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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's Near-Future Prague is Such an Amazingly Detailed Hub

A

Alpha Phoenix

Member
Currently on my 3rd playthrough, just started, and I still find myself impressed. The amount of detail in this hub is nothing short of incredible. Every little corner, every single apartment seems handcrafted to the smallest details. The world is so detailed it tells its own story without you having to do much of anything.

I honestly can't think of a game that made me feel that way in recent memory (haven't played Prey yet). Human Revolution was close, but Mankind Divided's world is on a whole other league altogether.

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It's one of those worlds where I truly find myself immersed. Everything just feels so natural and organic.

There is no shortage of open-world titles this generation, but few, if any, reach this level of detail. I absolutely applaud Eidos-Montreal for their creation.

(Note: Pics above not mine.)
 
Ristifer

Ristifer

Member
Every locale in MD impressed me. Prague, Golem City, GARM, TF29, etc. They were all pretty wonderfully crafted.
 
Peroroncino

Peroroncino

Member
Totally agree, the hub was nothing short of spectacular, with many secrets in almost every nook and cranny. Overall, Mankind Divided is imo one of the most underappreciated AAA game in recent memory.
 
E

etta

my hard graphic balls
It really is a thing of beauty, but it's a god damned stutter fest on Xbox One. I'm hoping Scorpio will hold the 30 perfectly and I'll be eager to do the second playthrough.
Or maybe I'll get it on PC if I do a new build.
 
N

nOoblet16

Member
I LOVE it !! It's the densest and most detailed hub in any game by far. What they have crammed in this small open area is nothing short of fascinating.

I really wish this game did well because while it feels like a 2nd game in trilogy story wise with not much happening and a low stakes small self contained story, it was also fantastic in terms of gameplay and level design. It really comes close to matching the original in terms of its "immersive sim-ness". You can solve so many I problems using real world logic and often there are several ways to do it. The game pretty much never locks you behind a door to send you on a key hunt.
 
C

Corpekata

Banned
I love it and I love how it doesn't abritrarily gate you from a lot of stuff. You can go pilfering around that bank a dozen hours before the game ever even has quests there it seems like.
 
P

Psychoward

Banned
Lime said:
You should check out mafia 3, the environment detail is completely crazy and insane.
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In terms of detail maybe but MD blows it away in the interactivity department as well.

I was also annoyed they didn't just call it New Orleans considering that's basically what it was, it even had a blatant Jackson Square.
 
D

daviyoung

Banned
I loved the mixture of the current and the future, it really seemed like a city struggling to keep up with the technology of the time. Like the future had encroached on it organically rather than the old being leveled to make way for the new.
 
A

Alpha Phoenix

Member
daviyoung said:
I loved the mixture of the current and the future, it really seemed like a city struggling to keep up with the technology of the time. Like the future had encroached on it organically rather than the old being leveled to make way for the new.
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That's a really succinct way of describing it.
 
T

Timeaisis

Member
I loved Prague, probably the best part of MD.

At first, i was disappointed it started at day, but then I appreciated it when it switched over to night halfway through the story. You kind of got the city in both lights, it was really cool and interesting.

Golem City is pretty great, too.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
I have this game in my backlog (PS4 Pro). Currently obsessed with my Switch, but every now and then I hear about Prague in Mankind Divided and feel like trying this game.

I loved Human Revolution, although that game had a super-slow start. Does MD get going faster?
 
U

Ushay

Member
Gator86 said:
MD is criminally underrated and deserved better than it's sales and subsequent euthanasia.
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Absolutely, it was an incredible game that deserves far better. People have no taste in games these days.

OT - I found the HUB to be very dense and interesting. If they ever do another game I wonder what location they could do?
 
K

Kinyou

Member
Timeaisis said:
I loved Prague, probably the best part of MD.

At first, i was disappointed it started at day, but then I appreciated it when it switched over to night halfway through the story. You kind of got the city in both lights, it was really cool and interesting.

Golem City is pretty great, too.
Click to expand...
It was striking how at night the red light district opens up and suddenly changes the whole vibe of the city
 
N

Neiteio

Member
OK, I didn't notice there's another "Better Solution" screenshot in the OP. These are clearly ads meant to dissuade people from committing suicide. Are suicide rates skyrocketing in the world of Deus Ex during the events of MD?
 
