Square EnixDues Ex: The Fall tries, and in many ways succeeds, to bring a first-person shooter to the iPad.
LOVED IT: Captures feel of series, some of the best visuals on a tablet, solid story
HATED IT: Awful combat controls, some compromises, no new content
GRAB IT IF: You want a few more hours of Deus Ex
The gold-tinged world of Deus Ex has returned, this time on a smaller screen. Whether it's on the correct smaller screen, however, is a question that's up for debate.
With Deus Ex: The Fall, Square Enix tries to what once seemed impossible, translating a deep RPG/first-person shooter hybrid experience from major consoles onto the iPad. It was two years ago that Eidos Montreal gave us the major-console Deus Ex: Human Revolution, thrusting gamers into the shoes of Alex Jensen in a futuristic, steampunk world.
It was a first-person shooter that was all about choices. Gamers could kill their enemies, or sneak past them, use the front door or the secret sewer access, tell the world the truth, or tell a lie. It all came together in flawed but magical experience.
The Fall aims to replicate that same experience on a tablet, and by and large, Eidos Montreal succeeds. You'll wrestle with the flaws, though, and they just may make you wonder why this game isn't on Sony's underutilized PS Vita.
The Fall chronicles the story of Ben Saxon, and it does so in a way that feels distinctly Deus Ex. Eliza Cassan will do the news reports, just as she did in Human Revolution, and you'll pick up E-books and pocket secretaries along the way. There's rarely one way to navigate an area; where there's a door, there's also a tunnel nearby.There are plenty of twists and turns and double-crossings in the five-hour tale, and Saxon gets up close and personal with several of Jensen's old foes.
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In some respects, The Fall actually plays more naturally than Human Revolution. It just makes sense to enter a door passcode by typing it onto the touchscreen, and it feels natural to flip through an E-book. The entire game looks brilliant, too.
And yet, it's not completely perfect. The Fall relies on your typical virtual dual thumbsticks for moving and looking, along with a swift double-tap mechanic to run to any spot you want. But the method simply lacks the precision necessary in firefights, preventing skirmishes from feeling as satisfying as they did in Human Revolution. At times, you'll "choose" the stealth method simply to save yourself the trouble of the inconsistent gunplay.
The Fall also subtly adjusts several portions of the Deus Ex template, mostly due to iPad limitations. Bodies now disappear after a few seconds after you've neutralized them, robbing you of truly having to make a decision whether to kill or simply knock unconscious. Weapons, meanwhile, are purchased instantly instead of scavenged, another subtle difference.
Such compromises take away just a bit of the immersive feel of the original game. And you have to wonder, at least a little bit, if they are compromises that would have had to be made on another portable machine; namely, the Vita.
You could see The Fall easily being a rousing success of a downloadable title, with Saxon moving easily in classic two-thumbstick fashion, and the touchscreen greatly enhancing hacking and e-books and other things. It would have been a great Vita title, instead of a slightly above-average iPad game.
It's a shame, too, because this is the second time this year that the Vita's been stiffed. Firaxis Games' XCOM: Enemy Unknown also made the jump from major consoles to the iPad, with the Vita getting little love.
XCOM, however, always seemed a natural fit on the iPad, where Deus Ex: The Fall feels just the slightest bit forced. You can't blame Square Enix, though, because they wanted to bring their gold-tinged, full-of-choices world to the masses.
And these days, that means bringing your game to the iPad - not a traditional portable gaming console.
Reviewed on new iPad and iPad Mini
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