Warren Spector (incidentally a great name for a stealth game creator), who led the team that created the original Deus Ex, has stated in a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) that the trailer for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided wasn’t exactly what he had hoped for.
As well as creating Deus Ex back in 1999 - a game which still regularly tops lists of the best games ever made - Spector is also responsible for System Shock 2, Bioshock and the Thief series. Other classics on his resumé include Wing Commander and the Ultima series, so he knows what he’s talking about. Simply put, when Warren Spector opens his mouth, the industry listens.
So you’d think that Square Enix Montreal would have been rather keen to ensure that the announcement of a new game in such an esteemed series would remain faithful to the spirit of the original creator. Unfortunately, it seems as though the recent reveal of the fourth game in the series didn’t go down to well.
“I thought the Mankind Divided trailer was pretty violence-o-rific, which bugged me a little,” Spector said on Reddit, after one fan asked what he thought of the game’s announcement. “I mean, the DX game was never about killing stuff. It was about picking your own playstyle, which MIGHT involve killing stuff. Given how well DX:HR did at the whole choice and consequence idea I’m hoping - and have confidence - the actual game will be a little more in the playstyle matters mold.”
Considering Spector’s profile, it’s almost certain that his comments haven’t gone unnoticed by Square Enix Montreal. Human Revolution, while largely excellent and adhering to Spector’s stealthy vision, included a number of boss fights which necesssitated killing - a mistake which was later rectified via an update. And the Mankind Divided devs have already promised that you’ll be able to complete the latest game without ever once being forced to take a life.
Still, it’s a bit odd that the latest game would be announced with a trailer showcasing a rather large amount of death at the hands of protagonist Adam Jensen. That said, a trailer’s purpose is to get people excited with lots of spectacle, and one of the easiest ways of doing that is to feature plenty of cool sylized violence - a fact which hasn’t passed Spector by.
“In trailers, you just have to give people the most action-packed stuff you can, I assume,” Spector said.
The entire AMA is a very interesting read and can all be viewed on Reddit. Take a gander at the trailer he’s referring to below. What do you think? Is the trailer too violent, considering Deus Ex is supposed to be about choice of playstyle?
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will launch on PC, PS4 and Xbox One this coming September.
