Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director's Cut

One of the best games (and game franchises) ever made, full stop. Not just surface level entertainment, but a thought-provoking reflection of modern-day issues for those who dig deep enough, with a rich and believable choice-consequence system.

if you like to be the main protagonist who saves the day while helping people with their problems then this the game you are looking for:

main story 10/10
combat 10/10
stealth 10/10
graphics 10/10

Nearly everything in this game is a downgrade from the original Deus Ex. The only exceptions being the gunplay, dialogue options, and obviously the graphics. The dialogue is one of the best parts of the game imo. Having verbal sparring with an NPC in a heated situation is awesome. There is an augment that makes these situations easier but I recommend just doing it with you intuition. Despite the game's shortcomings the storyline kept me engaged for a while. However it just devolves into "Sorry Mario but the Princess is in the other Castle." I'm close to the end but I don't think I'll put in the extra few hours to finish it. The game's health system is absolute dog shit and the stealth is worse than half baked. Would not recommend. Go play the original game again

One of my favourite games. The first Deus Ex I didn't store for month(s) on my monitor and got really invested into. It was mechanically kind of back to the first Deus Ex with many needed improvements.

The game experience was good, a bit tedious and repetitive but that's pretty much how all of the RPG action type games were in those years, the graphics are decent and mechanics fun. History might be a little too basic but overall I'd say it's a nice game, you should try it out.

a great game thats changed gaming for the better. worst part of this game is that it never got a proper sequel. still looks and feels great though id grab a remaster in a heart beat if done right.

A masterpiece, still worth it in 2025, especially considering it is 3 bucks on sale.

If you like story driven games, with multiple cornelian choices to make, this is the best.

Sad they stopped this amazing franchise, in gaming like for many other things, the best is definitely behind us.

Small note : you might encounter some issues due to the bad port, most can be solved but not all. So definitely buy on sale.

I played through the original release of DE:HR when it came out but on a dying rig and without The Missing Link DLC. Jump ahead almost fifteen years and I grabbed the Director's Cut when it was on sale for a couple dollars and am so glad I did -- it's still an amazing ARPG, looks great in 4k, and its design and game play aesthetics made me feel much the same as I remember how i felt playing the OG Deus Ex 25 years ago. If you're looking for a satisfying challenge, go for a pacifist play through on the hardest difficulty. If you're a glutton for even more of a challenge, go for the Factory Zero achievement - I'd say about a third of my 37 hour playtime was spent working on that alone

You'd think that a decade-old game would run well on modern machines which far exceeds the recommended hardware requirements but it is so laggy and stutter every few minutes that it just borders on unbearable. This is really apparent in open areas such as the Detroit map or the China map which stutters heavily as you move through various linear paths and alleyway. The game itself is good but the experience of playing it is not because of the terrible stutter.

If you need to go online and find solutions to fix a terrible experience that the devs couldn't be bothered to fix after the fact then I'd recommend you save your money and find a way to get the non-Director's Cut version of the game somewhere online since I heard that version is much more stable than this.

TLDR; Game is good but terrible optimization that makes experience this game a chore.

Absolute banger of a game that eerily reflects the ongoing politics of the modern world. Sure, the graphics aren't exactly top-notch like a 2025 AAA game, but they still hold up surprisingly well.

If you're intending to 100% this game, do take note that stealth gameplay is required. DXHR is notorious (at least from what I read on various reddits and message boards) for being a slightly buggy mess when it comes to two particular achievements - 'Foxiest of the Hounds' (complete the game without tripping an alarm) and 'Pacifist' (no lethal kills, except for bosses). I managed to obtain both achievements on my first (and single) playthrough with very liberal saving. If I made an oopsie, I always loaded from a manual save, knowing that I'm confident with the state of the game (i.e. no alarms tripped, no kills) at that point.

Also this might be a bit spoilery, but don't be a loot goblin towards the last third of the game. Vendors to offload stuff for credit are generally quite far and few between and you will always have more money than you can spend. Just hold on to what you need consumable/ammo-wise.

Aside from that, just read up on a guide beforehand and you'll be well-prepared. Good luck if you are intending to 100% this. 6/10 (personal opinion) difficulty to 100%. Most of the challenge stems from the lack of any statistics/feedback from the game itself as to whether you've killed anyone by accident or triggered an alarm.

After 83 hours, I have finally beat this game for the first time. When this game released, it was graphically amazing, and still holds up even now. I for sure look at this game through my rose tinted nostalgia glasses, because back when Onlive was a thing, I played this game on a Mac laptop with my little bro!

I can see myself replaying this game again; there is a New Game + option that'd be cool to look at.

