Deus Ex: The Missing Link DLC Impressions

All eyes are rightfully on the man-bat today, but attention should also be paid to Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s first DLC offering, The Missing Link. Given the name, I suspected that Adam Jensen would stumble upon a talking chimpanzee that could hack computers – or better yet, run across Brendan Fraser in a surprising Encino Man tie-in. The Missing Link instead reveals a missing plot thread from Human Revolution where Jensen went missing for three days.

Playing this DLC, you learn that in this time, he was tortured, stripped of his augmentations, and left shirtless in a chair (which seems like an odd thing for a villain to do, but whatever, he looks good shirtless). It doesn’t take long for half-naked Jensen to free himself and explore the compound he’s held prisoner in. This story setup immediately hooked me and made me want to know who was behind this mess and how a weakened Jensen would be able to get out of it.

Within the first few minutes of his escape, Jensen learns that he is on a barge, far out at sea, cutting through the heart of a storm. The sea’s unrest is displayed beautifully through large, rolling waves and an ominous blackness surrounding them. The vessel’s tight-quartered halls and abundance of guards roaming them heighten the sense of dread, especially since Jensen is empty handed from the outset.

This section of the game is amazing, yet it doesn’t last long, eventually giving way to a large base. This environment is ripe for exploration and allows players to approach combat situations the way they want, but the missions within it produce a lot of backtracking through lengthy decontamination/loading sequences.

The only new hazards thrown at Jensen are spinning turrets with laser trip lines. These terrifying creations are defensive systems placed in hallways. Perfect timing in movement is required to get past them. I don’t necessarily understand why someone would create something like this, but I enjoyed the Tomb Raider-like challenge they added to the experience. On top of this, Jensen has his hands full with snipers, guards with invisibility cloaks, and mechs. Most of the combat encounters are fairly easy to get through, but they all seem to lend themselves to stealth or guns blazin’ strategies.

As annoying as it was to level up Jensen again and figure out how I wanted to shape his abilities for this brief adventure, I was impressed with The Missing Link’s story and lose/lose decision it concludes with. It offers the same great production values as the main quest, and the new environments are just as striking and lavishly detailed. The $15 price point (1,200 MS Points for Xbox 360) is a bit steep given its brevity, but its top moments rank right up there with the best that Human Revolution has to offer. Also, it’s entirely boss free.