3. Far More Meaningful Routes/Options In Levels
As mentioned earlier in this piece, one of the most immediate things that fans of the original Deus Ex lamented not being a bigger focus was the idea of multiple routes through essentially every scenario. With Mankind Divided looking to re-introduce the idea of talking to far more NPCs and exploring more Hitman-like options for any given situation out in the open world, hopefully this transfers over into the main missions behind enemy territory too. For some it's not really a Deus Ex game unless they can carve an identifiable path through every level, and as the conversation on "How did you beat this part?" nearly always boiled down to the same answer every time (trying your individual play-style, messing up and shooting everything) the game never made you feel rewarded for wandering off the beaten path. Mankind Divided needs to pepper its street-side exploration with a plethora of larger, sandboxed areas where you can really take your time and plan out a variety of approaches, alongside knowing what you're going to do if things go sideways. Radical Entertainment's Prototype is a strange comparison here, but they're one of hardly any developers that actively want you to feel empowered in the skin of someone stronger than the average person, and by all means keep the contemplative difficulty from the first game, but let players feel like they can learn and master the skills available.