We thought we had seen everything Deus Ex: Mankind Divided had to show us, but Square Enix has surprised us today with a brand new trailer and some more info from Game Informer. Here are the new things we've learned about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided! (GIFs courtesy of Outside Xbox)
CONFIRMED! This is a new area of effect EMP pulse, which can be viewed in action in the Announcement trailer. It appears to be an enhanced version of the Ground Pound Stun you could use with the Icarus system in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
It's also during this sequence we see Jensen jumping around wildly. While this may be a trailer-specific upping of the action, there's also the slight possibility we might be able to involve parkour with combat ala Titanfall. We'll have to wait and see if that's the case or not.
It also turns out that there will be two ranged takedown functions added to Jensen's suite of abilities. The stun gun is returning as an actual augmentation now, as you can see here. It will take a moment to charge, but if the CGI trailer is true to the game, we get the bonus of having a slightly longer range than before.
Say hello to your main antagonist, ladies and gentlemen. Dr. Talos Rucker (pictured in the above in-game screenshot) is the leader of the Augmented Rights Coalition (ARC), who are also treated as a terrorist organization by Interpol. He was humanitarian-aid doctor who is augmented as a result of injuries he received responding to a natural disaster.
Much like William Taggert, the leader of Humanity Front in Human Revolution, he has pulled together a lot of clout amongst his respective people. Also like Taggert, his group makes claims of not using violence to convey their beliefs, but that several members have "gone rogue", including the Russian terrorist Victor Marchenko, who we've already seen in the trailer.
What's additionally intriguing is that it seems Marchenko apparently is something of a gray agent in all of this. Considering Marchenko gets a clear area of real estate
"Marchenko is skeptical of Jensen’s place in this world, asking whether Jensen is a wrench – a derogatory slang term and reference to a tool being wielded by the man." -- Game Informer
We also now know that Eliza Cassan, the enigmatic reporter for Picus News will be returning now. In the full trailer, she appears very briefly, giving a report on the terrorist attacks pictured above. She's styling a new look that's sleeker and less detailed, much like Adam Jensen.
Considering she and Jensen were on good terms when Deus Ex: Human Revolution ended, it is possible she will help the player. Those who completed Human Revolution also know that Eliza has a few special secrets that might play into the plot as well.
The task force Adam Jensen will head up is called Task Force 29. We now know it is highly unlikely any other augmented humans will be working with Adam, which is probably going to be an isolating experience. The team will be focused on stopping terrorists, and will send Adam all over the world, but there are still lines of moral ambiguity, even for the "good guys" at Interpol.
One of the most exciting new augmentations is hinted right at the end of the trailer. It seems in addition to being able to fire his arm blades as projectiles, moving faster than ever, possibly using guns in lethal takedowns, and a new energy blast (a cyberpunk Haduken, different from the EMP blast), we are getting active dermal armor.
In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, we could get passive dermal armor to take more hits, but even then, Jensen's health was incredibly fragile and limited. It seems Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is aiming to give aggressive players a new edge against normal and augmented opponents alike.
Also, as you' ll notice from some of the ball bearings, the Typhoon area of effect ability from Human Revolution has been converted to a grenade launcher round. Considering this is the same grenade launcher from the last game's DLC, this further supports the idea that you can swap ammo types in guns.
We now know that this man is the person standing next to the terrorist leader in the theater. The way the trailer plays out, it seems he is also responsible for the bus bomb that Jensen responds to in the second city (possibly Prague, which is confirmed as a location).
It's also during this scene we see Adam Jensen's ex-finance Megan, in a flashback from the original announcement trailer from when she was kidnapped. Players who finished Human Revolution know Adam probably has very conflicted feelings over what he discovered about his ex.
This conflict doesn't stop there, as he also protects several augmented civilians from the armored brutes, even shooting up two drones in the process. Perhaps you'll straddle a line between augmentation liberator and human protector?
A gateway with ARC graffiti on it. It appears to be a sub level of some kind. It's possible some of the rogue ARC members are hiding in the sewers.
As if you couldn't get enough Deus Ex: Mankind Divided -- the official box art has already been revealed. We can see Adam, several armored riot police, Marchenko, some kind of new high speed aircraft, and large robots/mech suit wearing soldiers.
As suspected, there are full checkpoints with armored (and armed) riot police and guards. If you look to the right, and note the one guard holding a gun to an augmented human's head, you'll see one of the game's new female enemies. Square Enix has said that there will be both male and female enemies. This to make up for the lack of gender diversity and stereotypical roles most women (save for your pilot, Farid Malik, and two boss characters) had to play in Human Revolution.
This particular clip, which is shown repeatedly in the trailer, hints to a surprising twist in how the game world will open. It may be possible that the ending everyone though Square Enix would ignore is actually the ending the game will open on.
While it would explain why the trailer hints to Adam Jensen still hunting the Illuminati group that plagued him in Human Revolution, it is also a very curious choice. This will also unfortunately mean certain characters from Human Revolution will most definitely not be returning. That's understandable though, as there is probably no way for the game to tell if you chose to kill them, knock them out, or let them live.
Hong Kong and Montreal are both shown as locations still actively under use by the Illuminati in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's trailer. What is intriguing is that in addition to a return to Montreal (another location that got cut short in Human Revolution), Paris is shown alongside them. It's been confirmed that we will be visiting a heavily enforced area in Prague where Augmented humans are being held under guard, so Paris itself may not be out of the question.
The Illuminati themselves will have to be almost entirely new characters though, save for one member shown during the intro cutscene for Human Revolution, so there's a lot of chances for Eidos Montreal to surprise gamers with new associates. Maybe some old friends will come back having aligned with the shadowy group?
It's almost certain this screenshot is in either Upper Hengsha or Prague. This is also the same location we saw the first person perspective screenshot in. The stacked living containers and hasty construction indicate it might be an Augment downzone, making this most likely Prague.
This appears to be either Adam Jensen's new apartment/office, or Dr. Talos Rucker's main HQ (judging by Rucker appearing in a screenshot in this location). It's good to see that Mankind Divided will not be abandoning Human Revolution's exposition via environment that added so much personality to its cast of characters.
For instance, you can see a holographic map of the world, with numerous bits and pieces of personal effects shoved into corners. There's an appreciation for the old and the new in the design of the furniture, but the way everything is stacked, indicates a person more concerned with their work than cleanliness.
Here we see all the organizations at work and being manipulated by the Illuminati. What's curious is that in addition to all the named corporations, an ambiguous triangle symbol is shown. Versalife and Santeau Group are also new as major players, the latter not getting more than a passing mention in Human Revolution. It's unclear what roles all the groups will play, especially seeing as Sarif Industries is technically built around a now illegal product.
We'll keep you posted as more information drops on Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. For now, take a gander at the fantastic announcement CGI trailer Square Enix put out!
Published: Apr 9, 2015 01:41 pm