Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

"Sometimes, you just have to let go...and embrace what you've become."

—Adam Jensen, Announcement Trailer

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an upcoming Cyberpunk-themed action role-playing video game—combining first-person shooter, stealth and role-playing elements—developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix as a sequel to the 2011 Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Set two years after Human Revolution in the year 2029, Mankind Divided features the return of Adam Jensen, with new technology and body augmentations. The fourth main entry in the Deus Ex series, the game was released on 23 August 2016.

Following the events of the previous game, animosity between augmented and non-augmented humans has reached the point wherein the very notion of augmentation is violently opposed by various elements of society. Now working for the Interpol-funded Task Force 29, Jensen is tasked with pursuing augmented terrorists. But he's also fighting his own war against the people responsible for the events of Human Revolution, in the process uncovering an ever deeper conspiracy.

While the gameplay itself is set to improve upon what's worked with Human Revolution, the developers have stated how they're seeking to make every possible game style doable, be it a Pacifist Run or full-on guns blazing.

Tropes used in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided include:

Actionized Sequel: While the game is stated to be even more so compared to Human Revolution, this is also extended to how Pacifist Runs and Stealth Runs are approached.
April Fools: Eidos Montreal released a video about Mankind Divided's new art direction...

Adam: "What a shame."

Arc Words: "Can't kill progress."
Arm Cannon: Jensen can have his arms modified to mount the P.E.P.S. from Human Revolution.
Ascended Extra: The Juggernaut Collective plays a larger role this time around.
The Atoner: Adam Jensen's main motivation, in addition to going after those who wronged him in the previous game.
Bag of Spilling: Sort of. Jensen starts off with enhanced versions of his Human Revolution upgrades. After being hurt in the terror attack in Prague however, he's forced to build up most of his abilities anew.
Bilingual Bonus: Parts of the game are set in and around Prague, complete with appropriate Czech.
Big Bad: The game sets up Bob Page as a more direct antagonist, given that Jensen is gunning for the Illuminati. Viktor Marchenko however is a more straightforward example as Jensen spends the better part of the game dealing with him.
- Bigger Bad: Bob Page, Morgan Everett and Lucius DeBeers, who at this point is still the undisputed leader of the Illuminati.
Big Brother Is Watching: Especially evident in the Prague scenes, with police and cameras monitoring for anyone (i.e. augs) deemed a threat.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: Whenever Adam is checking the TV, Eliza Cassan may wink at him as she delivers her "reporting live" spiels. A Call Back to Human Revolution, given how Adam knows she's a holographic AI.
Can't Stop the Signal: The Juggernaut Collective, which is a global network of hackers, activists and anti-corruption agents.
Category Traitor: In the trailers, a terrorist aug leader (later revealed to be Viktor Marchenko) chastises Jensen about how he fighting his "brothers."
Color Motif: The gold/yellow/black palette from Human Revolution makes a return. This time however, everything is noticeably darker, reflecting the end of the supposed golden age. It's mentioned as well that blue, a color associated with the original Deus Ex is also a prominent theme.
Continuity Nod:
- The E3 footage suggests that Jensen starts off with many of his abilities seen in Human Revolution.
- Jensen's frequent forays into the seedier, darker sides of society also harken back to JC Denton's in the original Deus Ex.
- Lucius DeBeers and a younger Morgan Everett finally make their appearance.
Crapsack World: More openly so than in Human Revolution. What once seemed like the cusp of a new golden age is becoming more and more like the messed-up world seen in the original Deus Ex. It's also shown in-game that the fallout of the "Aug Incident" is still very much present.
Crazy Prepared: David Sarif evidently wanted Adam to be prepared for just about any eventuality. Which explains the augmented enhancements Adam never had in Human Revolution.
Cutscene Power to the Max: Averted. The gameplay is stated to be such that just about everything seen in the trailers released so far is perfectly doable.
Cursed with Awesome: Downplayed compared to the previous game, given how Adam Jensen's getting more than used to his augmented lease on life.
Cutting Off the Branches: Mankind Divided is be vague regarding which ending of Human Revolution is canon, given how Jensen himself feels that whatever he did seems like a failure. Word of God states however that none of the Human Revolution endings are entirely canon, though elements of the plot are mentioned as incorporating elements from each one. This is further elaborated upon by the recap of that game, which deliberately leaves quite a few details vague.
