The thing that has made the Square Enix Montreal "GO" series so appealing is that the games have been so subversive, as well as being fun puzzlers. Hitman GO [$4.99] was a particularly absurdist take on Hitman, what with all the stealth kills and assassinations taking place as figures on a game board knocking each other over. Something about distilling the game down to that feels particularly amusing. Lara Croft GO [$4.99] was a bit more in line with the brand, but still felt like a unique take on the series with a Monument Valley [$3.99] esque aesthetic and the lower-polygon-count look, along with the fantasy environments in play. It was still rather fun to play, though. The concern with Deus Ex GO [$4.99] was whether Square Enix Montreal could deliver more fun turn-based puzzling, but what I think we were missing was whether they could cleverly subvert the themes of the Deus Ex series, and that's really missing here.
See, instead of trying to provide some kind of clever setup, Deus Ex GO just is a straightforward story ? augmented Adam Jensen tracks down some kind of criminal conspiracy. I suppose the GO-style simplification comes down to making enemy behaviors simpler than in the game, with elements such as provocation that you have to use to your advantage. But thematically, while the entire game takes place in a simpler, digital-style environment, I wonder if that was a stylistic choice as much as it was a measure to cut costs. After all, this is the smalles...