Deus Ex

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Lore & Background

Deus Ex is set in 2052, in a dystopian cyberpunk future beset by terrorist acts, economic inequality, and a plague dubbed the Gray Death. The player character, the cybernetically enhanced JC Denton, is an anti-terrorism agent who is deployed when a terrorist group interrupts supplies of a rare Gray Death vaccine. Investigating the incident, Denton ends up involved in a struggle between multiple factions for control of the world. The story is inspired by popular conspiracy theory motifs, incorporating groups including the Illuminati and Majestic 12. The game takes place across multiple locations including multiple parts of the United States (New York City, California, Nevada), Hong Kong, and Paris. A recurring location is Liberty Island, which houses an operating base for the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO). UNATCO's main conflict is with the National Secessionist Force (NSF), a terrorist group targeting Ambrosia shipments. Another feature of the world is 'augmentations', artificial enhancements using mechanics and nanotechnology.

In Their Own Story

JC Denton is brought straight from training when the NSF attack Liberty Island. While he defeats them, a shipment of Ambrosia is stolen and taken to New York. JC takes on multiple missions tracking the NSF and the Ambrosia shipment, eventually finding out that Paul has defected to the NSF, acting as a mole within UNATCO after learning the Gray Death was a man-made disease used for power and population control. As punishment for his defection, Simons takes control and activates a kill switch, giving Paul just 24 hours left alive. Ordered by Manderley to eliminate Tracer Tong in Hong Kong, JC instead finds Paul's hideout in New York, learning more details about UNATCO's operations but prompting his employers to attack him. JC's kill switch is also activated, and Paul can either escape or be killed by Simons' agents. JC is taken to a Majestic 12 prison beneath UNATCO, but escapes with help from 'Daedalus', initially assumed to be a hacker. JC travels to Hong Kong and finds Tong, getting help removing the kill switch in exchange for resolving a war between the Triads. Tong identifies the virus as created by VersaLife, Page's company and a former Illuminati asset. Destroying the universal constructor creating the virus and stealing the Ambrosia plans, JC is then sent by Tong to the Illuminati's remaining base in Paris. JC finds Morgan Everett, who explains the Gray Death was intended as an aid to augmentation, but was stolen and repurposed by Page and Simons.

Reader's Guide

Deus Ex was created by Warren Spector, who acted as director and producer, and put together a design concept during the early 1990s under the title 'Troubleshooter'. After being approached by Ion Storm about creating a project with complete creative freedom, Spector began pre-production in 1997. Staff included lead designer Harvey Smith, lead writer Sheldon Pacotti, and lead composer Alexander Brandon. The game was built using the Unreal Engine, which led to issues with coding and non-playable character behavior. Due to technical and time limitations, some planned features and areas had to be downscaled or cut entirely. Upon release, Deus Ex was a commercial success, selling one million copies worldwide. It saw critical acclaim from game journalists for its design and freedom of player choice. Its graphics saw more mixed reactions, and the voice acting was faulted. The PlayStation 2 port saw mixed reactions, but many praised its adaptation of the game's mechanics to console. It won multiple gaming awards, has been ranked among the best video games of all time, and fostered an active fan community. It has also been cited as a prominent example of the 'immersive sim' genre. Deus Ex was expanded into a series of the same name, with a sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, releasing in 2003.

Did You Know?

• A post-release patch added deathmatch-style multiplayer, with servers shutting down in April 2014.
• The game was originally conceived under the title 'Troubleshooter' by Warren Spector in the early 1990s.
• Deus Ex sold one million copies worldwide upon release.
• The Gray Death plague was intended by the Illuminati as an aid to augmentation, but was stolen and repurposed by Bob Page and Walton Simons.
• The game's story is inspired by popular conspiracy theory motifs, incorporating groups including the Illuminati and Majestic 12.