So while this is definitely the worst entry in the Deus Ex series in just about every way possible, bear with me on this because I actually feel like I would recommend this game, but only to some people.

First, before anything else, lets set out the context of this game's development:
After the success of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Square Enix wanted to expand the series into a large multimedia property, which ended up not really succeeding as we know now. During this time they would also try to expand into the emerging mobile game space and we would see Deus Ex: The Fall released in 2013 as an iOS exclusive primarily designed with tablet touch-screen interfaces in mind, eventually getting ported to Android and then PC. This game was to be the first chapter of a much larger story, one that we will probably never see as the game was not particularly successful and Square Enix likely decided to just cut off development and milk it with a few quick ports to other platforms.

Now as far as FPS games designed for iPads in 2013 goes, it's very surprising how well it's designed and how it plays, and no I'm not being sarcastic. Unfortunately not much care or effort was put into the PC port and it's about as bare-bones as they come, not very stable, and no graphical improvements to take advantage of non-mobile hardware, so yeah on PC it looks and more or less feels like playing an iPad game from 2013, which isn't great.

So, why would I recommend it?
Well I think only those who are particularly interested in the Deus Ex universe might still get something from it as I did. Ben Saxon is a pretty okay main character, one of the few characters with half-decent voice acting and is pretty like-able. The game features familiar faces such as the Tyrants, Janus, and Alex Vega, and is consistent with their lore in the other games. I would also say overall the story presented in this game is actually somewhat interesting and I would have liked to see where it went had they made more. Luckily if you want more Ben Saxon and Anna Kelso action they do have a novel titled Deus Ex: Icarus Effect which serves as a prequel to both The Fall and Human Revolution.
Aside from story and characters the game does actually play like a Deus Ex game, a tiny bite-sized Deus Ex game. As simplified as it is, it still kind-of works and I still found the gameplay somewhat enjoyable, certainly more than I thought I would.

So overall, considering the fact that you can get this game for like $1-2, I think I can justify saying that if you are very into the Deus Ex universe and don't mind playing a clunky mobile port, this game is really not too bad and I would recommend it.

Alright, bear with me now, because I'm about to ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ recommend Deus Ex: The Fall. Buckle up.

Now, first things first. This game is $9.99. Do not pay $9.99. If it's 75% or more off, I totally recommend purchasing, and I'm going to really struggle to articulate exactly how I feel about this game, but here we go.

This is a port of a mobile game. It was not developed for PC in mind. That is a shame, and I really do wish they would've considered that route instead, but this is the route Eidos took, so we just have to keep that in mind. It's graphics are shoddy, physics are missing, models look bland, levels are downscaled, and certain gameplay mechanics are missing entirely.

However... I had fun. I honestly did. The basic gameplay of stealthily manuevering throughout the shadows and picking off troops one by one is still there, and is still as fun as it was in Human Revolution. The level design is still well done, even if it is small, and features multiple paths to reach your objectives, just as Human Revolution did. The voice acting is very well done, with the exception of the tutorial lady, who should really be put on suicide watch. The story is incredibly well done, with the fantastic writing of Human Revolution manifesting itself in The Fall through dialogue, pocket secretaries, and emails. There are some sidequests that present some variety in options. There are interesting characters.

Of course, things have also been simplified, and probably not to its advantage. Multiple saves don't exist, which wasn't really a problem for me, but I can see that unnerving certain people. The inventory system allows infinite of anything, and items are actually purchased through a tab rather than an individual. It's convenient, but rather odd and unusual.

So to conclude, yes, I do actually recommend Deus Ex: The Fall. There is love in this game that is evident, and I hate to see their effort wasted under a plethora of hatred and backlash. If you loved Deus Ex and Deius Ex: Human Revolution just as much as I did, you'll enjoy this adventure as well. Hell, I did everything you could possibly do in the game and managed to clock in at 8 hours, which isn't too shabby.

Regardless of the final product on PC, I’m happy Deus Ex: The Fall found it’s way onto Steam in the first place; there are so many tie-in games released in the late 2000s/early 2010s from series such as Mass Effect and Dead Space that are just lost to time, as support for mobile operating systems is incredibly short.

The Fall is a side-story taking place during Human Revolution, and also serves as a sequel to the novel Icarus Effect, which I recently finished reading. I had no idea that this game featured the same characters, and as a result, I was kind of excited, as I wanted to see some kind of conclusion to the story of Anna Kelso and Ben Saxon. But despite going into this game with extremely low expectations, the first hour left a really sour taste in my mouth. The opening two levels reenact two sections from the book; albeit with less action and hilariously awful voice acting and dialogue from enemies. While the Icarus Effect novel is pretty standard fare as far as video game tie-in novels go, there was enough to setup some kind of excitement during these chapters, which the game fails to do.

