Deus Ex: Human Revolution – The Missing Link

Did You Know?

• The Missing Link was first announced at Gamescom 2010 as an extension to the main narrative.
• The DLC was included in Feral Interactive's OS X port released on April 26, 2012.

Gameplay

The Missing Link is played from a first-person perspective, combining action role-playing and stealth elements. Players can navigate environments using combat with guns or stealth to remain undetected. Security devices such as lasers and cameras can be negated by hacking terminals or recovering key codes from datapads. Enemies can be defeated with lethal or non-lethal takedowns. At the start, protagonist Adam Jensen is stripped of his equipment and augmentations, forcing him to find them again. His augmentations are upgraded using collectable Praxis Points, and the augmentation set is separate from the main game, allowing alternate character customization.

Plot

The Missing Link takes place during the events of Human Revolution. After staging an explosion in the docks of Hengsha, Adam Jensen smuggles himself on board a ship inside a cryosleep pod. He is discovered and captured by Belltower commanders Pieter Burke and Netanya Keitner, who torture him for information. The EMP chair holding him captive mysteriously deactivates, and an unknown hacker helps him retrieve his equipment. The ship docks at Rifleman Bank Station, a Belltower supply hub. Adam learns that Keitner freed him; disillusioned with Belltower's unethical operations, she wants proof of illegal research to deliver to Interpol. She directs him to obtain weaponry from technician Garvin Quinn. Infiltrating the station's secure wing, Adam finds a detention camp with hundreds of detainees. After speaking with prisoner Nina Sullivan and overhearing a conversation between Burke and scientists Gary Savage and Tiffany Kavanagh, he confirms that innocents are kidnapped for Illuminati research, with most subjects dying. Using Burke's retinal prosthesis and Quinn's expertise, Adam accesses a concealed elevator to an undersea research facility. He confronts Kavanagh, who agrees to turn informant. Burke discovers Keitner's mutiny and has her killed. He then initiates Code Yellow, pumping toxic gas into the camp and facility. Adam can redirect the gas to save either Kavanagh or the prisoners, sabotage the gas distributor to save everyone, or do nothing and let both parties die.

Development

The Missing Link was not part of the original plan for Human Revolution. Development started later, after the main game’s visual style was locked. Only the core team worked on it, and it was not a high priority at first to avoid pulling resources from the main game. Jean-François Dugas returned as director, David Anfossi as producer, and Jonathan Jacques-Belletête as art director. Antoine Thisdale was the main designer. Mary DeMarle returned as lead writer, with James Swallow contributing. Michael McCann composed additional music; he wanted to include it in the official soundtrack, but recording was finished and scheduling conflicts stopped him. Full attention moved to the DLC once Human Revolution was complete, and the main game’s staff used their experience to build its environments. The story was made self-contained so it would not spoil the main plot, but would add context to the world. The title refers both to filling a narrative gap and to an in-game element. The DLC is accessible from the main menu, separate from the player’s progress in the main game, because technical issues made a smooth transition at its chronological point impossible—the higher detail and polish would have felt jarring.

Reception

The Missing Link was generally well-received by critics. Destructoid's Maurice Tan liked the story, though he felt it did not enhance the main game and that its major choices had little effect. Eurogamer's Simon Parkin saw no compelling narrative hook, viewing the content as a way to fill a gap in the original plot. GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd praised the story for its emotional weight and strong voice acting. Official Xbox Magazine's Edwin Evans-Thirlwell thought the plot was weakened by the villain and some weak dialogue. PC Gamer's Tom Francis, while offering little overall story commentary, noted a strong ending. Tan approved of the mix of gameplay styles from the main game, despite some backtracking. VanOrd shared a positive view of the gameplay, liked the final boss fight, but found the experience slowed by too much backtracking. Parkin observed that the confined spaces made the limited choices feel restrictive rather than freeing. IGN's Keza MacDonald liked the gameplay variety and improved boss mechanics, but criticized the backtracking. Evans-Thirlwell enjoyed rebuilding Adam's augmentations and the many gameplay options. Francis echoed praise for the boss fight, though he found the game more linear than the main title.