Cycle of Revenge: This is beginning to happen as aug and non-augmented factions retaliate against each other.
Defictionalization: Word of God is that the developers are collaborating with two tech companies to help make augmentations closer to reality.
Dark Reprise: The music used in the Announcement Trailer is a darker and more ominous version of the theme of Human Revolution.
Darker and Edgier: Befitting the setting, the game is decidedly darker and more ominous than even Human Revolution.
Dubai: The game's opening mission and tutorial is set here, with Adam pursuing a Task Force 29 mission involving an illegal arms deal gone wrong.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: The state of affairs in 2029 can be described as "Mechanical Apartheid." While the Juggernaut Collective is basically a more focused and organized version of Anonymous hacktivists.
Double Agent: Adam Jensen is actually working for the hacktivist Juggernaut Collective, which managed to get him into Task Force 29 with the intent of going after the Illuminati.
Enemy Civil War: It's implied that one is taking place Between the Illuminati and its splinter-faction, the Majestic 12.
Evil Old Folks: Lucius DeBeers in 2029 is old enough to have been the Illuminati's leader when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. By his orders, no less.
Face Heel Turn: The trailers suggest that Sarif Industries might have been co-opted by the Illuminati. In the game itself however, it's mentioned that the company closed down after what happened in Panchaea, its assets seized by Tai Yong Medical.
Foreshadowing/Call Forward: Task Force 29 is basically a predecessor to UNATCO in the original Deus Ex.
From Bad to Worse: The live-action Mechanical Apartheid trailer shows the increasingly severe and tragic consequences of animosity against augs in the wake of the Panchaea incident.
- The Dubai mission with Task Force 29 starts off more or less like a routine crackdown operation on an illegal arms deal, which quickly goes horribly wrong. Not to mention an impending sandstorm making matters even more complicated.
Gameplay and Story Integration: Jensen's actions are stated as having a much more visible and dynamic impact on his surroundings this time around, whether directly or as an unintended consequence.
Government Conspiracy: Adam privately suspects that Task Force 29 is really a front for the Illuminati's plans.
Grey and Gray Morality:
- As befitting a Deus Ex game, it's not always clear what the "right" choice is, if there is any. This is especially highlighted by Adam's conflicting duties to both Task Force 29 and the Juggernaut Collective.
- The "mechanical apartheid" on display is also shown to be filled with grey areas, especially with terrorists and radicals on both sides finding some reason to lash out at each other.
Harder Than Hard: Finishing the game on "Give me Deus Ex" unlocks the "I never asked for this" difficulty, which renders death final and deletes your saves should you get killed at any point.
He Who Fights Monsters: Depending on your actions, Adam may or may not cross the line into becoming little different from the people he's gunning after.
History Repeats: New forms of segregation and racism have emerged, with augmented humans even persecuted apartheid-style.
How We Got Here: The 101 trailer has Jensen narrating about what led up to the events of Mankind Divided.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Adam's nanoblades return from the previous game, which also double as projectile weapons this time around.
Implacable Man: Adam Jensen, thanks to his augmentations. One upgrade in particular allows him to effectively become a walking, nigh bulletproof tank for a limited time.
Industrial Ghetto:
- Útulek Station, aka Golem City, is a futuristic take on this trope. It's also the main headquarters of the Augmented Rights Coalition.
- Dubai is also shaping up to be this, given how it's shown as grimy and long past its heyday.
- The poorer sections of Prague, where many augs who haven't been sent to Útulek Station live, wouldn't look too out of place in a modern thriller set in Eastern Europe.
Interpol Special Agent: Task Force 29 is a significantly more powerful version of this trope. Eventually, such task forces would lead to UNATCO in Deus Ex.
It's a Wonderful Failure: There are also various ways for Adam to fail, even in the "social boss battles," though it doesn't always lead to an automatic game over.
Medium Blending: Similarly to Human Revolution some cutscenes incorporate live-action elements, such as the opening intro.
My Greatest Failure: Adam seems to view his failure to change the course of events significantly in Human Revolution as this. More specifically, Hugh Darrow's Zombie Apocalypse signal in Panchaea.

Adam: "I won't let it happen again."