On top of that, it becomes quickly apparent that this port was developed with a minimum amount of effort. The UI is hardly changed from the mobile version, buttons are unresponsive, there is only one save slot, and even though microtransactions are disabled, the equipment/weapons shop is a depressing reminder of the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ design found in mobile gaming.

But you know what? Damn if the game doesn’t open up after you get past the dreadful prologue missions. Sure, graphically it’s not the prettiest thing, but the developers did a fantastic job of scaling a game like Deus Ex: Human Revolution into a mobile format, (especially impressive given how much weaker mobile devices were in 2013). After an hour or so of running around Panama City, I forgot I was playing what was once a mobile game. There are many hidden places to explore, alternate paths to take, codex entries to read, and combat encounters that can be approached with proper stealth or with a myriad of weapons.

As I was playing, I realized I slowly got sucked into the game as I did with Human Revolution. I tried hacking everything I could, interacted with NPCs and reloaded some of my saves to see different outcomes of some sidequests. The main story itself is pretty good, taking place during a global shortage of Neuropozyne; the drug that all augmented people need to take in order to function. A competing drug enters the market and trouble ensues. The worst part is that the game ends shortly after an unexpected twist (which is a pretty good one too, especially for players who read the Icarus Effect novel). There was more content planned (as was discovered in the game files) but no sequel has ever come to fruition. It’s sad, and another example of the poor mismanagement the franchise has had since it’s reintroduction.

As long as you keep in mind that this was a mobile game released in 2013, and and not a full Deus Ex experience, it’s not bad at all. Of course, I would have preferred if this was a proper standalone experience, developed for PC and consoles, but it is what it is. And despite my negative feelings towards the voice acting (and horrid character model), I wish that Anna had a bigger role to play; as one of the main characters in Icarus Effect, it sucks to see her take a backseat during the game. Switching between her and Saxon would have been cool and potentially offered the chance to showcase different abilities.

Taking into account the constraints of its initial target platform, as well as the downsides of this PC release, it’s a 5.6/10 for me. I do recommend it if you’re a Deus Ex fan and you want more content; just grab it on a deep discount.

You know what this one is as I do too: An underdeveloped, clunky port of a previously mobile/tablet exclusive Deus Ex title Square churned out during the boom of mobile gaming originally back in 2011 I believe, and just in case you weren't aware of it before you sure are now! Yeah, not very life changing and doesn't make you feel anything. And talking about feelings, I had almost none throughout my playthrough... Well, maybe other than disappointment and slight frustration, perhaps with a dash of melancholia at the end. However it's not all doom and gloom believe it or not as the positive thumbs up indicates, and I'll get to that eventually.

Just to summarize, there is almost nothing to write home about with this game. Graphics are almost untouched from the original mobile version, control scheme and menu controls really feel like there weren't any work put into them and are really clunky hence as much as hard to get used to, overall difficulty is p*ss poor easy even considering the fact that enemies act like a hivemind-aimbot mutation and can get annoying if you like to play Deus Ex games primarily in stealth, however much it may seem like there were some thinking put behind certain level design aspects, probably due to the limitations at the time and of the platform, the game feels far away from the fully intended and realized version developers most likely had on their minds on that front and finally there are two big offenders for me with the game; it feels painfully "flat" (so I guess an issue regarding FOV, I'm not knowledgable enough to be sure) and the "object scaling" feels off (again I'm not sure if it is the correct term).

First issue as far as I can guess can be a result of the game translating poorly to a monitor since the intended way to play this, was with a mobile device held closely to your face and the second one can't be really much different as I can kinda see the game feeling and looking decent, again, running on the intended devices. Nevertheless it took a hot, hot "minute" for me get used to it, it felt really claustrophobia inducing and wonky at the start. If I have to describe it, the whole game feels like it is in "4:3" whilst trying to avoid it at it's core, because y'know, it is supposed to be a PC port.

So why is my review positive? Well, because if you buy and play it whilst FULLY knowing all of it's faults, you can still enjoy it despite all the things I mentioned up above. And that is chiefly because the profound world created by Eidos starting from the first ever Deus Ex game, the same world that was expertly refined with the further installments (not counting Invisible War) somehow manages to shine through even in this sorry excuse of a Deus Ex game. Soundtrack is superb, art direction is done well for the game's caliber and the same can be said about the writing and finally despite how most of the missions and side missions feel repetetive and bare-bones there are some that felt at the very least enjoyable and satisfying.

