Deus Ex: The Fall

Not Recommended

This entry in the franchise falls woefully short of the high standards set by its predecessors, leaving many fans scratching their heads and questioning its very existence.
The most immediate and glaring issue with "The Fall" is its origins as a mobile game.
While it’s not inherently bad for a franchise to branch into mobile gaming, the limitations of the platform are painfully evident here!
The game’s controls feel clunky and imprecise, especially on PC, where the touch-based interface doesn’t translate well to mouse and keyboard.
This awkwardness detracts from the immersive stealth-action gameplay that the series is known for, making every encounter a frustrating chore rather than an engaging challenge.
The level design is another significant letdown.
"Deus Ex" games typically excel at offering players expansive, multi-layered environments that encourage exploration and experimentation.
"The Fall," however, delivers small, uninspired levels that feel more like corridors than living, breathing worlds.
The limited scope of the environments stifles creativity, forcing players into linear and predictable paths that fail to evoke the series’ trademark sense of freedom.
The story doesn’t fare much better either.
While the premise has potential, the execution is lackluster...
The narrative is shallow, the characters are forgettable, and the dialogue often borders on cringeworthy.
Worse still, the game ends abruptly on a cliffhanger, leaving players unsatisfied and wondering if the developers ever intended to deliver a complete experience.
Visually, "The Fall" is underwhelming, even by mobile standards.
The graphics are bland, the animations are stiff, and the overall aesthetic feels like a pale imitation of "Human Revolution."
On PC, these shortcomings are even more pronounced, as the game fails to take advantage of the platform’s capabilities.
The technical performance isn’t much better, with frequent bugs and glitches further marring the experience.
To its credit, "The Fall" does attempt to retain some of the series’ defining features, such as stealth mechanics and augmentations.
However, these elements are simplified to the point of losing their impact.
The augmentations lack the depth and variety of previous games, and the stealth gameplay is hampered by the aforementioned control and level design issues.
As a result, the gameplay feels hollow and uninspired...
In summary, "Deus Ex: The Fall" is a misstep for the franchise.
While it’s commendable that the developers sought to expand the series’ reach, the execution leaves much to be desired.
The game’s clunky controls, uninspired design, and shallow story make it a disappointing entry that fails to capture the essence of what makes "Deus Ex" great.
For fans of the series, "The Fall" is best left forgotten, a mere footnote in the otherwise great legacy of the franchise.

A horrendously bad piece of flaming garbage that I wouldn't play for free, let alone the asking price of 10 bucks. The graphics look worse than early 2000's games despite being made in 2013 2 years after Human Revolution. Sharp polygon lines and potato face everywhere. Inputs don't even register half the time, especially in menus. Cover diving doesn't even work at all, or at least not how the game describes it. You just pause to open the shop and buy whatever you need which removes a lot of the challenge. Hacking is extremely stripped down and simplified, just capture one point at a time, no defend/nuke/reinforce all those options that made it complex and interesting in HR.

They basically ported a smartphone app to PC and didn't add anything at a technical or game design level.

Yes

Deus Ex: The Fall is mostly ok as a Deus Ex game. It works alright as a short prequel to Human Revolution, though much of the emergent gameplay and player agency that the franchise is known for have been simplified here.

The campaign is serviceable, but it ends a little too soon. The amount of grinding and playthroughs needed to unlock some Steam achievements is unbearable, to say the least. Only the most determined will get them all.

I would only recommend this one to the established fans of Human Revolution and Mankind Divided. Think of it as a short DLC of those games and nothing more.

So far interesting plot and just overall very impressive for a mobile game

It's alright. Don't buy this at base price. Get it with the Deus Ex Bundle, and it does somewhat tie in with the books and games. If you expected more from me, sorry to disappoint but the game is just unfinished and will probably never be finished. Currently working on a retrospective for The Fall and Human Revolution so I will link the video here once it's done.

Terrible, even by mobile game standards.

* Mouse clicks barely register, making basic controls frustrating.
* Takedown animations frequently glitch, with noticeable clipping issues.
* Way too short.
* Ends abruptly with no Part 2.

cant even start the game cuz theres issues with the ui and not being able to click on things

This game is laughably awful, filled with bugs and glitches. I didn't have high hopes—I know it originates from smartphones—but it's just terribly unfun, with a quality somewhere between the original classic Deus Ex game and Human Revolution. The story is something I couldn't care less about. I feel outright insulted that I had to pay to play it instead of being paid to endure it.

Nah

Okay, so to be clear, Deus Ex: The Fall isn't particularly good. Like, it just isn't. But that being said, there's a pretty common narrative that this game is irredeemably bad, an abomination, a blight on the Deus Ex name, and I really can't agree with those assessments.
The Fall was originally a mobile game that was ported to PC, and this is important context to form any judgements around. As a PC game, like I said... not good. But as a mobile game this is honestly a pretty impressive package, especially considering that it came out in 2013 (eleven years ago at the time of writing).

