25 Years Ago, Deus Ex Revolutionized Choice in Video Games

Immersive is a word that you hear used to described video games almost too much these days, almost losing its meaning. But it’s also a word that’s been so important to the idea of how we interact with video games that there’s an entire genre based around it — the “immersive sim.” An incredibly hyper-specific genre, immersive sims have become some of the most beloved games of all times — from Dishonored and Deathloop to Prey. But all of those, and even video games in general, simply wouldn’t be the same without a single key title, Deus Ex. While it didn’t invent the immersive sim, Deus Ex helped define the idea of what that term even means, and simultaneously pushed forward how games create reactive, grounded worlds.

Originally released in on PC in 2000, Deus Ex comes from one of the most influential video game creators of all time, Warren Spector — the mind behind the likes of System Shock, Thief, and Ultima Underworld. And in a lot of way Deus Ex feels like the ultimate realization of how Spector changed games, truly defining player freedom and choice, on top of cohesive worlds that feel alive.

Even on top of all that, however, Deus Ex was one of the key titles for solidifying how the cyberpunk genre would look and feel in video games — and how the genre’s key themes of subterfuge and corporate power could be worked into an interactive experience.

Deus Ex takes place in the year 2052, in an expectedly dystopian future where conspiracy theories, like the Illuminati, are real. In this world dominated by corporations and secret society’s, you play as JC Denton — a nanotech-augmented member of the United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO). Denton’s role is brilliantly used to give players more of a stake in the narrative, as someone combatting the woes of the world, as well as a reason to load you up with a ton of different devices and weapons.

The twisty narrative of Deus Ex is fantastic, weaving compelling themes of autonomy and retaining your humanity through a cyberpunk world. But the story is often one of the less talked about elements of the game, simply because of how much of a leap its gameplay design was.

By modern standards this might sound like something routine you see in a lot of games, but the way Deus Ex allowed players to approach its objectives in nearly any way they wanted was nothing short of revolutionary. The simple explanation is of Deus Ex is that it’s a first-person shooter with stealth elements, but there’s so much complexity layered into that.

The main narrative vaguely guides you through the world and what to do, but each hub area is essentially one big black box experience that gives you a dozen options for how you can solve you objective. Each area is filled with missions that can be both tertiary and tie into the main narrative.

For example, if you need to get into a locked down base, you might just be able to talk to nearby NPCs who’ll give you hints on how to get in — vents to access or holes in fencing. Or you might even be able to use your silver tongue to convince someone to give you a keypad code. Alternatively, you could knock guards out with non-lethal weapons, sneak your way in, and get out without knowing. Or if you really want, just go guns blazing and mow down everyone.

What’s truly remarkable is how this level of freedom is layered into the entire game. It’s not like a couple missions where you can do what you want, it’s literally the entire experience. Deus Ex managed to perfectly straddle the line between giving the player just enough guidance that they don’t get lost, but real freedom in how they get there. That complexity is only heightened by the cybernetic augmentations you can give Denton, leading to benefits like increased move speed, cloaking, a combat shield, or even a spy drone.

In 2000, that level of freedom was absolutely unprecedented, and it’s become integral to the very definition of the immersive sim — games that are all about giving players a narrative-heavy sandbox to play around in.

While the immersive sim has become its own thing, that idea of complex worlds with dynamic player choice has become central to video games at large. Deus Ex was one of the first game to really define what “player agency” meant, and it’s something games have been obsessed with ever since. That alone makes Deus Ex one of the most influential games of all time, and that’s before you talk about everything else the game did.