Square Enix and Eidos Montreal have authorized the release of a fan-created mod for the original Deus Ex on Steam.
Created by Caustic Creative, the Revision mod features overhauled environments, a remastered soundtrack as well as new gameplay modes for Ion Storm’s classic RPG.
“Revision is a complete overhaul of the original Deus Ex. We bring in new level design, new music, and new world-building detail,” said John French, creative director of Caustic Creative. “On top of that, we also bundle in some of the best enhancements the community has to offer: high-detail textures and models, Direct3D 9 rendering, and alternate gameplay modes. Revision is our love letter to the game and its fans.”
2015 marks the 15-year anniversary of the original Deus Ex, and Eidos Montreal hopes that the mod will breathe new life into the game.
“One of the reasons that Deus Ex has been so popular for 15 years is the way in which the gaming community has embraced the ground-breaking gameplay and a narrative that looks to the future but is inspired by real-world events,” said David Anfossi, head of Eidos Montreal. “Revision from Caustic Creative is a fantastic way for fans new and old to experience the original Deus Ex in a whole new way before Deus Ex: Mankind Divided raises the bar once again.”
Deus Ex was originally released in 2000 to critical acclaim, with critics praising its branching narrative design. The game, developed by Ion Storm with design headed up by Warren Spector, has spawned both a 2003 sequel - Deus Ex: Invisible War - and a 2011 prequel, Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
While the Deus Ex series has developed quite a following over the past decade and-a-half, it has seen its own fair share of controversy. Just last month, Square Enix and Eidos Montreal announced a preorder scheme for their upcoming title, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which was very poorly received by fans. In fact the feedback was so negative, the publisher and developer decided to scrap the whole scheme all together. Hopefully, there’ll be no other controversies prior to Mankind Divided’s launch.
Despite the suspect marketing strategy however, Mankind Divided looks to be something rather special when it arrives next year. Square Enix Montreal has promised that criticisms of the previous game, such as unskippable boss battles, have been addressed, and that the game will offer even more gameplay options than before.
Not sure what all the fuss is about? Nic Bunce reviewed Deus Ex: Human Revolution for Continue Play last year, praising the wealth of options at the player’s disposal while criticising the game’s lackluster finale and irritating boss encounters.
“Deus Ex: Human Revolution, for all its flaws, is a fantastic insight into how our society may evolve with the technology of transhumanism on the horizon (though, according to The Sun newspaper, it’s a horizon we’ve already surpassed), tackled with the sensible maturity that I know our industry can provide when it wants to,” Nic wrote in his Deus Ex: Human Revolution retrospective review.
“Eidos Montreal’s resurrection of the classic series has some issues – some of which have since been rectified in a subsequent Director’s Cut, such as the tedious boss fights – but remains a compelling experience from beginning to end.”
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is set to release on February 23, 2024 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. In the meantime, you can download the Revision mod of Deus Ex for free on Steam.
