The Eve of Revolution - A Look at Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is set in the year of 2027—a time of great innovation. Much like the settings of Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon, and Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex before it, Human Revolution is set on the eve of revolution. Human augmentation is commonplace. The technological singularity is close at hand, but many humans are being left in the dust. Society is on the brink.

In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, you play Adam Jensen, former paramilitary and current chief of security for Serif Industries, a global leader in the controversial field of human augmentation.

Attacked and left for dead during a break-in at the company, Adam Jensen is operated on, and augmented against his will. Like Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 2, the reincarnated Adam Jensen must find his attackers while coming to grips with his new situation. And much like David in his fight against Goliath, Adam must take on powers far greater than himself.

The world of Deus Ex allows players to mold the game according to their personal play style, by being aggressive, stealthy, and ultimately adaptable to every situation. To intensify this degree of freedom, Adam's augmentations are modifiable and his choices as a character are numerous, making him extremely malleable to the your decisions. You can turn Adam into an unstoppable killing machine, a ghost, a savvy hacker, or even a silver-tongued diplomat, if you prefer speech and intelligence over the use of weapons.

Like the augmentations, all your equipment you acquire becomes upgradeable as you progress. Though dead ends might arise as you go through the game, the freedom you're given allows you to adapt to any situation.

Adam's globetrotting mission will take him to distant cities; Montreal, Detroit, and Heng Sha Island—a two-tiered island off the Shanghai coast. You must explore every location to unravel secrets, pursuing leads and encountering a host of personalities along the way, many of whom wish the protagonist dead.

The journey is non-linear, allowing you to partake in a multitude of side quests with assets and information beneficial to the mission. Mission success guarantees experience points, which allow you to upgrade your weapons and augmentations. Additionally, the world and its city hubs change over time, and react to the decisions you make. How you reach your goal is up to you, but actions spawn consequences at a later time. It's not unlike the original Deus Ex. Depending on your choices, opportunities will arise, or vanish.

With so much on the line, Human Revolution is poised to revolutionize first person RPGs—should others follow in its footsteps.