The unique but dark vision that comes with the Cyberpunk genre has been very popular with science fiction fans since the release of Blade Runner in 1982. However, there aren’t a lot of video games that are set in similar dystopian worlds. Cyberpunk 2077 is the most recent game of this kind, and it may be the biggest yet in terms of both the game’s budget and the scale.

RELATED: Digital Goodies, In-Game Rewards, And The Best Place To Buy Cyberpunk 2077 (Sponsored)

However, the nearest comparison would be the Deus Ex series which is also a cyberpunk action RPG set in a world full of corruption and cybernetic enhancements. Although the games play quite differently when it comes to exploration and the size of their worlds, the themes, atmosphere, and some gameplay elements are definitely comparable.

10 Cyberpunk: A More Immersive World

Cyberpunk 2077 gameplay screenshot

The world in Cyberpunk 2077 is incredible in that it feels alive, populated, and dark. It’s also unrelenting, unpleasant, and morally bankrupt. It’s one of the best put together worlds in the cyberpunk genre since Bladerunner and the Shadowrun series.

While the Deus Ex games are atmospheric and a joy to explore they still feel very small and empty by comparison. They are effectively hubs instead of a grand open world that feels alive in the same way as Cyberpunk 2077 does.

9 Deus Ex: The Combat

deus ex mankind divided
(Via: VG247)

Both the recent Deus Ex titles Human Revolution and Mankind Divided have fantastic combat that allows players to feel like they are living out their own cybernetic power fantasy. The lead character Adam Jenson has so many tools and ways to take down his enemies in wildly creative ways.

The combat in Cyberpunk 2077 is fantastic in its own right with all the weaponry feeling weighty and powerful. However, the combat in the two recent Deus Ex titles has a way of making the player feel like a cyborg version of The Mandalorian.

8 Cyberpunk: More Meaningful Choices

cyberpunk 2077 ghost town nash choice

While there is a lot of choice in Deus Ex when it comes to lethal and non-lethal attacks the good and bad choices in the game’s dialogue trees don’t carry the same consequences as they do in Cyberpunk 2077. It’s true that the dialogue choices don’t have the same impact on the world that they did in CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher but they are still more meaningful than Deus Ex.

RELATED: Cyberpunk 2077: 10 Crazy Facts You Didn't Know About The Main Characters

Even though the character V is fully voiced he/she is meant to function as an avatar for the player as much as they are a scripted character, so it's more like Mass Effect's Commander Shepard in that regard. As a result, the choices feel more meaningful and the dialogue more involved.

7 Deus Ex: The Stealth Combat

Adam Jenson works best in stealth

The stealth combat in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided are among the best in the genre. It is confidently comparable to the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, and the Batman Arkham series.

The game seems to be better designed for players to go the stealth route as they upgrade Jenson’s cybernetics in the game’s campaign. Whether one is using the lethal or non-lethal approach Deus Ex's approach to stealth is more polished. In Cyberpunk 2077, the stealth mechanics don’t feel as precise and are little more than hacking, and sneaking around in the crouched position.

6 Cyberpunk: Character Customization

Powerful customization tools

The character creation system in Cyberpunk 2077 is incredibly robust and shows off some great and realistic looking character models. There’s a lot of options to tweak the look to create their very own version of V to stand out from the crowd.

Unfortunately, in Deus Ex, the character is completely predetermined and there’s very little that the player can do to change their look. In every entry, the lead character looks like a mash-up between Neo from The Matrix and The Terminator.

5 Deus Ex: The Level Design

The Deus Ex level design is superb

The bulk of the action in Deus Ex takes place during well-designed missions that allow the player to tackle missions in almost any manner that suits their play style. There always seems to be an endless amount of options to take down enemies with stealth or front on violence.

The missions in Cyberpunk are quite linear by comparison and only seem to offer players a very limited amount of options to defeat enemies. While the game does offer distraction techniques and various ways to use stealth the level design itself doesn’t match Deus Ex.

4 Cyberpunk: The Lore

cuberpunk lots of lore to discover

There is a lot of lore, mystery, and corporate conspiracies to uncover in the Deus Ex series whether it’s through conversations or discoverable items. However, even that can’t be compared to the level of depth in Cyberpunk 2077.

The world-building in Cyberpunk is some of the best seen in the genre and it does this without bombarding the player with information overload in the main story. Instead, the lore can be found throughout the game’s world in notes, news clips, and entertainment shows on TV. Night City is quite simply one of the most incredible achievements in a generation, it feels alive and has character and an identity of its own.

3 Deus Ex: The Levelling System

Deus EX : the skill system is accessible and effective

The leveling system in Cyberpunk 2077 is very complex and it can be difficult when it comes to deciding whether or not one wants to focus on cool (stealth), strength (body), intelligence (hacking). These elements also include vast skill trees which can make it a little tricky to in making decisions.

RELATED: 10 Hilarious Spoiler-Free Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Memes

In Deus Ex, the leveling systems are complex but the choices are clear and it’s never a chore deciding on what kind of character they want Jenson to be when it comes to combat and other useful skills.

2 Cyberpunk: Longevity

cyberpunk 2077 gimme danger all infiltration possibilities

When it comes to length and the sheer amount of volume of things to do in the side quests, Cyberpunk 2077 is a massive game. There are at least 80 hours of gameplay to get to grips with and there’s a lot of replay value depending on the player’s style.

By comparison, Deus Ex essentially offers the player several playstyles and dialogue choices that yield some different results but ultimately lead to the same outcomes. While that’s also true of Cyberpunk in many ways the game feels more organic and non-linear by comparison.

1 Deus Ex: The Ambient Soundtrack

Deus Ex Human Revolution Jensen Cropped (1)

The soundtrack in Cyberpunk 2077 is very good and has a huge variety of songs, styles, and genres that just fit into the tone of Night City perfectly. However, there is something about the ambient tones of Deus Ex that are more atmospheric and moody.

Deus Ex’s synth soundtrack is obviously inspired by movies like Blade Runner and to some extent the original Terminator movie. While there’s more variety in Cyberpunk’s soundtrack the moods and tones of Deus Ex fit more with the game’s setting.

NEXT: 5 Ways To Handle Combat In Cyberpunk 2077 (& Which One You Should Choose)

Cyberpunk 2077 is available for PC on GOG.COM, Steam and Epic, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Stadia from December 10, 2020. When you buy Cyberpunk 2077 on GOG.COM, 100% of your money goes to CD PROJEKT Group and supports their future projects.

These articles are posted in affiliation with GOG.COM. TheGamer received compensation from GOG Sp. z o.o. for affiliating these articles with their brand.