Deus Ex Diaries Part One

This is my ongoing exploration of the Deus Ex Universe, in preparation for when Mankind Divided arrives later this year. Whether you’re a newcomer or an old-goer, I hope to make this something you can read along with and enjoy. We begin with Deus Ex.

The world is caught in the grips of a deadly epidemic called the Grey Death, which is being controlled by a drug named Ambrosia. The drug is in short supply as it is difficult to manufacture and the effects only last for 48 hours. It affects both normal humans and those who have chosen to be augmented with bionics.

In the world of Deus Ex these range from simple night-vision implants to multiple limb replacements — all of which look very robotic and unnatural. However, there are two special agents who have been given experimental nanotech bionics, meaning they appear outwardly unmodified.

How coincidental I should mention eyes and have an in-game image of them?

JC Denton, latest member of the UNATCO (United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition) multi-governmental agency, arrives on Liberty Island, home to New York city’s Statue of Liberty. He is the second agent to receive nano-augmentations. Despite the fact it houses UNATCO’s base of operations, the terrorist group NSF (National Secessionist Forces) have stolen a shipment of Ambrosia and taken up residence inside the now-headless statue, after French terrorists blew it off some years prior.

JC meets up with his brother Paul, the first agent to get nano-augmentations, and gets briefed — go in and stop the terrorists. If possible, also rescue fellow agent Gunther Hermann whom was taken prisoner.

I quickly learnt to save regularly, as autosaves are much less abundant than I am used to. This was after having to restart several times due to apparently sucking an untold amount at playing Deus Ex… I forewent saving Hermann and stormed the statue, actually finding better luck when I ran at people guns blazing than when I was sneaking about.

Half of these screenshots will mention the Light Augmentation. Screenshots and Lights are both F12...

The trip up the tower was fraught with dangers and a higher body count than I meant to provide, especially as Paul had asked me to be kinda non-lethal. At the top of the statue, I met the leader, who surrendered without a fight, as they had ‘already won’ by shipping the Ambrosia to ‘the people’ instead of only those who could afford it. If the Occupy movement exists in this world, then they are most definitely members of this terrorist group.

I’m then told to report to the UNATCO compound on the west side of the island. Upon arrival, Paul tells me off for murdering tens of people, then I head inside to see the man in charge: Mr Manderley — but not before going to my office, checking my emails and then hacking into his email account with the username and password I saw on his receptionist’s desk. She made a comment about it, but so far there have been no repercussions.

Manderley congratulated me on a job well murdered, then sends me off to meet the rest of the staff. It’s not long before I go back to him and get given my next mission — find the Ambrosia in New York with my new partner Anna Navarre. He then paid me a bonus for finishing the first mission, but not for saving Hermann. He also chastised me for going into the ladies room, but that was an honest mistake. I was looking for loot...

Widescreen cutscenes... Not a fan.

We headed off to the city by boat and docked not far from Castle Clinton, where the Ambrosia was taken by the NSF. Despite Navarre and two UNATCO soldiers being at the front door, they waited for me to go in first. They then waited for me to kill everyone. They waited even longer for me to then find the Ambrosia… Of course, after I had done all of that, Navarre was sent in to keep it safe whilst I was given another objective: save hostages from NSF.

Before going down into the subway — of which there were three entry points I could find — I was given EMP grenades. The place was going to be booby-trapped, and they would help stop the traps from killing the hostages.

I snuck through some vents and threw an EMP grenade through a vent cover. Or rather, it bounced and went the wrong direction. I dropped down and used up all of my ammo finishing off the NSF troops and then looted around. But it turned out I missed one, who was running around like a headless chicken. Enemy reinforcements came — through the not disabled laser grid. There was a big boom and next thing I know the hostages are dead and it’s apparently my fault. So I was told to get on the subway to meet up with Paul, and that I was a very naughty cyborg...

Hermann and Navarre

Next, I heard there is violence on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen (nice to see they change the name back from Clinton in the future…), so I’ll meet up with Paul and see what he wants me to do…