In 2007, a newly formed Eidos-Montréal boldly announced its first game: a reboot of beloved, critically acclaimed immersive sim Deus Ex. It was a hell of an opening gambit, and the announcement was met with a fair amount of scepticism from fans of the series—myself included. Here was this new studio, with no proven track record, suddenly given sole stewardship of one of the best video games ever made. And not only that, but with no involvement from any of the original development team—not even in an advisory role. No Warren Spector, no Harvey Smith. Could they really pull it off?
On August 23, 2011, after five years of development, Human Revolution launched on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, and the critics were silenced. It wasn't just a worthy successor to Deus Ex (an impressive achievement in and of itself), but a rare example of a big, expensive video game released by a major publisher that was deep, complex, and systemically interesting. In many ways, it's a much more streamlined, approachable game than the 1999 original. But it still features everything that made Deus Ex an all-time classic: rich interactivity, intricate level design, an evocative dystopian setting, and not just the ability to experiment and solve problems in creative ways, but trust in the player that they will.
Human Revolution is a prequel, set 25 years before the events of the first game. At this point in the series' timeline, a relatively primitive form of cybernetic body modification is becoming more commonplace, and humanity is struggling to adapt to this new post-human future. One of the leading manufacturers of this technology is Sarif Industries, where hero Adam Jensen works as head of security. A terrorist attack leaves Jensen fatally wounded, but he's saved by his boss, David Sarif, who rebuilds his body with experimental mechanical augmentations. It's an upgrade he, famously, never asked for—but it has its perks, including being able to jump across rooftops and punch holes in concrete walls.
Jensen is not entirely cool with the fact that he's now part man, part machine—but his newly acquired cyberpunk superpowers are what make Human Revolution such a fun, reactive stealth game. The levels are big, detailed, and labyrinthine, loaded with shortcuts, alternate paths, and, naturally, lots of vents to crawl through. This combined with a varied array of augmentations (which allow you to briefly turn invisible, silence your footsteps, lift heavy objects, or leap to impossible heights), makes every moment of play sizzle with opportunity. This is an incredible collection of challenging, well-designed stealth sandboxes, and finding ways to outsmart the level designers is immensely rewarding.
It's also exceptionally beautiful, blending the stylish futurism of Syd Mead, Blade Runner's dystopian urban sprawl, and—in an inspired twist—Renaissance fashion, interior design, and art. This mix of the futuristic and the historical, rendered with a luxurious black and gold colour palette, gives the game a bold, unique visual identity. From the streets of Detroit to the multi-tiered city of Hengsha, every inch of the world is a joy to explore, and has a dense, lived-in feel. Admittedly, some of the technology hasn't aged well. The stiff, mannequin-like character models are more distracting than ever. But it speaks to the quality of the art that the sense of place the game creates is just as powerful as it was a decade ago.
Jensen's apartment in Detroit is a perfect example of both the game's stunning aesthetic and Eidos-Montréal's knack for compelling world-building. When you enter, the automatic shutters slowly open and shafts of golden light spill into the room, exposing a mess of clutter that reveals more about our hero and what makes him tick. In his bathroom, a violently smashed mirror above the sink suggests Jensen may be having a hard time accepting his new mechanical self. It's a small, unassuming detail, but this—and a quietly intense performance by husky-voiced actor Elias Toufexis—makes Jensen so much more of a character than the stoic, deadpan JC Denton ever got the chance to be.
The original version of Human Revolution was rightly criticised for its boss battles, which had no respect for your playstyle, forcing stealth-focused players into combat situations they weren't equipped for. It was a pretty spectacular oversight—a result, the developer claimed, of these sequences being outsourced to another studio. But Eidos-Montréal did eventually redesign them to be more in spirit with the rest of the game in a 2014 director's cut. This edition also bundled in the excellent Missing Link DLC, improved enemy AI, and overhauled the lighting, making it the best version to play today.
Eidos-Montréal released Mankind Divided in 2016, a sequel that continued Jensen's story, expanded the stealth and augmentation systems, and featured one of the best levels in the series: a high security bank that is an absolute joy to infiltrate and rob. But after a fairly lukewarm critical response, and lower sales than expected, Square Enix decided it was time for the developer to move on to its Avengers game—and Deus Ex has been in limbo ever since. It's a crying shame seeing a series like this being put on ice, but who knows—with a recent surge in interest in cyberpunk settings in the wake of Cyberpunk 2077, perhaps the publisher will see sense and wheel Adam Jensen out for another mission.
But in the meantime, Human Revolution is worth revisiting. Ten years on, it's still an extremely entertaining, playable stealth game. And the combination of that sumptuous art style and Michael McCann's sweeping, atmospheric score remains a real treat for the senses. Eidos-Montréal straight-up made a great Deus Ex game, and that's something any studio should be proud of—especially for a first project. I remember hearing that announcement in 2007 and thinking attempting to reboot a landmark series like this was an impossible task. But I was delighted to be proven wrong, and I really hope Square Enix gives the studio another chance to revisit this universe sometime in the near future.