Deus Ex: The Fall E3 Trailer and Previews

Those of you looking forward to some tablet-based cyberpunk adventuring will want to check out this new E3 trailer for Square Enix and N-Fusion’s Deus Ex: The Fall, and then continue down the page for some initial previews of the title.

The first preview comes our way via Wired:

So much of what made Deus Ex: Human Revolution fun is here: a couple of dozen augmentations to enhance your characters abilities, plus a choice of whether to play through the game with stealth tactics or with an all-guns-blazing blades-to-the-face approach. There are terminals to hack, underground tunnels to discover and explore, plus a host of different weapons and attacks, all of which can be augmented and upgraded. NPCs you meet as you traverse the cyberpunk terrain can offer side-quests and missions when you talk to them about current events, which overall gives the game breathing room to be an exploration-focused adventure, rather than a linear corridor shooter with a story hacked on afterwards.

It can’t be understated that the graphical detail is superb, either. On an iPad with Retina display the textures appear like a very late PS2 title, and even on an iPad mini (which I played the game on) it’s certainly one of the most detailed and visually immersive mobile games I’ve played to date.

Next up is Eurogamer:

Deus Ex: The Fall’s structured like its cousin, too, featuring a fully-fledged campaign and missions. It’ll be available later this summer for a one-shot price – although it will also contain in-app purcases. “Just to clarify that, once the players purchased the game, they can play through it, through new game plus – they keep all their gear and augmentations, and you can unlock everything without paying a single penny more,” Wright said.

“If the player wants to accelerate their performance, however, then they can. Everything in the game is purchased with credits, and they’re awarded via loot and meeting certain conditions. So with the IAP, the player can purchase additional credits buying real-world money – and with that you can buy Praxis, ammo, additional upgrades.”

Followed by Shacknews:

The game utilizes a dual thumbstick format common in adaptations of console-style games like this. There are other touch commands, however: players can also tap the screen to sprint to a wall for cover, or walk up to characters to interact for a bit more fluid experience. Combat is similar: tap an enemy to fire or sneak up behind them to take them down. An interface appears on either side of the screen, allowing a simple tap to access inventory to swap out weapons or augments, and update messages.

N-Fusion certainly captured the look of Human Revolution, with some areas looking on par with the console game on the iPad mini used for the demo. It definitely had the right futuristic feel of the universe, and solid voice acting added to immersion. It was rather simple to get around guards and avoid some confrontations, and others playing the demo were able to play through areas differently than I did. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to try the hacking or explore too much because of a couple lockups and some unresponsive controls, but the game seems to be accomplishing its goal of delivering a Deus Ex experience.

And, finally, Joystiq:

In practice, the movement is smooth but a bit awkward, and occasionally Ben will slide over to the wrong part of cover and get seen by his prey. Moving around corners is tough as well, especially when things get frantic. When you’re trying to hide yourself from some angry, murderous thug, it’s often difficult to gracefully go where you want to be. Shooting is easier you can simply tap on a target and then hit a button to fire. That helps combat become more about your choice of tools than your aiming ability, but it also trades away the kind of precision seen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

The hacking mini-game is still here and working well, and the series’ great lore is, too. As you move through the game’s environments (which are slightly more linear than Human Revolution’s were), you’ll find emails, archives, and all sorts of other documents to read and enjoy. Ben’s various augmentations are located in a touchscreen menu, where you can use and spend credits you earn throughout the game, or load up on more credits via in-app purchase.