It took me about three hours to finish my playthrough, completing all sidequests (there's five) and earning all achievements save for one, which required around an hour of a second NG+ run.
And honestly, three hours is probably the right length for this, because while I think this game is actually kind of charming in all of its extreme jank, if I had to play ten hours of it I'd probably feel very differently and be much less charitable.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this game to anyone - hence the "Not Recommended" rating - but at the same time I am glad I played and saw it for myself.
If nothing else, for me The Fall is an example of how important it is to form your own judgements on media through experiencing it, rather than only listening to the discourse surrounding it and allowing this to shape your opinion.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3381647255

Game telling me to kms

Surprisingly a good Deus ex game that is made by mobile game developers. My only complain would be not making part 2 of the game to provide some clarity to Ben Saxon story and the Tyrants

Deus Ex: The Fall is just like Deus Ex: Human Revolution except worse in every single way possible. Graphics are a clear downgrade, story is held by ducktape and movement/combat can be clunky at times. It's not unplayable, I even somewhat enjoyed it, but it's not exactly good either. At least it does feel like a Deus Ex title, hacking is here, vents are here, generally all the mechanics from Human Revolution are here except worse.

Not bad
story was to short
good gameplay

Normally I don't review games I haven't finished but sometimes exceptions can be made to that rule.

This is an unfinished mobile game and they're charging you $10 for it. Versalife would be proud.

The fuck did you do to Deus Ex?

Look, I'll be honest. It's the worst Deus-Ex game that exists today.

What I see though is a ton of potential.

This was originally an iPhone game that released back for the iphone 5/5s except with the microtransactions removed. When you look at it like that, it clearly was ahead of it's time. It does offer some quality of life improvements over the mobile version, but it still plays clunky & a lot of the time, the stealth doesn't work.

What it does do well is the music & the feeling of Deus-Ex with it's huge environments & side quests. They all feel right at home here.

If you are a fan of the series, it is still worth a play but not at the £8.50 asking price. That's too much for a game that is unfinished. What do I mean by that, well... The ending. It just... ends with a to be continued screen right at the end with a very lackluster plot twist.

I know that there is no chance of Square-Enix or n-fusion ever reviving this project, but I would hope that it is on the backburner somewhere.

Anyway, if you can pick up the game for cheap, then it is worth it ultimately, even if it sits there for the people who want to complete the collection.

Abandoned unfinished mobile game that was meant to be an episodic style Deus Ex game. This is just a PC port of that, with the microtransactions removed and most of the hints that this was never finished.

Not even the worst game, but as a Deus Ex game it's bare bones and lackluster, can't even jump.

hard to get through

I understand the reason why people hate this game, but for a mobile game it is quite interesting and engaging. Also, I've encountered only 1 bug, throughout the entire game, but this game works perfectly on Windows 11. At the same, BUY ONLY ON SALES or IN BUNDLE.
DO NOT BUY IT FOR THE FULL PRICE!!!

Physically painful to play. Had to replay Mankind Divided after finishing this one to remind myself what good Deus Ex looks like. Do not recommend.

Might have been good if they finished it.

worst Deus Ex game in existence, but every Deus Ex game is at least good game (as of 2024).

If you know the saga: This game is a single location episode. You can not jump, nor explore most of the skill tree. Quite easy and somewhat repetitive if you are lazy, but gives some nice room for experimantation since you don't really have to stock up stuff for later.

If you don't know Deus Ex universe: this is not very a good place to start. Try this after DX:HR

General stuff: AI is really predictable, shoots poorly and let you go very easily. The story elements are fine, there are some interesting characters. Side quests are nice. There are some blatant issues like interaction distance has ofter "too close" state so you cannot use the terminal because you are too close to it. Tutorial is a bit annoying, at least after DX:HR.

bug I found:

Video setting has no "keep setting" timer so you can lock yourself out from the game by going fullscreen. Lucky thing the settings is in a text file AppData\LocalLow\N_Fusion Interactive\Deus Ex_ The Fall\PlayerPrefs.txt so I made it windowed again..

Overall: on sale it goes for 2 euros, that is a correct price overall for a short, restricted episode of DX:HR athmosphere with a fresh story

Qué juego horrible, cómo se nota que salió para celular, más aburrido que ir a una misa de 12 horas.

no.

its a mobile game, Deus Ex died for this. what bullshit. Deus Ex: the fall? more like Deus Ex: the fall from grace

minecraft pocket edition

I enjoyed it. There are two things you should know before buying:

• This is a port of a decade old mobile game.
  
