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Today’s announcement of Deus Ex: The Fall was a big surprise, particularly given the game’s chosen format.
But Square Enix is keen to assure series fans that, despite not being on traditional gaming platforms, this smartphone and tablet outing will be every bit the Deus Ex people know and love.
"One of the most important things to put across and will hopefully spread by word of mouth: this is not an action spin-off or a hacking mini-game," Square Enix Europe’s mobile producer James Wright told MCV.
"It’s the full Deus Ex experience, and we believe the product will speak for itself."
The Fall positions itself as a new chapter in the Deus Ex series, set alongside the events of Human Revolution in 2027.
"This is not an action spin-off
or a hacking mini-game.
It’s the full Deus Ex experience."
James Wright, Square Enix Mobile
In fact, the game is a sequel to Deus Ex: Icarus Effect, the prequel novel written by British author James Swallow, who also wrote the story for Human Revolution and it’s Missing Link DLC.
Players take on the role of Ben Saxon, a former SAS soldier that joins the mercenary group known as the Tyrants. If you’ve read Icarus Effect, you’ll know that this is a group of heavily-augmented terrorists that form Human Revolution’s oft-bemoaned bosses, the men responsible for the attack on Sarif Industries.
The game will no doubt shed more light on the Tyrants motives, fleshing out their characters beyond their cameos in Human Revolution and looking further into the conspiracies around the 2011 title’s plot.
While the game is being developed by Square Enix Mobile and N-Fusion, the involvement of Eidos Montreal means the franchise is still under the watchful eyes of the team that made 2011’s Human Revolution a smash hit.
The Fall’s announcement trailer, which you can watch below, was even hosted by Eidos Montreal’s Jean-Francois Dugas, showing that the studio is still closely tied to the acclaimed cyberpunk franchise.
As you can see from the snippets of gameplay glimpsed in the trailer, all the signature Deus Ex moments are still there: brutally choreographed takedowns, a mix of sneaking around and all-out gunfights, hacking challenges and –an MCV favourite – augmentations that let you smash and see through walls.
With this level of design and the resources behind it, it’s clear why Square Enix believes this will raise the bar for smartphone and tablet games.
"The ability to go from combat
action to stealth, different branching storylines, interaction with
the game world – it’s all here."
James Wright, Square Enix Mobile
"Our focus has been to create the Deus Ex experience, which is pretty unique even on consoles because of its variance, depth and complexity," says Wright.
"The ability to go from combat action to stealth, to have different branching storylines, to have social interaction with the game world – all of that is here.
"Other high-end smartphone and tablet games tend to focus primarily on one type of gameplay or value, rather than having the range and depth a Deus Ex game has."
More about Deus Ex: The Fall will be revealed at E3, and Square Enix hopes that once people see it, all fears will be laid to rest.
