Aspyr unveiled Deus Ex Remastered at this week’s State of Play, debuting a new teaser trailer showcasing how the 25-year-old masterpiece has been updated with character models, better lip-sync animations, and ragdoll physics.
However, while some fans were initially delighted to see the classic game getting a facelift, which includes reimagined lighting, dynamic shadows, water physics, particle effects, and new textures, the refreshed visuals aren’t impressing everyone.
One commenter on the YouTube trailer quipped, “Upgraded visuals from 2000 to 2005.” Another quickly added, “There are FREE mods available right now that make the original game look better than this, while being more faithful.”
Feedback continued on social media, with one user lamenting, “The amount I wanted this until I saw screenshots… oh my god that is rough. Loses the charm of the original but also still looks bad and dated.” Another sarcastically remarked, “Just what I’ve always wanted… the original Deus Ex but weirder looking.”
Many fans criticized the “blocky” visuals, describing them as “not cohesive and unfinished.” Indeed, positive visual feedback was scarce, with one pragmatic player simply stating, “I don’t care how it looks, I’m hyped.”
Further detailed criticism emerged, with one fan observing, “Visually it looks really bad. The extremely simplistic, blocky level design clashes with high(er) quality textures and models like a ‘realistic’ 512×512 Minecraft texture pack.” They also noted, “The lighting isn’t great either. Very hard lights and shadows, lots of crushed blacks in the screenshots. Maybe some form of ambient occlusion would help, but I don’t think the levels were designed with any form of realistic lighting in mind.”
The same fan concluded, “I can’t imagine this being worth the money, unless good controller support is a must. An unofficial remaster already exists in the form of Deus Ex Revision with vanilla maps and soundtrack.”
Aspyr’s recent credits include Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, Knights of the Old Republic 2, and Tomb Raider IV-VI.
While it makes sense that Embracer, owner of the Deus Ex franchise, Eidos Montreal, and Aspyr, would pick one of its own studios to handle the remaster of a game it also owns, some had hoped Nightdive Studios, renowned for its well-received remasters like Doom 64, Quake, System Shock, and Turok, would eventually take on Deus Ex. Nightdive staff had, in fact, expressed their desire to remaster Deus Ex one day. Alas, it wasn’t to be, leading Samuel Villarreal, lead engine developer at Nightdive Studios, to simply state:
One can only imagine
— Samuel Villarreal
Deus Ex Remastered is slated for release on February 5, 2026, across PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series. This release comes after Embracer canceled a new Deus Ex game from Eidos Montreal last year, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the franchise’s future.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, bringing over 15 years of experience as a critic, columnist, and consultant for major gaming publications. A self-proclaimed Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos, she shares her thoughts on BlueSky.