Deus Ex: The Fall

About

Deus Ex: The Fall is a single-player Science Fiction Open World game, serving as a prequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game boasts a good plot and marvelous atmosphere, as well as phenomenal music, but is poorly optimized, full of bugs, and has a lousy visual experience. Fight for survival in a global conspiracy in this game, first released on iOS and Android in 2

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

33%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,040 reviews

story227 positive mentions

graphics152 negative mentions

The game offers an interesting backstory and lore for fans of the Deus Ex series.
Gameplay is similar to Human Revolution, allowing for stealth or combat approaches.
Despite being a mobile port, the game runs smoothly and has decent performance.

The game is very short, taking only about 4-5 hours to complete, and ends on a cliffhanger with no continuation.
Graphics and character models are subpar, resembling older games rather than modern titles.
Controls are clunky and unresponsive, making gameplay frustrating at times.

story
1,138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The story of "Deus Ex: The Fall" is generally viewed as intriguing but ultimately incomplete, as it serves as the first part of a planned episodic narrative that was never fully realized. Players appreciate the connections to the broader Deus Ex universe and the character development, particularly regarding Ben Saxon and Anna Kelso, but many express disappointment over the abrupt cliffhanger ending and the lack of a sequel. While the writing and atmosphere are praised, the game's short length and mobile port origins detract from the overall experience, leaving fans feeling unsatisfied with the unfinished storyline.
- “The story was nice and it was interesting seeing a reference to the first game.”
- “The story is actually decent.”
- “The revenge story of Ben Saxon and Anna Kelso is incomplete, and likely will never be complete, which is an upsetting turn of events after dedicating such time to both the book and this game.”
- “In summation, the game is enjoyable for what it is, but do not let yourself get hooked into the story of Ben Saxon and Anna Kelso - their story ends on a cliffhanger promising more content that will never come.”
- “I can't recommend it purely because of the story and characters; the story is pretty uninteresting, insignificant, and above all unfinished (maybe it was meant as an episodic release), but ending with 'to be continued' is not a good idea.”
graphics
562 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
62%
27%
The graphics of "Deus Ex: The Fall" have been widely criticized for being subpar, especially when compared to its predecessor, "Deus Ex: Human Revolution." Many reviewers noted that the visuals appear outdated, resembling those of early 2000s games, and reflect the game's origins as a mobile port, lacking significant enhancements for the PC version. While some players found the graphics acceptable for a mobile game, the overall consensus is that they fall short of modern standards, with numerous glitches and a lack of detail contributing to a disappointing visual experience.
- “Deus Ex: The Fall is one of the best ported mobile games for PC, although it is a short experience, it is still one of the best port games in terms of visuals and gameplay.”
- “The graphics are surprisingly good for a mobile game as well.”
- “The graphics are decent and capture the Human Revolution style well.”
- “The graphics are so bad that they look like they came from a game released in 1999.”
- “The graphics are poor, the animations are awkward, and the overall visual quality is a significant downgrade from previous titles.”
- “The graphics are dated and lack the quality expected from a game released in 2013, making it feel like a cheap mobile port.”
gameplay
507 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
67%
18%
The gameplay of "Deus Ex: The Fall" is largely a simplified version of "Deus Ex: Human Revolution," reflecting its origins as a mobile game. While it retains some core mechanics, such as stealth and combat options, many features have been dumbed down, resulting in clunky controls, a lack of depth, and numerous bugs. Overall, the experience is considered mediocre, with some players finding enjoyment in its familiar elements, but many criticizing its execution and linearity.
- “Despite its simplified mechanics, the gameplay is still enjoyable and retains the spirit of the series.”
- “The gameplay is largely the same as Deus Ex: Human Revolution, though it has been simplified for mobile devices.”
- “The gameplay features many of the hallmarks of a solid Deus Ex-style game, allowing for various approaches to missions.”
- “The gameplay resembles the gameplay of Human Revolution, but since it is made for mobile, it is simplified.”
- “The first level is absolutely riddled with tutorial messages that interrupt the gameplay, there is no button to turn them off, and in general, it just feels slow and sluggish.”
- “The gameplay is a dumbed down version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, you can access an item shop at all times, where you can buy unlimited amounts of ammo/upgrades and items, the game itself has no inventory system.”
stability
158 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting a plethora of bugs and glitches that significantly detract from the overall experience. Many describe it as a poorly executed mobile port, plagued by unresponsive controls, graphical issues, and frequent crashes, making it a frustrating play for those expecting a polished PC title. While some players find enjoyment in the story and gameplay elements, the overwhelming consensus is that the game's technical shortcomings render it a buggy mess.