No Endor Holocaust: Averted as revealed by the 101 trailer. The "Aug Incident" aka, what Hugh Darrow unleashed from Panchaea in Human Revolution resulted in the deaths of 50 million people around the world and hundreds of thousands injured, further contributing to the "Mechanical Apartheid."
Not In This For Your Revolution: At least initially, Adam's much more concerned with taking down the Illuminati than getting dragged into the simmering powder keg between augs and non-augs. Unable to save a child's mother from the smouldering ruins of the just-bombed station in Prague however makes matters more personal.
Nothing Is the Same Anymore/The Unmasqued World: For Adam, at least. And not just because of his augmentations either. As he's since become aware of the Illuminati's plans.
Just Before the End: Despite the "Mechanical Apartheid," the world has yet to slide into the malaise of the original Deus Ex. But it's made evident that it's heading there.
"Previously On...": The game includes a long, optional intro involving Adam recounting the events of Human Revolution.
Punch Clock Villain: Some of Adam Jensen's erstwhile co-workers in Task Force 29 seem to be this, being just professional lawmen just trying to do their duty and not in the loop on the Illuminati's plans.
- Some of the police in Prague are simply doing their jobs in upholding the "Mechanical Apartheid" policies, while others are just finding some excuse to either beat up some unwitting aug or shove said aug to Útulek Station.
Shout Out: The Dubai mission in the intro looks straight out of Spec Ops: The Line (complete with a massive sandstorm) and involves tracking down an ex-Belltower arms dealer named Shepherd.
Skippable Boss: Compared to Human Revolution, the game makes skipping boss fights, thus true "zero-death" Pacifist Runs entirely possible.
Strawman News Media: Picus News and Eliza Cassan from Human Revolution make a return.
Super Prototype: Adam Jensen, unwittingly. It's revealed that Sarif's high-grade augmentations hid a number of experimental upgrades that even Adam never guessed. Which also explains why he is even more powerful than in Human Revolution.
Swiss Army Appendage: Adam's augmented arms now have guns and various assorted devices integrated into them.
Talking the Monster to Death: The "social boss battles" make a return. This time however, it applies to every single "boss" in the game. Making it possible to completely avoid fights and battles altogether.
Technical Pacifist: In addition to building on Adam's pragmatic streak seen in Human Revolution, Mankind Divided is stated to make aggressive and visceral Pacifist Runs without stealth completely possible.
Took a Level In Badass: Jensen, who's shown to have gotten a few upgrades for his augmentations. Not to mention has gotten more in tune with his enhanced capabilities.
Transhuman Treachery: There are a number of augmented terrorists who seek to exact vengeance on non-augmented society.
Tranquil Fury: Adam's general demeanor leans towards this.
United Nations Is a Super Power: The UN is even more powerful than in Human Revolution such that proto-UNATCO bodies like Task Force 29 are being implemented.
Unusual Ammo: The game makes it possible to use various ammo types of weapons, from armor-piercing rounds to nonlethal alternate fire for Pacifist Runs.
Unwitting Pawn: Jensen is tired of being one.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Viktor Marchenko, in contrast to some of ARC's leadership, is willing to go to extreme, violent lengths to defend Aug rights.
What the Hell Hero: The ARC leader in the gameplay trailer would chastise Adam if he goes around killing the augs around Golem City.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: The leading figures of the Augmented Rights Coalition, an international NGO fighting for the fair treatment of augmented humans. Unfortunately, some of its members don't share the pacifistic and conciliatory sentiments formally endorsed by the ARC and end up resorting to terrorism.
Wide Open Sandbox: It's mentioned that Mankind Divided would be even more of this than its predecessor.
Wretched Hive:
- Útulek Station, aka Golem City, which is a massive, decrepit refuge for augmented humans on the outskirts of Prague that was originally meant to house the local Czech working classes prior to the events of 2027.
- Parts of Prague proper aren't much better, albeit as more "conventional" depressed and poor areas akin to Detroit.
You Are a Credit to Your Race: Being an aug himself, Jensen seems to get this treatment from his "peers" in general at Task Force 29; it's also implied that he's one of the only handful of (if not the only) aug in Task Force 29 to begin with. Especially given how he tends to be looked at with scorn by non-augmented people.