If you're reading this, I'd like you to know that this game is worth it's price and a moment of your time. You won't regret it


Much love!

Difficulty Level: "Give Me a Challenge"

Top Ten Enjoyment Factors:

1. Ease of game control binding
2, Engaging story dialogue and progression
3. Ease of weapons selection and upgrade
4. Ease of augmentation enhancement
5. Good stealth mechanics
6. Non-linear mission assignments
7. Hacking mini-game provides good tension
8. Uncomplicated user game play compared to other IP's (e.g., Red Dead Redemption II)
9. Plentiful Quick Saves allowed during non-Boss Fights
10. Realistic audio weapons fire, ordinance detonation (no pew-pew)

Top Ten Dislike Factors:

1. No way point / fast travel capability
2, Mapping provides minimal detail (No markers for: weapons/ammo stores, dead ends, ventilation entry /
exit, etc.)
3. Protagonist Adam Jensen dies too easily without high level of Dermal Armor
4. Poor in-game hacking tutorial
5. No in-game tutorial that describes how to easily transfer items from inventory to the Quick bar and back
6. Quick Saves prohibited during Boss Fights
7. Boss Fights do not show the health of the Boss when fighting Adam (How much longer before he dies?)
8. Some items occupy too large a space in Jensen's inventory (e.g., sniper /tranquilizer rifle, mod packs)
9. NPC dialogue is often repetitive
10. Some game bugs were never fixed (e.g., Motherly Ties side quest, Cassandra Reed dialogue broken)

Overall, Dues Ex Human Revolution is a must-play. The variable difficulty settings will allow you to choose how badly you get kicked in the crotch on the missions. The story, characters, visuals, awesome voiceovers and perfectly suited and executed soundtrack make for a gaming experience that no one should miss.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3442559068

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3442560176

This is not so much a review as my final impressions after beating the game, but as someone who played the original 2 games shortly after they came out, these words count for something. And they are spoiler free.

Ending

After the encounter though, the way the choices were presented to the player, I liked. I was happy with their number and nuance. The one I chose wasn’t easy to make, but satisfying nonetheless. The narration and video montage that followed hit home and felt impactful. The post credit bonus scene was a nice touch too.

Length

To me the game felt too long. My playtime at completion was 99.1 hours. This was with relatively few deaths or replaying areas. I would sometimes leave the game running while away from the keyboard so I estimate that counts for perhaps at least 2 hours. Playing stealthily and as non-lethally as possible added to the length of the game and hacking and reading definitely did too. The hacking was fun, but if I was designing this game I might have make fewer computers with emails to hack. Sometimes the number of them in a small area were overwhelming, and the interconnected web of details hard to justify stopping to read in such quantity when the clock is ticking and enemies in theory might arrive at any point. Reading after completion of the game about the DLC and how it was integrated into the main game also justified to a slight extent a longer playthrough.

Tenseness

The tenseness of the gameplay got to me sometimes. I like the tension or stealth and hacking and hand to hand combat, but maybe it was sustained for longer than I’d like, maybe as an older player I find it more draining, or perhaps at this point in my life I simply need more relaxing activities to engage in.

Final Impressions

The way I felt while playing this game was quite different to how I remember feeling playing the first 2 Deus Ex games. For one thing, DXHR didn’t grab me immediately as the first 2 did. I originally started playing it around the time I started playing Skyrim, in 2011 or 2012, so perhaps that had something to do with it. Closer to 2020 when I started playing it again, frame stutter completely dampened my enthusiasm. Now in 2025, I must say for the most part the game holds up as an impressive achievement with good controls, a great aesthetic, compelling characters and cutscenes, and outstanding level design, though I’ve just played many more amazing and unique games since playing the original Deus Ex, and so the competition is tougher. Perhaps another reason that DXHR wasn’t as much fun as the earlier titles was that the art direction or overall tone was maybe too monotone for such a long experience. I also remember that in the 2nd game I played Invisible War, you could change allegiance mid game, and more than once. That blew my mind! In this game, though there were choices to be made along the way, and the final set of choices were a highlight of the game for me, for the rest of the experience, your boss was always Sarif. And adding to that, all the voiced and choreographed cutscenes painted a very specific picture of who Adam Jensen was, and perhaps made me feel less invested or immersed in him, less like I was him.

All that said, I do recommend this game. You can run, jump, climb, crouch, disappear, hack, kill, stun, persuade, and walk... and that is immersive!

A fantastic modernization of a classic series that maintains the brilliant storytelling and innovative gameplay.