- “I was able to force 16x anisotropic filtering and 8x SGSSAA using NVIDIA Inspector with no glitches, and the game looked much better.”
- “It's a bit buggy; there's some janky animations (takedowns are dodgy at times) and leaving it open for too long while playing in a window might cause a crash (had it happen once)...”
- “The game is really buggy. The sounds cut off randomly, half of the dialogue is missing and doesn't even show up, the cutscenes are only half finished, the controls are buggy as hell, the maps are very very linear, and the AI is horrible.”
- “This game is a port of a mobile game, with that comes a lot of bugs, glitches, and bad graphics.”
music
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
56%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as a highlight, often noting its strong resemblance to the acclaimed score from "Deus Ex: Human Revolution." While some players appreciate the familiar cyberpunk atmosphere created by the music, others criticize its repetitiveness and the lack of original compositions, leading to a perception of it being a mere rehash rather than a fresh addition to the franchise. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as good, but its reliance on reused assets detracts from the game's originality.
- “The soundtrack is great, composed by Michael McCann, the same guy who composed Human Revolution, which is why the soundtracks are almost identical and certainly add this gritty cyberpunk atmosphere in its world.”
- “The atmosphere is done perfectly along with the music.”
- “The music, which is basically the same, only makes you feel like it's a cheap cash-grab copy and not just a different creative venture into the universe.”
- “The music is distracting and noticeably repetitive.”
- “Most of the music is reused from Human Revolution, so it's still great, but there is nothing really new here.”
monetization
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
60%
34%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many reviewers noting that while microtransactions were removed from the PC version, the remnants of a mobile design still linger, creating a frustrating experience. Players feel that the game was poorly ported from mobile, leading to a cash grab perception, despite the absence of real-money purchases. Overall, the design choices reflect a lack of care, leaving players with a sense of disappointment regarding the game's monetization strategy.
- “It is nice because there are no microtransactions in the game even though the store was originally set up that way for mobile.”
- “There are microtransactions, but you can get everything you need by just playing the game and nothing is locked behind real world currency, which is nice.”
- “Thankfully, there are no microtransactions in the PC version.”
- “This game was designed for mobile first and PC second. The devs did a terrible job bringing this game to PC, instead of finding vendors throughout the world to get bundles of weapons and ammo, there's just a store you open up at any time, with microtransactions included just in case you felt like wasting real-world money on a 2-hour waste of a game.”
- “Plain and simple, this is a clunky half-assed cash grab.”
- “Clearly a rushed port from a studio that loves to cash grab.”
atmosphere
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
54%
7%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its strong resemblance to "Deus Ex: Human Revolution," effectively capturing the gritty cyberpunk vibe and immersive world that fans expect. While some reviews note that the gameplay and presentation may fall short, the soundtrack and environmental design contribute to a familiar and engaging atmosphere. Overall, it successfully evokes the essence of the original series, making it enjoyable for fans despite its limitations.
- “The soundtrack is great, composed by Michael McCann, the same guy who composed Human Revolution, which is why the soundtracks are almost identical and certainly add to this gritty cyberpunk atmosphere in its world.”
- “The atmosphere is done perfectly along with the music.”
- “It has a great atmosphere about it that reminds me much of Deus Ex more so than Human Revolution.”
- “They catch the atmosphere pretty well, alas, presentation failed and it was the fall of Deus Ex...”
- “The story starts off bland at the beginning but becomes increasingly enjoyable as the game progresses, however the game is subject to an anti-climactic ending, ruining the atmosphere.”
- “It's a very poor port from tablet to PC, therefore graphics, audio, controls, AI & atmosphere are like a very stripped down version of DX:HR.”
optimization
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
54%
35%
The optimization of "Deus Ex: The Fall" has received largely negative feedback, with many players noting that it feels like a poorly executed mobile port rather than a properly optimized PC game. Issues such as clunky controls, performance glitches, and subpar graphics detract from the experience, leading to frustration among users who expected a more polished title. While some players reported decent performance on lower settings, the overall consensus is that the game fails to meet the standards of a full PC release.
- “The controls were optimized for mobile, and were backported to PC and Android later.”