[*] The game ends before the story has a chance to really progress. The Fall was supposed to follow an episodic release format, but only part 1 was ever released.

I'm giving this a rare thumb up as it didn't have any frustrating stuff in it AND it was quite a fun game to play through.

First of all, this isn't a very long game, but it got quite a load of mechanics crammed into it coming directly from Human Revolution. The setting is an extension of that game as well. As for the storyline, it doesn't have much, but I liked both the idea of the Tyrants as an elite black ops unit and opposing them as enemies, though, just like with the original Deus Ex, I wish I had had the option of remaining with the "evil" guys as well. The stories of both HR and Mankind Divided were appallingly bad, so this is a superior example in that regard.

Second, this game didn't crash a single time, so having just 1 savegame slot was bearable (though that still should NEVER be the case in the first place. Not having free saving is bullshit coming from PC's retarded cousin, the gaming console).

As for multiple paths, this certainly doesn't have the complexity that esp. HR had. With some minor save scumming, you can probably do 100% in one playthrough. I still went for one violent non-guide first playthrough as for me with games I enjoy playing I do want to actually play them, not only 100% them. All achievements fired on the first try (I'm looking at you HR...), only the double takedown is rather hard to achieve because it is really stingy compared to the mainline games. Takedown is still way overpowered and I'm certain you can beat the game killing every human enemy without ever using a single gun. I didn't like that saving the doctor didn't finish that quest but cancel it, voiding the sidequest achievement. It's worth mentioning that though this is a very easy game (as the AI is very bad) there are no difficulties and enemies CAN in fact one-shot you, easiliy (which doesn't have any consequences, however). I had some troubles with the interface as some things are different than in the main games and not very well explained. Once again, the forced tutorials are APPALLING. Keep tutorials out of the fucking games proper, seriously, like the original DX did.

The big elephant in the room is of course there's no part 2 and there never will be. As the first thing the new owners of the IP did was turn off the Breach servers, I do not recommend actually paying any money for this game – that's certainly not the point of my thumb up. Fact is however that I had more fun with this minor title than with the major two games of the HD era (GTA analogy there) as NONE (!) of the frustrations which you can read up in my reviews of those games was there. Maybe less is actually more, sometimes – or rather "more" is better left to competent developers...

Even though Embracer Group torpedoed the Deus Ex franchise (regrettably, Adam Jensen's story needs more than a cliffhanger), for those wanting to fill in the blanks, this is definitely worth your time, though you might be reloading your game frequently.

Barely functional mobile port that wants to sell you stuff.

I'd have a better time cleaning up a McDonald's bathroom after a kid smeared shit everywhere.

Unfinished and clunky

Short game but fantastic. There's room for improval, like the foot steps and the graphics. Still, this is a game I recommend to finish, specially if you have the other Deus ex!

It's sometimes hard to imagine a more spectacular fall than that of Icarus with his wax wings melting in the sun. And then, Deus Ex: The Fall was released. Initially launched on mobile in 2013, this installment of the Deus Ex saga is a bit like a sandwich without filling: the packaging is promising, but the tasting leaves you wanting more. After the sublime Human Revolution, this game was intended to satisfy fans looking for conspiracies, neon lights and bionic implants on their smartphones. Spoiler: everything didn't go exactly as planned. Hold on tight, we're going to dive into this adventure with a smile on our face.

Positives
Universe still as cyberpunk: First point that is hard to ignore is that Deus Ex: The Fall tries (and I mean "tries") to recreate this cyberpunk universe that made the series famous. Yes, the streets are dark, the neon lights are bright, and the big corporations are still pulling the strings in the shadows. It has that mix of technological dystopia and conspiracies that is part of the franchise's DNA. Even if the execution is sometimes clumsy, there is that little something that makes you think: "Well, this looks like Deus Ex... well, a little bit."

Solid narrative (in theory): Story is directly in line with the Human Revolution universe, with Ben Saxon, a former augmented mercenary, trying to uncover the mysteries behind a pharmaceutical conspiracy. The story itself is not bad, although it seems like a "light" version of the big plots of the other games. For fans of the Deus Ex universe, there are still some interesting moments that delve a little deeper into the world we are living in.

PC port for purists: After its mobile release, The Fall was given a PC port. While this didn't fix all of the flaws, it did allow those who balk at playing on mobile to have access to the game on a more traditional platform. It's a bit like picking up second-hand furniture: it may be wobbly, but it holds up pretty well.

Negatives
Obvious mobile controls: Big problem with The Fall is that this game, originally designed for mobile, has a hard time hiding its origins. The controls are basic, limited, and seriously lacking in precision. Shooting with your finger or performing contextual actions? Great on a phone, but on a PC, it quickly becomes a frustrating experience. It's a bit like trying to eat soup with a fork: technically feasible, but you'll quickly lose patience.