Loved this! There were a few notable cons that impacted my gameplay that I think everyone should know before playing:
- Massive amounts of stuttering when loading new areas. Lasts a few seconds, but in certain scenarios, it caused me to die from becoming disoriented.
- the ending only requiring you to pick a choice at the very end, instead of your choices throughout the game influencing this decision.
- Your boss has a really annoying voice.

Other than that, a must-play. If you only play one game from the Deus Ex series, play this one!

Graphic-great
Gameplay- great
Story- great

Overall- great game, controls take some getting used to but well worth it.

its not as intreasting story wise as the first game...

BUT the game play feels so much better, and fluid

the game is easy to run on max settings and is pretty stable aside from very rare stutters on entering new areas, but those are mainly quirks of the engine left over from the console

the writing is top notch, you care about people that you meet. make sure you put points into the main hacking levels as you will need them later on, the game forces you to be a hacker unless you want to make life harder for yourself

its a no brainer at such a low price

not a "return to form" or "great comeback"
many things lacking
nowhere near greatness that was first deus ex
too much... consolization
too many "modern" ideas
not that any of this matters
the studio responsible is closed and it's for the better
20 hours of lacking but entertaining game without proper closure is better than franchise ruined by woke crap

This was one of the best Stealth games back then. I remembered I was so invested on this when I was a kid, and now aiming to get all the achievements on this and Mankind Devided soon!

Human Revolution has some flaws, including some not great voice acting and design choices, but it's ultimately still pretty fun if those things don't bother you too much.

Absolutely great game , story is awesome and its a good mix of exploring, and linear play along with decisions to be made . Fair warning , it does seem to crash at random times so save often.

It feels like a true classic now, in 2025 (about 2 years from when its story takes place), those times when corporate giants still didn't require you to go through scammy registration procedures and playing the game through 4 different confirmation starters.
The black-noir, sci-fi detective/spy story is remarkably coherent and detailed, even comparing to franchise predecessors, and less corny with "Illuminati" as some all knowing, ominous power "behind it all", you can sometimes see the sheakespearian cogs being worked, but it moves forward at your preferred pace - as it usually gives you as much time on side quests and workarounds as you want, it doesn't rush you through itself.
It is a pleasure replaying it on an ultrawide screen after years, even if graphics don't feel so fresh anymore. the sound, the music, the voice-acting - all mostly top-notch, mechanics (steering) intuitive enough to be fun; satisfying animation. I can't find too many downsides of this game, and after all - I chose to replay it and do a completionist run once again, after years, and with abundance of games nowadays with also good stories and even better graphics - i think it says something about this return to DX:HR, an excellent sneaker where choosing lethal/non-lethal methods really feel like they make a difference, and even if maps and freedom of exploring is to a degree limited, there is always more than 2 ways of completing a task within 1 chapter. I recommend with my whole, augmented heart.

Old school single player game. If you are familiar with this franchise, you get a good game in the same dynamic of the original Deus Ex. Upgrades for you and for your weapons, several ways to do things, good story although some times overly complicated with technobabble. If you are one of those lonely players that grew up doing all by yourself in the glorious sagas like Wolfenstein, Doom, Hitman, or even Batman, this one is for you too.

If you wanna play an actual good cyberpunk game. Play this game not CP 2077.

9/10

It's a good game. The gameplay is interesting and upgrade choices can tailor how you play.
A lot of room to explore alternate paths to the same objective.
A good prequel story to the legendary Deus EX, sowing the seeds of how the world became what it was in that game.
Does a lot to make the player think about morality and philosophical questions about the world and people.
The main character is interesting and fleshed out, even with a mysterious dark past.

Game has a few technical issues with crashing, and one game breaking bugg in the last section that made me have to replay the last major section of the game once since the game kept crashing. Tech issues will most likely never get fixed, which is a shame.

It's a classic prequel game, and the story is as compelling as the original with similar game play. I have thoroughly enjoyed this game over the years, and though it seems a bit dated in 2025, it is still greatly entertaining and a reminder of how good games can be.

A must play.
Just finished my second round of this gem , the first 10 years ago.
I have no doubt I will play this again in another 10 years a redo much like a favourite book.
If you have not played it yet do it . Story line is even more relevant than in 2012.

Performance is pretty dogwater when walking around the city sometimes. It really is a shame because other than that it's a great time if you're expecting an RPG more akin to the witcher than an immersive sim.

I recently built my dream gamer rig, and wanted to go back to playing some older titles I enjoyed in the past, Human Revolution being one of them. There's something about playing an older title on maxed out setting at max FPS when you couldn't afford the hardware back in the day. When I saw there's a Director's Cut, I jumped at the chance and installed it.