- “On the plus side, because it's optimized for mobile, I was able to play the game at an average of 480fps.”
- “With the tablet-optimized graphics, you could set the resolution to 640x480 and fool yourself into thinking you're playing a PS2 game with some bloom and some Doom 3-on-Xbox-quality per-pixel lighting on Ben Saxon's face.”
- “Be warned, this game suffers from terrible optimization on PC.”
- “Really, the developers did the absolute minimum necessary to get the game to work on PC, and it is not optimized in the slightest way to make playing on PC worthwhile.”
- “Deus Ex: The Fall was a pretty bad game to begin with, but on the small screen of a phone or a tablet it somehow seemed bearable. However, on PC, those flaws are still there, and the gameplay mechanics are not optimized to work on a mouse and keyboard.”
humor
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The humor in this game is largely derived from its poor graphics, awkward animations, and subpar voice acting, which many players find amusingly bad rather than genuinely funny. The game's glitches and absurdities, such as nonsensical character movements and ridiculous dialogue, contribute to a comedic experience that some players enjoy despite the overall lack of quality. While some reviewers appreciate the humor in its failures, others feel that the game is simply too flawed to be entertaining, leading to mixed feelings about its comedic value.
- “The opening two levels reenact two sections from the book; albeit with less action and hilariously awful voice acting and dialogue from enemies.”
- “This game is hilariously bad to the point where it's actually enjoyable again just to see how ridiculous it is.”
- “The most hilarious thing about this game is that the best place to find money is in the trash.”
- “I would like to recommend this game, but it's very lacking to the point that it's not funny.”
- “The peak of Deus Ex as a whole; we started from the ashes of that horrible original, an ugly, unfunny mess of a game.”
replayability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
47%
35%
Overall, the game's replayability is widely criticized, with many users rating it low (around 2-3 out of 10). Players note a lack of meaningful content and limited side quests, resulting in a short gameplay experience that does not encourage repeated play. Despite some appreciation for the story and gameplay mechanics, the consensus is that the game offers little incentive for replaying.
- “🔲 infinitely replayable”
- “There is something to be said about the replayability value of an old-fashioned skill tree.”
- “I liked the story and the gameplay system, so I kept playing.”
- “5 side quests plus around 5 main ones, overall it gives you around 3-4 hours of gameplay with no replayability whatsoever.”
- “Unfortunately, I wouldn't say there is much replay value, if any at all.”
- “That being said, the price tag is way too high for a tiny game with not really much replay value.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
Overall, the emotional aspect of the game is largely criticized, with reviewers noting a weak and boring story, lackluster voice acting that fails to convey emotion, and even physical discomfort while playing. While some comparisons to beloved classics were made, the overall sentiment leans towards disappointment and frustration.
- “The core story is pretty weak, especially since the voice actors don't even try to act, sometimes reading their lines without any emotional impact.”
- “Graphics made me feel like playing the original Deus Ex or VTM: Bloodlines, which were my all-time favorites.”
- “This game made me feel physically sick, and I'm not joking here.”
- “Nothing special, bad stealth, pretty boring story.”
- “Boring story...”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many describing the overall experience as overly long and lacking in enjoyment. Complaints include clunky controls, a cumbersome cover system, and repetitive tasks that detract from the gameplay. Overall, the grinding feels like a chore rather than an engaging part of the experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This game is tedious, short, and somehow too long.”
- “The plot is contrived and, as far as I got in the game before ditching it, was pretty tedious. Save your pennies by waiting for something better from another franchise.”
character development
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Character development in the game has been criticized for its unlikable characters, robotic voice acting, and bland writing, leading to a perception of a lack of depth compared to previous titles. While some reviewers note that character interactions show potential for nuance, they feel that the overall execution falls short, leaving much to be desired and suggesting that a sequel could improve upon these aspects.
- “Character development and interaction is nuanced and waiting to be fleshed out in a sequel.”
- “If you're a fan, you'll get this anyway, but you'll feel that the game is second rate even if the story fixes some of the character development that 'Human Revolution' skipped in its storytelling.”
- “They made Ben and the other characters unlikable in this game and act like robots with their awful voice acting and just bland writing, character design, and animations.”
- “It isn't great; don't expect the intelligence or character development found in Human Revolution or Mankind Divided.”
- “And it still has the same negatives that Human Revolution had, like a clunky third-person cover system, a weird XP system, and crappy character development.”