarily due to the inclusion of microtransactions in a full-priced single-player game. While many players note that these microtransactions are non-intrusive and can be ignored, they still feel that their presence undermines the game's integrity and reflects poorly on the publisher's priorities. Overall, the sentiment is mixed, with some players able to overlook the monetization while others view it as a major flaw that detracts from the overall experience.
- “The microtransactions aren't really noticeable; you can get an assload of praxis etc. without them just by playing however you like.”
- “If I wasn't told it had microtransactions, I wouldn't have known because you can simply ignore them.”
- “The microtransactions are completely ignorable - it's actually somewhat baffling as to why they are there at all.”
- “The microtransactions, bad optimization, and the lackluster story are just a damn shame.”
- “One-use-only microtransactions in a full-priced singleplayer game?”
- “It improves upon human revolution in nearly every way, and I laud Eidos for the amount of work and effort that went into this game, however it is clear that Square Enix cut this title into pieces to sell as DLC and future Deus Ex games and as a testing bed for the atrocious microtransactions.”
music
1,473 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
45%
1%
The music in "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric qualities and the return of composer Michael McCann, who delivers a soundtrack that enhances the game's cyberpunk setting. However, some players feel that the music lacks the memorable impact of its predecessor, "Human Revolution," describing it as more ambient and less iconic. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-received for its ability to set the mood, it is often noted that it doesn't stand out as much as previous entries in the series.
- “The music and sound design is absolutely stellar; I cannot emphasize enough how great everything in this game sounds and how that contributes to everything you do feeling like you're an augmented spy trying to uncover the truth while having bursts of extreme violence.”
- “The soundtrack is full of bangers and dynamically adapts to the situation.”
- “The music is great, setting the tone of this cyberpunk futuristic world; the voice acting is good but the animations of facial expressions (like talking) are kind of weird... I've had a lot of fun playing as Adam Jensen again and he has become one of my favorite video game characters ever.”
- “I have nothing to say, to be honest I'm not even sure there was any soundtrack given how inconspicuous it was.”
- “However, I don't know what happened with the game's music, but for whatever reason, it has nowhere near as much impact as Human Revolution's.”
- “The music was, meh, as it seemed they just played the same track over and over.”
stability
1,349 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
1%
91%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various graphical glitches that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players experienced game-breaking bugs, particularly during critical moments, such as loading screens and boss fights, leading to frustration and an inability to progress. While some users noted improvements over time, the overall consensus is that the game remains unstable and poorly optimized, making it difficult to recommend without significant caveats.
- “The game runs great on modern hardware even with DX12.”
- “No glitches or bugs (playing in 2019), so they must have cleaned those up from the ones reported at launch.”
- “I stand by everything I said already, but now that NVIDIA MGPU is fully supported in DX12 I can say from a technical point of view the game is now completely baked - it runs great, looks great, and there are few glitches.”
- “This game is a buggy mess, couldn't beat the game because I got soft locked out of the final boss fight.”
- “The amount of times this game gets stuck in infinite loading screens, freezes or crashes is beyond belief.”
- “Square Enix had no excuse for releasing this buggy, clunky mechanic, train wreck of a game.”
atmosphere
1,118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
42%
2%
The atmosphere in "Deus Ex: Mankind Divided" is widely praised for its immersive and richly detailed cyberpunk setting, particularly the depiction of Prague, which feels alive and dynamic. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to convey tension and societal struggles through its environmental design, music, and narrative elements, creating a compelling backdrop for exploration and gameplay. While some players feel the atmosphere may not reach the heights of its predecessor, "Human Revolution," many agree that it remains a standout feature of the game, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The atmosphere developers managed to set up is, in my opinion, really a work of art, capable of conveying the tension and ultimately the struggle of people who suddenly found themselves outcasts in a society which rejected their irreversible choice of augmenting their bodies.”
- “The story and atmosphere is also top notch, helped by the great world building and musical score.”
- “The atmosphere and feeling that you get from walking around in all the levels of the game is absolutely fantastic and done incredibly well.”
- “In general, there is no feeling of immersion in the world, there is no atmosphere.”
- “The cyberpunk atmosphere, while present, feels slightly diluted in Mankind Divided.”
- “Firstly, the world and atmosphere doesn't feel as strongly conveyed or immersive as its predecessors... it feels a bit more... hollow.”
replayability
518 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
3%
The game offers significant replayability, with features like New Game+ and various difficulty levels that encourage multiple playthroughs. Players appreciate the diverse approaches to missions, allowing for different playstyles and outcomes, which enhances the overall experience. However, some reviewers note that the replay value may not be as high as its predecessor, with certain choices having limited impact on the story.
- “This not only adds to the satisfaction but also significantly boosts the game's replay value through various approaches and character upgrades.”
- “The gameplay is fluid and consistent, the character abilities are well-balanced, the levels are well-designed with many paths and opportunities, the writing is strong, the pacing is consistent, the story is enticing, the art design is superb, the characters are memorable, and it all wraps up together into an enormously satisfying and replayable package.”