It's fun, as in lots of, and the removal of the yellow filter is a nice touch. I read some reviews claiming the graphics are a bit of a step back, but I haven't tested out the original yet.

Definitely worth it for the DLCs being fully integrated, it gives the story a lot more fluidity.

It's hard to live up to what many people consider to be the greatest game of all time. I believe Human Revolution does that and is a great game in its own right. A prequel was definitely the right move instead of continuing the story of Invisible War

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director’s Cut is a masterclass in immersive cyberpunk storytelling, offering deep RPG mechanics, satisfying stealth and combat, and a world rich with atmosphere and intrigue. As a prequel to the legendary Deus Ex, it not only lives up to the franchise’s legacy but also modernizes it with fluid gameplay and compelling storytelling.

The story is one of the game’s strongest aspects. Playing as Adam Jensen, a security specialist caught in a conspiracy involving powerful corporations, government secrets, and human augmentation, you are given true freedom in how you navigate the world. The game’s themes of transhumanism, corporate control, and moral ambiguity are brilliantly executed, making every dialogue choice feel impactful.

Gameplay is where Human Revolution truly shines. You can approach missions in multiple ways—stealth, hacking, combat, or persuasion—and the game rewards creativity in how you tackle objectives. The augmentation system allows for deep customization, letting you tailor Jensen’s abilities to fit your preferred playstyle. Whether you want to be a ghost, slipping through security unseen, or a heavily armed cybernetic warrior, the game fully supports both approaches.

The Director’s Cut improves upon the original version by reworking boss fights, making them more in line with the game’s choice-driven mechanics, ensuring stealth players aren’t forced into combat. Additional improvements to AI, visuals, and second-screen functionality also enhance the overall experience.

The cyberpunk world-building is phenomenal. Human Revolution features stunning, neon-lit cityscapes, corporate high-rises, and seedy underground networks, all dripping with atmosphere. The soundtrack is another standout, with an ambient, futuristic score that perfectly complements the game’s aesthetic.

While some aspects—like stiff animations and occasional AI quirks—show their age, Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Director’s Cut remains one of the best cyberpunk RPGs ever made. If you love player choice, immersive storytelling, and deep gameplay mechanics, this is an absolute must-play.

Rating: 9.5/10 – A cyberpunk masterpiece that rewards creativity and choice.

Just don't kill those guys during the tutorial, otherwise you'll lose your Pacifist achievement.

Don't come expecting something like the original Deus Ex (or Invisible War). It's still a decent game but that's it. The story got boring, actions rendered meaningless and the gameplay got watered down to oblivion.

Recommended by: Experiences Worth Experiencing

One of the best games to have ever come out

they didnt need to put the piss filter though

Man, I just could not get into this game. This is my second attempt too.

It's nothing like the original Deus Ex, and the visual aesthetic couldn't be more different. It's hard for me to even believe they share the same title. It's not a bad game per se, it just doesn't feel like Deus Ex to me.

I hate that you have to use a third person cover system to avoid detection, and that you can only really play the game with a stealth/non-lethal approach. The game gives you very little ammo... even though terrorists are dumping mag after mag at you. Kind of an oversight.

This port is also an absolute stutter fest. Each new area you walk into has at least 5 seconds of dropping from 120 fps to 1. Not an exaggeration.

The moral choices (that I got to) didn't really seem moral... they seemed like a gamble. Trying to pick the right dialogue options to get the best rigged outcome rather than choosing between two modes of thinking. The original Deus Ex handled this much better IMO. (For example - instead of being allowed to choose how you want to deal with the hostage situation, you're trying to find the right dialogue choices (empathy, confidence, humble, etc) in order to get him to do one thing: drop the hostage. The original Deus Ex would probably have given you the options of killing him, becoming his friend, joining his team, eating him, or breakdancing with him at the club.

I'm sure there's a lot to be admired, but the dog shit Zack Snyder black and gold urine filter coupled with constant stuttering and wonky cover mechanics are enough to make me put it down. Jensen also looks (and sounds) like a dorky little league coach with his sports shades.

good game. i got recommended this from a friend because I loved cyberpunk 2077. A bit jank at times and took a while to get used to the controls and everything. But a good game nonetheless!

Yes game for stealth and sneaking around similar to Metal Gear series and i'm sure you'll enjoy it as well :)

This was my introduction to the Deus Ex series and overall I really enjoyed it. It reminds me most of Splinter Cell but slightly more action orientated, you often have the choice to stealth through areas or charge through guns blazing. I will say that because it has both options, neither are quite as good as games that focus on one or the other. The stealth is fun but not quite as complex as Splinter Cell or Thief e.g. While the shooting is good but not as good as a full FPS game.