P

Psychoward

Banned
Neiteio said:
I have this game in my backlog (PS4 Pro). Currently obsessed with my Switch, but every now and then I hear about Prague in Mankind Divided and feel like trying this game.

I loved Human Revolution, although that game had a super-slow start. Does MD get going faster?
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Yes, it starts with a cutscene and then immediately kicks you in to the first mission and you get to start with more augs
 
S

Sodding_Gamer

Member
Prague is a phenomenally designed city. It's compact but has SO MUCH stuff in it. A number of hidden areas makes it such a treat to explore. Each time you go back to Prague you have new abilities you can use to access new areas and it just flows so nicely in that aspect. Especially when certain locales you couldn't get to are quite memorable so you easily remember areas you couldn't get to before hand :)

It's a shame it didn't do well as Deus Ex is one of my favourite franchises. I'm hoping Square give it another chance in the future.
 
X

Xumbrega

Banned
Yes, the prague HUB is incredible well done, one of the best I ever seen, if not the best.

Top notch level design right here.

Too bad Deus Ex MD didn't do well, it was one of my favorite games of all time easily.
 
B

Budi

Member
Neiteio said:
OK, I didn't notice there's another "Better Solution" screenshot in the OP. These are clearly ads meant to dissuade people from committing suicide. Are suicide rates skyrocketing in the world of Deus Ex during the events of MD?
Click to expand...

Those are ads for MoodEx, a mood stabilizer drug.
 
F

Foxxsoxx

Member
It is pretty crazy how detailed and multi-layered it is.

Picked this up for $8 at a Redbox the other day. What a steal.
 
O

OverBlood 3

Banned
Yep, one of my favourite game worlds.

Really striking for such an oppressive environment, the red light district looks great. It's quickly become one of my favourite games of all time.
 
U

Ushay

Member
What I don't understand is how Dishonored 2 did well yet Deus Ex MD wasn't, since they both have similar approaches to game design ie multiple routes to completion and playstyles.
 
d00d3n

d00d3n

Member
One of the best open world spaces ever designed. Prague felt massive, but was full of details at the same time. My only complaint would be that the "revisits" to Prague were a bit disappointing from a content perspective (even though the city looked amazing at night). They should have locked off larger parts of the city until the second visit, and possibly tied the hacking ability to story progression as well. The game would have had better pacing if there was more left to do when you returned after Golem City.
 
E

EmCeeGramr

Member
I really enjoyed how they used the art design in Prague. The use of oppressive grays and browns and cloudy skies is meant to signify the encroachment of the dystopia of the original Deus Ex (same thing can be seen with the cool grays and blues in TF29, suggesting UNATCO HQ), as opposed to the glamorous but dangerous black and gold of the original (which returns in sections in like Golem City, Dubai, and Adam's apartment as a symbol of how the dream has collapsed).
 
L

Lime

Member
I don't think it's one of the best. It's not seamless, it has some random vendors who are located in strange and inexplainable areas, and use of verticality was used better in the previous game.

Especially the vendors tell me that the game has troubles during development and features were cut. Not sure why this particular environment should be praised as the best when other games have done better previously and less rougly as well.
 
K

Kalor

Member
Prague was a fun hub to explore. I always felt that I was finding new stuff and ways to get around. I did wish that they had multiple hubs but that would have resulted in Prague being way less detailed and well designed.
 
E

EmCeeGramr

Member
Lime said:
I don't think it's one of the best. It's not seamless, it has some random vendors who are located in strange and inexplainable areas, and use of verticality was used better in the previous game.

Especially the vendors tell me that the game has troubles during development and features were cut. Not sure why this particular environment should be praised as the best when other games have done better previously and less rougly as well.
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All of the vendors I can think of are in shops or in apartments, which is pretty standard. Nothing nearly as bizarrely out of place as... the illegal gun salesmen working out of an abandoned gas station convenience store that's nestled between apartment buildings on a narrow street, 20 yards from policemen.
 
S

Stoze

Member
Ushay said:
What I don't understand is how Dishonored 2 did well yet Deus Ex MD wasn't, since they both have similar approaches to game design ie multiple routes to completion and playstyles.
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?
Both sold almost equally poorly and reviewed well.