- “You have so many ways to achieve your objectives and so, the game offers a lot of replay value.”
- “Moreover, their replayability is basically zero, since the players' choices hardly have any impact on the story or other events in the world or memorable characters, only occasionally give you a few more allies in the playthrough at best.”
- “However, it doesn't have quite the same depth and replayability as its predecessor, and I feel like I'm more likely to simply put it behind me rather than revisit it once I've experienced the bulk of what the world has to offer.”
- “Being forced to go through multiple 15-minute long cutscenes that you've already seen completely kills whatever replayability the game might have had, when replayability was supposed to be one of the main pillars of the Deus Ex series.”
grinding
266 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
6%
93%
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and time-consuming, with many players expressing frustration over repetitive fetch quests, slow traversal, and cumbersome hacking mechanics. While some side missions offer valuable experience, the overall experience is marred by long loading times and a lack of engaging content, leading to a sense of monotony that detracts from the enjoyment of the game. Overall, players feel that the grinding elements significantly hinder the gameplay experience, making it feel like a chore rather than an engaging adventure.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The tl;dr of this review is that yes, there are a few controversies surrounding aspects of this game like one-use pre-order consumables, a separate tacked-on game mode that likely siphoned development time off the main game, and microtransactions which you really don't need as the game isn't grindy at all.”
- “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.”
- “The missions, however, are rather tedious and almost all of them revolve around Adam Jensen just ping-ponging from one side of Prague to another repeated 20 times, and each time you'll have to go through the metro, aka fast-travel that isn't fast at all.”
- “I found the game instantly tedious and frustrating.”
emotional
240 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
82%
18%
The emotional aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its ability to evoke feelings of nostalgia and discomfort, while others criticize the lack of emotional depth in the story and character connections. Many reviewers noted that the game touches on poignant themes such as corporate greed and societal issues, yet fails to deliver a compelling narrative that resonates emotionally, leading to a sense of disappointment. Overall, while some moments and moral dilemmas are impactful, the game is often described as lacking the emotional engagement found in its predecessors.
- “It's so emotional, so human and so beautifully made.”
- “The ambient soundtracks and attention to detail in the environments have been fantastic, and the dialogue got me emotionally invested in the characters.”
- “This was an emotional rollercoaster as well, every choice was such a difficult thing to make but it all is to really reflect your gut instinct and your true inner personality.”
- “The story lacks the intrigue that defined its predecessors, with plot points telegraphed from miles away, lack of choice in any of the major story beats, and ultimately a boring story that plays out like a pale shadow of what is expected from a Deus Ex title.”
- “Nice visuals and improved combat mechanics don't make up for a painfully boring story, tedious stealth, and a world full of characters you couldn't care less about.”
- “Boring story, poor voice acting, videos that you can't skip through (can you believe it, in the year 2018???) like there is a boring cultist plot and when you try to skip through it, it just keeps on going on and on.”
humor
230 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it amusing through hidden easter eggs, quirky character interactions, and glitchy physics, while others lament the lack of consistent comedic elements compared to previous titles in the series. Notable moments include funny email chains, overpowered abilities leading to humorous gameplay scenarios, and amusing dialogue, though many feel the overall tone lacks the dark humor that characterized earlier installments. Overall, while there are moments of levity, the game is often described as humorless or lacking in charm, leaving players divided on its comedic effectiveness.
- “It has some good humor dispersed within fluff material in the game (some email chains that you can hack into are hilarious).”
- “An amazing sequel to a favorite game of mine, awesome graphics, fun gameplay, great story, and hilarious ragdoll physics.”
- “In my playthrough, I found a hidden solution to the final part of the story which made the final confrontation hilariously anti-climactic yet it still felt satisfying nonetheless.”
- “Not funny, really.”
- “This is not funny.”
character development
130 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
54%
11%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it falls short compared to its predecessor, "Deus Ex: Human Revolution." While some appreciate the improved character design and the depth added by optional missions, others criticize the lack of meaningful character arcs and interactions, leading to a less engaging narrative experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that while there are attempts at character development, they often feel shallow or underwhelming, detracting from the game's potential.
- “As thought-provoking as it was entertaining, Human Revolution still boasts some of the best gameplay, world-building, character development, and overall writing I've personally experienced in gaming thus far.”
- “I've enjoyed this game a lot and I was surprised I completely forgot of its existence until I got notified by Steam of a sale on my wishlist. I really loved the story and all the side missions, the world-building, the character development; it was interesting and it made me want to see more, to find out more.”
- “The story itself is great, interesting character development, and I did feel like I was present in a lovingly crafted world.”
- “Gone are the choices regarding character development, gone is any rational and thought-out writing or character-driven plot, and gone is any real drive the character might have had.”
- “The main reason I don’t recommend this game is that it fell so short of the game Deus Ex; it lacked an engaging storyline and completely failed on character development. All it had going for itself was the graphics.”
- “Unlike Deus Ex: Human Revolution, here he has zero character development.”