Don't get me wrong though, as there are problems with specific core design elements within the game. God forbid if you decide to leave the linear narrative route because many missions can almost be meaningless, especially the ones that involve you going back to the areas you've already had cleared, you might mistake the game being a walking sim of some kind. Stability is also non-existent as there are some consistent bugs all around such as some sound effects seeminlgy taking a break here and there ruining the immersion in an "immersive sim" (also, trust me and never try to pick up a pocket secretary whilst hidden behind a cover or you'll fall off from the face of the earth I tell ya, happened to me twice!). Maybe you can at least like the characters or the overall story but nope, as none of them are interesting or voiced well enough for you to take seriously and the said story is cut short AND with a cliffhanger no less, robbing you out of the ounce of satisfaction you might've earned from at least being done with this hot steaming mess.

So at the end of the day, don't take this as a recommendation but maybe just as a faint "Check this out if you are not more, but at least as much desperate as I am to experience a new Deus Ex game as Square destroyed any and all hopes of a conclusion for this possible trilogy and I really hope Absorber- I mean, Embracer Group lets Eidos finish it and maybe even remake this one as well to make it reach it's true potential in the near future." akin to the way I cry into the night, many nights, just after I put my head onto the pillow. Just beware and not blindly buy if it is not significantly discounted and/or as a part of a bundle. Thanks for reading.

If you want to play this game, YOU MUST play it BEFORE Human Revolution. That way, you can enjoy both this game and Human Revolution. You cannot fully enjoy this game the other way around.

Only buy this game when it's on a season sale, if you pay more than minimum price for it, you will feel bad because the promised "DLC expansions" were never completed, resulting in a very short game. It still serves as a good intro for Human Revolution, and is an enjoyable game while it lasts. You should buy Human Revolution at the same time, during the season sale, so you can get minimum price for both. This game will end very quickly, and you will want to play Human Revolution immediately or soon after it.

Despite being a PC port of the mobile game, it is a huge visual upgrade and much more modern compared to the first two Deus Ex games (even with Revision/Visible Upgrade mods), and this is a good stepping stone between Invisible War and Human Revolution. Play it with low expectations and you'll see that it's actually a good and enjoyable (although short) game, if you like Deus Ex and want to maximize your enjoyment from the complete series.

The proper play order of the Deus Ex series is as follows, no matter what you read elsewhere:

1.) Deus Ex: GOTY (play the Deus Ex: Revision version which is free on Steam if you have GOTY)
2.) Deus Ex: Invisible War (with Visible Upgrade unofficial patch for Deus Ex 2)
3.) Deus Ex: The Fall (with mods/addons from ModDB: DeusEx TF-Enhanced_Settings-v1.0, Reshade_with_SweetFX_for_DeusEx_TheFall, Cut Weapons; I also edited PlayerPrefs.txt so that PurchasedExpBoost and PurchasedCreditBoost options are set to true, so that there is a 50% boost to Exp and Credits when obtained, since the game ends too quickly this is necessary to obtain and enjoy the Augmentations, Weapons and Items, the progression pacing is fine with this boost)
4.) Deus Ex: Human Revolution (with mods from NexusMods: Faithful Inventory mod + Inventory Mod for DXHR Director's Cut; ReShade or ENB mods are optional -- you can only choose one or the other, the Rudy ENB mod looks best)
5.) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

I am playing this entire series little by little over many years since Deus Ex: Revision was added to Steam (I think around 2015). I am not re-playing any of them, I'm just exploring and enjoying each of these games to the fullest, slowly. Despite the mixed reviews for Invisible War and The Fall, they were both fine installments in the series which I enjoyed. I finished the Fall in about 13 hours, and I tend to explore everything, so be aware that the game ends abruptly. No reason to be upset, because this game's best role is as a short intro / side story to Human Revolution.

Enjoy.

Deus Ex: The Fall should be taken for what it is. A mobile entry into the Deus Ex Universe. Admittedly, I'm a fan of the universe and getting another chance to play in this world, is something I am always looking forward to. So there may be some bias.

One thing that must first be noted, is that this game is a direct port from Mobile. If you look at what the game offers from a mobile perspective, it's pretty amazing. I wouldn't actually want to play it on mobile, as I can't imagine pulling off some of the stuff I do with just gestures, but hey, more power to those who want to.

