Deus Ex
| Year | 2000 |
|---|---|
| Release platform | PC |
| Genres | RPG, shooter |
| Developer | Ion Storm |
| Country | USA |
| Era | The 2000s, 2000 to 2009 |
| Importance |
Why it matters
Deus Ex is put together from three schemes that were familiar by 2000: the first-person shooter, an RPG system with skill points, and stealth. Its value is that the levels are designed for all three approaches at once. A locked door can be reached with a found code, through a ventilation shaft, by talking to the guards or simply by picking the lock; none of the options is designated the main one, and the game doesn't tell you which to consider correct.
Progression is set up in an unusual way. Skill points and augmentations are allocated by the player, so two playthroughs produce heroes with different abilities: one picks locks, the other dives and shoots. Most enemies can be avoided or disabled without killing them. The story of conspiracies, an epidemic and corporations is taken to three mutually exclusive endings, which are chosen between in the final scene. It all runs on the Unreal Engine, adapted for dense levels with many routes through them.
Watch it played
Facts
- The game is built on the Unreal Engine.
- Every major level has several routes through it: ventilation, lockpicking, conversation, direct combat.
- Skills and augmentations are allocated by the player, so no two heroes come out the same.
- Most enemies can be avoided or disabled non-lethally.
- The campaign ends with a choice between three mutually exclusive endings.