But regardless the game is great, it's much longer than I expected but the story keeps you immersed and I really enjoyed the ending with some big moral/ethical choices. The voice acting, music and cinematic scenes are all great too.

I would say as a caveat, and this may not bother some people, but this game does show it's age. The textures are a bit ugly in places and the open environments can feel small, there's also a few annoyances like the map not always being clear, it often shows multiple markers even though you only have one quest/mission active and the sensitivity is super weird. There's also so much side lore and readable content in the game, too much in my opinion. But all of these are small things that, if you like stealth games or older games in general, shouldn't bother you.

Overall I'd definitely recommend it to stealth/action fans, just be aware that this game is over 10 years old and does show it sometimes.

Although a definite downgrade from the original Deus Ex, DXHR nevertheless impresses on a lot of levels. The core gameplay loop is fun but the writing has taken a serious turn for the underdeveloped. Still well worth playing in my eyes.

A+

A classic that can't be missed.

Awesome storyline, amazing gameplay, a whole lot of personality and one of the best cyber-FPS I've ever played.

Absolutely loved this game.

I have a lot of opinion about this game that was hard to vocalise, then Hbomberguy made a video that perfectly articulated why its an alright game that ultimately falls short compared to its predecessor. So yeah, its alright, can play it if I need a good stealth game but there are a lot better stealth games out there, notably the original Deus Ex game.

(Apparently I have enjoyed this game enough to play it for 164 hours and not even bother to get the achievements.)
Coming from the original Deus Ex, I was disappointed and put off playing this. Yet, you will see how this is very much a worthy successor once you get into the game-play (and far superior to Invisible War). Also, if you like the Metal Gear Solid series, then don't hesitate on this. (I came from the opposite way.)

- FPS that shifts to 3rd person when taking cover (it looks bad-ass; don't question it)
- stealth emphasis, with multiple paths to accomplish the same objective
- plenty of rewarding exploration
- can be highly immersive at times
- moments of terrible dialogue that would make Kojima proud (embrace it for the ultimate experience)

Many years ago, before the Playstation 4 came out, i had a backlog of games, including games like Red Dead Redemption and this, glad i played through those, cuz i loved em, multiple ways to solve challenges, great atmosphere/ setting, have fun!

Very decent Deus ex 1 sequel. Complex story, bunch of RPG elements, environments and variety of playstyles.

10/10

Cons - some things DX1 did better

Beautiful cyberpank game, still holds up.

played this game on xbox 360 and got it for free with games with gold. i was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by this game at the time. The story, gameplay, and exploration were top fucking notch, and im sure it still holds well today. I'll replay it at some point

This is a nice "old school" game. You need to like stealth type games though. The variety of weapons and Cyberpunk layer don't make much sense to me as stealth is much more important and all the guns seem to deal the same damage (I played only 1.5 hours though, this might change later in game idk)


---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☐ Good
☑ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☑ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☑ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☑ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

amazing game, but the pc directors cut version is infamous for its frame stuttering issues that still happen even when the game is running in potato mode. love this game, but the pc directors cut version is dogshit.

Great vibe, art, sound, voice acting and music. Warm recommendation.

As a prequel to Deus Ex it embodies the bloat and sanitizing of AAA game design goals, but even taken as its own standalone experience there's a lot of weak links in Human Revolution. The bizarre attempt to make augmentation an every-metaphor for medication-dependency in the United States, to racial oppression, to an arm's race in labour depression among workers... to the Big Ol' Singularity - it just doesn't work. The original Deus Ex and for that matter most of it's inspiration (Authours like Gibson, D*ck, etc) depicted rich worlds with a tapestry of things going on within them, I understood they badly wanted to run their "No, it's like Detroit's automobile market!!" beat into the ground but for god's sake, if you're making a story about the entire span of political issues in your video game about Making Choices, try to imagine for a moment that any of the issues could be more complicated than "Robot Arm Good?? Or Robot Arm, Bad??? Much to think about"

Also for god's sake, I know video games refuse to treat their players with real conviction about their choices, but it's so lazy that "non-lethal" playstyles in this game are just a button prompt difference. Adam Jensen straight up clocking a man with his robot arms is probably more likely to be lethal than just stabbing them once through the torso with his arm blades! Why are we so unwilling to build games where having moral conviction actually takes work, if the only thing stopping the player from being Batman is which key they choose to press when attacking you haven't created any player choice or roleplaying!

Great game. They don't make them like this anymore.
Only played the OG game, but I guess the Director's Cut isn't much different.