As a direct port, this game did not have graphical update, the controls can be unresponsive, and the options are limited.

Graphics: for a mobile game this is excellent. As a PC port though, the graphics are okay. They aren't amazing, but they aren't completely terrible. I tried to remember where it was coming from. There are some glitches from time to time when you're climbing ladders, or performing takedowns where you will see through the scenery, which can be a little confusing the first time it happens. Yes, it will likely happen.... and more than once.

Sound: For a game that comes from mobile, the Sounds aren't bad at all. In fact, I was typically content with the music and the voice acting. It wasn't horrible, though one of the characters is a little over the top, but aren't villains always portrayed that way?

Story: The story is rather interesting, to me at least. I liked the characters, although some of the missions seem rather structured for a Deus Ex game. Unforutnately, as the story is short, the characters don't really get all the attention they deserve. If the game had more support, we likely would have seen more with further chapters and installments in the series. Unfortunately, it's unlikely this will occur, so you get what you get and until it's decided what to do with this particular piece of IP, we likely won't see anything more for awhile.

Controls: This is where the game really shows it's mobile origins. The developers could have spent a little time smoothing out the controls for PC but unfortunately this didn't occur. Sometimes when trying to accomplish certain tasks the game will get confused as to what you're trying to do and won't allow it. I.e. if you're taking cover and you press in a direction at a corner, the game won't allow you to move out of cover, because it will only accept you taking cover again. Another major issue is when you are trying to vault over small obstacles, sometimes you will be able to walk over to them and do this instantly, and others the game will not allow it unless you are taking cover and then you can repeatedly hit spacebar to vault over the object. It can be very frustrating. Another major issue is when you are trying to interact with certain objects you cannot because the hitbox for lack of a better term of other NPCs are in the way. You can clearly see the object, you are clearly pointing at it, but the game has decided that the object next to it takes priority even though that is not the option available when you press the E button to interact. This can be highly frustrating from time to time, but fortuntely doesn't occur as often as it could. There is still one computer I couldn't hack, because the receptionist was in the way, and when I decided I was angry and shot her in the head, I discovered she had invisible bio-organic titanium shielding protecting her that seemed to have infinite regenerative properties and no matter how much I made it bleed, it wouldn't allow me to destroy it and then kill her :P

Overall: 5/10 - If you're a Deus Ex fan, go in with low expectations and you can still enjoy it. However, if you expect excellence, you will be disappointed. Take the game for what it is worth but NEVER buy it at full price. It's not polished enough for that, and it was much cheaper originally even on Android and Apple stores. I would recommend getting it for maybe $2 if you can and then in my opinion it's worth it. Base pricing of $10 is ridiculous and should never be considered.

Honestly this is one of the few games where I wish I could choose a Neutral instead of Yes or No. But because I enjoy the universe and with the above caveats, I will still give it a thumbs up... so long as you remember, it's not gonna be great, and you don't spend much on it.

The Fall is not as bad as most reviews imply, but with its greatly simplified mechanics, small map, and half-finished story, it falls short as a Deus Ex game. At least it is cheap and has a few enjoyable missions.

Deus Ex is like Zelda: the first game only received one sequel, and every subsequent entry builds backwards in time: The Fall is the prequel of Human Revolution, which in turn was the prequel of Deus Ex 1.

While technically this game is supposed to be a direct sequel to the first and only Deus Ex novel, Icarus Effect, it does a mighty poor job at that, because it only references events without any real context or background. We play as two agents on the run from one of the main antagonists of Human Revolution, Belltower PMC, but their tale just hangs in the air both in the beginning and at the conclusion: the game ends in a ‘to be continued’ screen, but Square Enix long ago abandoned all plans to make any sequel after this game flopped.

Since The Fall was originally an iOS title, naturally a lot of sacrifices were made in game mechanics: there is only one city now – Panama, which feels like a bad attempt to merge the Detroit and Hengsha maps of Human Revolution – with a set of small missions and no role-playing whatsoever. The infinite inventory space, omnipresent shopping menu, lack of jumping, and the automatic vanishing of downed bodies all push the player towards a more aggressive play style opposed to the focus on stealth in other Deus Ex games.

Still, frankly, I wouldn’t say The Fall is a bad game, because it is enjoyable as an almost indie quality (and indie price range). It’s just if you expect it to measure up to the Deus Ex name… then it cannot deliver.

Not as bad as people say. Not worth its money, on the other hand.