They are also very different games despite having similarities in design.
 
A

Alpha Phoenix

Member
EmCeeGramr said:
I really enjoyed how they used the art design in Prague. The use of oppressive grays and browns and cloudy skies is meant to signify the encroachment of the dystopia of the original Deus Ex (same thing can be seen with the cool grays and blues in TF29, suggesting UNATCO HQ), as opposed to the glamorous but dangerous black and gold of the original (which returns in sections in like Golem City, Dubai, and Adam's apartment as a symbol of how the dream has collapsed).
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Fascinating. I didn't know that.
 
K

Kinyou

Member
Lime said:
I don't think it's one of the best. It's not seamless, it has some random vendors who are located in strange and inexplainable areas, and use of verticality was used better in the previous game.

Especially the vendors tell me that the game has troubles during development and features were cut. Not sure why this particular environment should be praised as the best when other games have done better previously and less rougly as well.
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There's more than just gameplay mechanics to it. The city feels like a piece of art.

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While at the same time retaining an organic and natural feel
 
T

Trago

Member
You're god damn right. Dense, detailed, and interesting.

I wish more AAA games had smaller an detailed worlds like this one.
 
C

CSJ

Member
I love games like these, I spend more time exploring, reading stuff, looking at all the details more than anything else.
When you can actually get down to reading stuff on screens, posters, post-its, that level of detail really helps immerse me.
 
G

GinoFelino

Member
Due to the limited traversal options, exploring the hub wasn't as fun as it could have been. Shame, because that could've made the game worthwhile for me
 
A

Amirnol

Member
An amazing hub and an amazing game overall. What a shame the series is apparently dead for the forseeable future.
 
H

haveheart

Banned
They did a great job with their version of Prague. I went to Prague soon after finishing the game and it blew my mind how close the game's atmosphere is to the real experience.

Dishonored 2's team also excelled at environmental storytelling. So many buildings you could explore. You definitely noticed that actual architects were involved in designing the levels.

And now we got Prey. So many stories, insanely dense environments.

It's so sad that the trend is lowbrow open world games atm. These kinds of games are blockbusters and I'll probably never understand why.
 
T

ThoseDeafMutes

Member
My only real complaint with Prague was how they scatter side quests around it to guarantee maximum load screens. You almost always need to take one or more trains to get them done.
 
N

Neiteio

Member
So everything I've seen of Prague in this game (going off the screenshots here) suggests everything is sleek and futuristic. But real-life Prague is amazing because it has 1,500+ years of history to it, mixed cultures, etc. Does this take on Prague have any of that? Like can you wander down a street and stumble across an antique puppet shop, or an old cemetery, or a rundown cathedral?

Human Revolution completely dropped the ball with its depiction of Detroit. Like, I get it, cybernetics were a second auto boom that revitalized the city. But as someone from the metro Detroit area (or rather, the suburbs outside of Detroit, but I still socialize down there), HR's futuristic depiction of it lacked any recognizable character from the city. So I have to wonder if this game's Prague manages to preserve any of Prague's character with its futuristic depiction.
 
Toa Axis

Toa Axis

Member
Neiteio said:
So everything I've seen of Prague in this game (going off the screenshots here) suggests everything is sleek and futuristic. But real-life Prague is amazing because it has 1,500+ years of history to it, mixed cultures, etc. Does this take on Prague have any of that? Like can you wander down a street and stumble across an antique puppet shop, or an old cemetery, or a rundown cathedral?

Human Revolution completely dropped the ball with its depiction of Detroit. Like, I get it, cybernetics were a second auto boom that revitalized the city. But as someone from the metro Detroit area (or rather, the suburbs outside of Detroit, but I still socialize down there), HR's futuristic depiction of it lacked any recognizable character from the city. So I have to wonder if this game's Prague manages to preserve any of Prague's character with its futuristic depiction.
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Absolutely, I'd say. As someone who lived in Europe, they managed to keep the same spirit of what you'd see in European cities or towns. Buildings are old, yet very structurally sound, and carry when them some very enigmatic architecture. Yet when new technology​ is introduced, it feels like it's being added to already existing foundation rather than the foundation being upended entirely.

Overall, it still feels like a European city, but still carries that air of futurism. It's very well done.
 
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