Earlier this week the joined forces of Square Enix and Eidos Montreal gave gamers the world over a brief, ever-so-precious teaser of their next installment in the storied Deus Ex franchise.
Well, after just a few days of speculating, blogging, arguing, trolling, worrying, and anxiously anticipating, the studio finally revealed the big, awaited news: the next title in the series, titled Deus Ex: The Fall, will be a mobile release and will be available later this summer! The game’s price tag is a reasonable $6.99, and its distinction as an action-RPG based on touch mechanics gives it real potential as an immersive title.
This should be good news, right? Right!?
That’s not necessarily the reception that this news has garnered. Since the big reveal dropped earlier today, long-time fans of the series have been taking to the blogosphere, Reddit, and whatever platform they can find to bewail their disappointment. Words like “abomination” and “total shame” are some of the milder terms I’ve come across thus far.
All that being said, the game itself doesn’t sound half bad. Set in the year 2027, the game picks up where the acclaimed installment Deus Ex: The Icarus Effect leaves off. Playing as the post-human, physically augmented former mercenary Ben Saxon, players must make their way through the world as they attempt to unravel a drug conspiracy. What’s more, they must uncover these secrets while being pursued by Saxon’s former employers, a private military group called the Tyrants who aim to stop their former employee’s crusade in its tracks. As you can see, the plot has the same inherent paranoia and potential for plot twists that define the Deus Ex franchise.
Die hard fans are reassured
What most fans are so up in arms about is what they see as Square Enix‘s misguided shift from console to mobile gaming. To be fair, this resentment is not unwarranted. The poor reception of console-games-gone-mobile speaks for itself; in fact, I still shiver in disappointment over Mass Effect 3‘s corresponding iPad game Infiltrator. In response to the inevitable backlash from the gaming community, however, Square Enix mobile general manager Anthony Douglas released a statement which assured fans of series that the company holds the same high standards for all of their games regardless of if they’re formatted for consoles, mobile devices, or as digital downloads.
On top of Douglas’ release, Eidos’ executive game director Jean-François Dugas (see video above) also alluded to the fact that The Fall had already been in production for over a year, and that the hard work put into the title clearly shine through in its gameplay. He promised fans that all of the beloved elements of past console titles, such as the recent, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, are still at the core of The Fall‘s gaming experience. Which is crucial, because really isn’t that what makes a Deus Ex game tick?
All the assurance in the world won’t shore up the doubts gamer’s have, unfortunately. Until Deus Ex die-hards have the title in their hands, be it on their tablets or phones, no one will be able to fully judge the success of this strategy. Until then, we’ll just have to wait with bated breath, bloodshot eyes from too much blog reading, and about $7 in our pockets.
What I really want to know, however, is what do you, the reader think about Square Enix‘s choice? Do you think a mobile game has as much potential as a console release, or are mobile games really the ugly cousin? With a shift by such a big studio as Square Enix, do you think other developers will start moving that way too? The questions, and answers, are boundless!