The Fall is the simplified byproduct piece of Deus Ex Human Revolution - not complex, not clever, not accurate with details. And not so required to see as a part of full picture, even if you're a big fan of reincarnated franchise.
The game is using mostly the same mechanic as the big one - only dumbed down, without ability to jump, with crude controls and levels designed for mobile platform - which is, obviously, means smaller size and far-from-the-edge graphics. Some are comparing it with N64, but that is an exaggeration. Still, nothing too fancy.

The narrative, which I liked for some point, felt more pure cyberpunk, than in Human Revolution case. Sadly, that feeling was not lasted for long, as the "professional" merc Ben Saxon started to act even more unnatural than Adam Jensen in his quest, with all those morality checks and sudden bursts of unpredicted generosity, which is so inproper in the merc's praxis...

Why thumbs up, then? As of little product, which is now sells in bundle either with Deus Ex titles, or with all Eidos anthology - even with all simplicity and the feeling of unfinished product the Fall is providing - still the gameplay is not completely broken. It feels like separate level of Deus Ex HR, which was cutted off as improper, and then sold as separate game - yes, that's true. But, it is still a piece of the great game. Just one of the worst pieces.

My mark is 5.8/10. I recommend to start it only for achievement hunters - as this one is so simple for full complete - or for people who played in Human Revolution for too long, but still not enough for satisfaction. Maybe "The Fall" will work as a sobering pill - if Mankind Divided was not chilled you out yet.

Deus Ex: The Fall gets more ♥♥♥♥ than it deserves. You do have to keep in mind that it is in fact a mobile port. However, all the good parts of Deus Ex, the sneaking, the takedowns, the hacking, the story, and the universe are all still here. The shooting isn't great. In its finest moments, it can be described as functional. Furthermore, I've long held the opinion that, if you're shooting people in a stealth game, you're probably doing something wrong.

The game follows Ben Saxon, a sort of rogue element of the tyrants. It also largely focuses on Riezene shipments. A new drug being introduced in an attempt to undercut and replace Neuropozyne (the drug required for augmented people to stave off rejection of said augments.) This is also the sequel to the Icarus Effect novel that follows that same characters to include Anna Kelso.

The events of The Fall and Human Revolution both take place in the year 2027, relatively simultaneously. If you're unaware of what Human Revolution is, I'll link my review of that here.

There are a few differences to the gameplay of Human Revolution as it is basically a “lite” version of it:

• The Praxis kit tech tree is slightly different, things don't cost as much for one.
  
  
• You cannot jump. You can however vault over cover.
  
  
• There is no “physical” inventory. You essentially have infinite space. You can also buy guns, ammo, items, praxis kits from the store inside your “mind”. I called it the Drebin store.
  
  
• Items and abilities are put into a shortcut menu, as are grenades.
  
  
• The AI is a bit more daft, but also way more sensitive regarding other things, so it's fun to see how to manipulate it differently.
  
  
• Saxon also has the ability “Shadow Kill” from Dishonored that makes the bodies disappear. Okay fine.. the bodies disappear because phones have basically nothing for RAM and the devs aren't going to waste what precious RAM they do have on remembering where dead bodies are.
  
  
• There are no physics either. Moving large boxes simply slides them out of the way to provide access to a vent or so on. It also does not allow for bodies to be dragged, so the removal of guards can be planned on timed attacks so as to anticipate its disintegration.

Now, I can't be sure as I did not play the mobile version but in the steam version, the ability to purchase in game credits with real life money is not present. However, due to that mechanic being in Mankind Divided.. I'd have a hard time believing it's not in the mobile version. As for being able to buy praxis kits on the fly with in-game credits found or earned. I have no moral quarrels with this as you can buy them from LIMB clinics anyways. As far as buying more in-game credits with real life money, well. Vote with your dollar or lack thereof.

The ending is a bit abrupt. And I doubt this will get another game, mobile or otherwise given the negative feedback this has gotten. Undeservedly I'd say.

THE GIST
The Fall is an enjoyable but slightly clunky side story in the Deus Ex universe. Don't expect the greatest thing ever but, I think it's pretty decent given its mobile origin. I'd still wait for a sale, though.

More here — Station Argus

This is a phone game.

When you understand that it's a phone game, it's actually quite great.

I've seen a bit of glitchiness here and there, but nothing I wouldn't expect from a phone game.

So yeah, if you want a Deus Ex flavored snack, and you can wrap your brain around the fact that this is a phone game, go ahead and snag this.

But on sale, probably, because it's a phone game.