Eye-catching graphics: If you thought you were getting the visual finesse of Human Revolution, get ready for a cold shower. The Fall sports simplistic textures, dull environments, and stiff characters. The game is visually dated, even for its release date. It's like trying to sell a car with three wheels and a cardboard seat. It drives, but not very well.

Oversimplified gameplay: Supposed to offer freedom, tactical choices, and varied approaches. The Fall? Not so much. The game is oversimplified, often leaving you with limited solutions and linear level design. Hacking, stealth, and combat are no longer as varied, and RPG mechanics are almost nonexistent. In the end, you feel like you're following a marked path with sunglasses on most of the time. For a game in the Deus Ex series, it's like they've removed the complex gears and left with a simplified mechanism for children.

Abrupt Ending: Nothing like a good ending that leaves you hanging. Except… Deus Ex: The Fall doesn’t really end. The game abruptly ends on a cliffhanger, leaving many questions unanswered. Why? Because there was supposed to be a sequel that, spoiler alert, never happened. It’s like watching a movie, just as the action is heating up, someone cuts the screen and says, “What’s next? We’ll see someday, or not.”

Summary
Deus Ex: The Fall is a clumsy attempt to bring the rich Deus Ex universe to mobile, and then PC. While the effort to maintain a semblance of cyberpunk intrigue and atmosphere can be appreciated, the game suffers from too many limitations due to its mobile origins. The dated graphics, imprecise controls, and oversimplification of the gameplay make this installment a disappointment for fans of the series. While some aspects of the story may capture the attention of purists, the overall experience lacks depth and refinement. In short, The Fall lives up to its name: a brutal fall for a series that had accustomed us to such heights. But if you're curious or a die-hard Deus Ex fan, you can still try

30/100

It's surprisingly close to Deus Ex: Human Revolution in most aspects, especially atmosphere. The voice acting is good, gameplay is fun and overall quality is high. Because it was designed first as an iOS and Android game in 2013, the poly counts are in between the PS2 and PS3 era, but with lighting and effects closer to PS3. These limitations aren't very noticeable when you're immersed in the game.

My main criticism is that part 2 never released. While I disagree with the people who thought Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ended abruptly, Deus Ex: The Fall really does, legitimately, end half way through its story, and there is no alternate interpretation. While the game was fun, I did want it to continue to to play out the remaining missions in the second continent part 2 would have taken place in.

It's quite good and I recommend it.

Pros:

• Prequel for Human Revolution
  
• Level Design. Interactive gameplay and workarounds like in HR
  
• Stealth system and mechanics are not bad
  
• Optimized on modern PC
  
• HR Soundtrack by Michael McCann
  

• Weak Plot. Like a "Go and bring me some Bread Neuropozyne!"
  
• This game is unfinished and did not receive a continue
  
• Combat system and mechanics are too bad. Fully upgraded weapons feels weak
  
• Settings are limited. I recommend install this mod
  
• Controls are limited and clunky. You can't rebind keys, you can't jump
  
• No mission selection, only 1 save slot. But you can install this mod.
  
[*]No steam cloud saves

Got softlocked to a wall and can't load an earlier save thanks to its one save system.

Only got as far as I did out of a compulsion to play the whole series...

Update: Managed to un-softlock my save file by switching cover (between a doorway gap) and hitting F5 (quicksave) mid-manoeuvre. Then after reloading the save, I was no longer stuck hugging the wall being forced to take cover. Parts of the game were still corrupted like the radar not showing, but after loading another area and coming back, everything went back to normal. This may work for you too if you encounter this bug. Now I can feel like the 6 hours I sunk into this game for some reason actually meant something if I can reach the end of it (and yes, I know it doesn't even have a conclusive ending because the subsequent parts of this spin-off were cancelled due to how unpopular it was).

Overall, I think this game is Human Revolution's version of Invisible War. It's okay (enjoyable even at times), but only play it if you feel you *have to* as part of playing the whole series in release order like me. Certainly not by its own merit. It's buggy (see above) and the genericness of its cheesy writing and protagonists is actually kind of entertaining. Stealth is also more annoying than in Human Revolution. I like the change of scenery though, and the different areas of the game kind of remind me of the hubs in Invisible War. They're a lot more cozy (given this game is a mobile port) compared to HR and each area has their own personality. But if there's anything to get from this game, at least slogging through it will make Mankind Divided amazing to play through in comparison afterwards..

I will leave the cat here, so that everybody who passes by can pet it and give it a thumbs up and awards
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　　　 /　 ヽ　　 ﾉ
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　| (￣ヽ＿_ヽ_)__)
　＼二つ

2/10