This is a very promising but flawed start for the franchise. To start off, I absolutely love the concept of a slow paced and grounded stealth game. There's a bit of a learning curve when you first start because you really do have to play much slower and more meticulously than you would in Metal Gear Solid for instance. The story is serviceable albeit not terribly memorable or deep. It works well enough to tie the levels together, which are the real reason to play this game. Level design and theming varies pretty widely. The theming for the CIA and presidential palace missions are fantastic. My biggest criticism of level design is that its a bit too linear. This style of gameplay is definitely better served by more open level design as evidenced by the far superior Choas Theory. This linearity can unfortunately make the gameplay feel like its based more on trial and error than creativity and skills. There are quite a few sections where there's really only one very specific way to proceed and the player has to get themselves killed several times to be able to understand what the game wants them to do. This game is also very unforgiving about breaking stealth - if you get spotted and there's more than one enemy in the room you're probably going to die pretty quickly. The AI detection is also pretty janky at times, which can lead to what feel like unfair game overs.The difficulty does however make the game very rewarding and enjoyable once you get the hang of it. Sam Fisher, despite being capable, always feels vulnerable. This adds a nice amount of tension to the game, which perfectly compliments the slower paced stealth gameplay its going for.

Overall this is a very promising start to a franchise and a very unique stealth experience that is weighed down by jank and linearity in level design that can make the experience at times frustrating and monotonous

One of the most charming games of all time. Everything about its aesthetic and general vibe makes me smile. The soundtrack is also fantastic. Gameplay could be a bit more polished. It mostly feels good but you’ll run into occasional moments of jank. This is another game that’s greater than the sum of its parts however. It’s hard not to love something that’s so creative, stylish, and unabashedly specific in its design. All of this elevates something that would otherwise be merely a fun romp into something unforgettable and truly special.

Random note: this game also has the humorous honor of having a tutorial that’s probably harder to beat than any normal level in the game. The tutorial is thankfully not required to progress. You’ll see what I mean if you try to get the steam achievement for beating it.

Your enjoyment of this game will be greatly enhanced if you go into it without the expectation of it replicating the openness of Deus Ex or other immersive sims. I would call this game a light immersive sim - it possesses many trademarks of the genre, namely the ability to approach levels in multiple different ways but does so in a manner that’s simpler than games like the original deus ex, dishonored or even something outside of the genre like splinter cell: chaos theory.

The game, however, is still very enjoyable. It has a pretty decent story, which while not as creative or complex as the original deus ex, holds together well and keeps your attention and curiosity throughout. The aesthetic design of the game is also great. It does the cyberpunk aesthetic pretty well and puts its own unique spin on things with the renaissance elements blended in. I’ve definitely never seen that combination before and it works quite well.

Gameplay is very enjoyable despite its shortcomings. Stealth and gun play both feel great - very balanced and responsive. Nailing both is definitely to be commended given the fact that many games that try to incorporate both can only do one well. Exploration is also enjoyable and replicates some of the sense of discovery the original provided. However, the general lack of meaningful rewards for exploration causes it to lose its luster by the end of the game. Most of your rewards for exploring will be useless hacking supplies as opposed to rare weapons or upgrades.

Overall the game is quite fun but doesn’t really excel at anything. If I could give more specific ratings I’d probably give this game a 7.7 or 7.6. It’s creative and fun enough to stand out and be memorable but not quite good enough be considered a classic of either it’s genre or generation.

As a final thought - this game came out in 2011, a time when the term “immersive sim” was likely unknown to your average console gamer. I was in this camp when HR came out, and I can remember the immersive sim elements of it absolutely blowing my 15 year old mind. This game does somewhat unexpectedly hold a very special place in many hearts and I think this is why: it was like nothing else being released at the time and was probably the first immersive sim for a lot of gamers. Many of those gamers, myself included, went on to play and love the classics on the genre, which does unfortunately cause Human Revolution to lose much of its luster. While Human Revolution probably won’t be remembered much in the future for the quality of its story or gameplay, I do hope it’s remembered for it’s role in introducing the immersive sim genre to a new generation of gamers.

Although if I’m being realistic it‘ll probably be most remembered for the eternal words of Adam Jensen, “I never asked for this.”

Only appeal this game has is nostalgia for the original. The original as many know is definutely above average for a licensed platformer of its era. This has made it much beloved among people who played it as a kid and had a surprisingly good time with it. The game is, however, from a more objectice standpoint VERY middling. Even with the nostalgia factor the lackluster level design gets boring very quickly.

Being remastered is probably the worst thing that ever happened to this game because it made people realize how mediocre it always was. Somethings are best left in the past and in the idealized glow of nostalgia.