Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s eagerly awaited DLC, The Missing Link, has been released, solving the inebriated confusion of what happened after Jensen staggered into the cryostasis pod in Heng Sha.
We discover that Jensen ended up on the wrong ship and was discovered by some form of the ship’s automated security system. Jensen incapacitates a number of soldiers before being brought down and strapped to an electromagnetically charged chair that resets his augmentations. Our interrogator informs us that the only way to remedy this dilemma is by visiting a LIMB clinic.
How this ties into the main game’s story where Jensen wakes up at the Omega Ranch in Singapore with all his augmentations, credits and experience fully restored with no LIMB clinic to be found remains a mystery.
Another matter of perplexity is the decision by Eidos Montreal to implement the DLC as some sort of separate game.
Imagine yourself playing Human Revolution, climbing into the cryo-pod and, upon arrival at Omega Ranch, saving, quitting and starting up the DLC for the sake of continuity.
This is, of course, assuming that you don’t just find yourself playing the DLC once to get a feel for the events that transpire and completely abandon it in all future playthroughs due to the lack of any reward or experience that would carry over to the main game.
It’s also difficult to understand Eidos Montreal’s motivation for implementing the DLC as a separate game.
Not only for the reasons mentioned above but also because anyone who had pre-ordered Human Revolution and received the Tong DLC can attest to how flawlessly separate missions can be integrated into the main story. It would no doubt have been a preferred option for new players and those wanting some continuity while, admittedly, requiring veterans to replay.
The Missing Link doesn’t feel like downloadable content. It has a compelling narrative, duplicitous characters, meaningful choices and the same solid content that made the main game such a persuasive purchase. In fact, it tends to seem as though fans have been cheated by its release as DLC.
It’s hard not to feel as though it should have been a part of the main release and never sold separately. Imagine an extreme form of this sales tactic being a release with little more than a beginning and an end with “optional content” between chapters to furnish the story.
Expansions, a continuation of events after or perhaps even delving into the events before the main game would be completely understandable. A fascinating DLC might even be regarding the origins of Patient X, but to take a chunk, however small, out of the main story and sell it back to fans later on as DLC? It’s difficult not to feel slightly affronted.
Nonetheless, The Missing Link contains an intriguing insight on the horrible dealings Belltower has been involved in, including spiriting people off the streets around the world and using them for experimentation. Jensen, fuelled by his desire to find Megan and the other scientists, trudges forward to uncover these secrets.
There was a moment of personal blazing fury in the last few minutes of the game when a proper, honest-to-goodness bit of Deus Ex conspiracy was finally brought up. Where Jensen at last appears to have the potential to eventually be more than just a corporate commando, where other parties reveal their interest in him and a fantastic, jaw-dropping cliffhanger nails you.
It finally shows off what a team who understands their game can pull off. The Missing Link resolves Human Revolution’s unbalanced boss fights by allowing players to take them on as best as their character build and manipulation of the elaborate level design allows, with the much desired option of non-lethal combat in all its glory. It’s only unfortunate that we are unlikely to ever find out what impact this decision might have and, as such, feels like a shallow appeasement.
Conversation animations unfortunately remain as stiff and unnatural as ever. A few minor bugs were noted such as the occasional body falling through the floor, alarming patrols below, and the odd complication dragging a body through a doorway.
Frequent, annoying repetition of the loud-speaker announcements at the beginning of the game will eventually get your blood boiling. The docking computer of the ship had probably mentioned that it had been preparing to dock and engaging full reverse thrusters a hundred times, evoking images of someone who just can’t get that darned parallel parking right.
This is noticed again later on when confronting a boss who repeats the same big brother profundities to the point of expletive exhaustion.
The Missing Link provides fans of Human Revolution with approximately six hours of gameplay and enough achievements to entice a couple more playthroughs. It’s a solid DLC with a fantastic narrative, an ending that leaves you pining for more and a price-tag that you can’t go too wrong with.
However, the implementation, a few narrative inconsistencies and the fact that it has no influence on your main playthrough remains sorely disappointing.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution review
Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Missing Link DLC review << Comments and views
