Deus Ex Art Director Slams Controversial Remaster: What the Heck! This Shouldnt Have Happened!

The iconic game Deus Ex from Ion Storm is making a comeback, but fans are not thrilled. The recently announced remaster has sparked significant outrage due to changes in its visual style. Instead of the understated ambiance of the original, gamers are confronted with bright, almost cartoonish effects and lighting, which many view as a betrayal of the classic’s essence.

Developers at Aspyr are promising revamped controls and bug fixes, yet fans remain primarily concerned about the appearance of the legendary immersive sim. Social media has exploded with memes and complaints, with one player sarcastically asking, «Can I get my vision back?»

When the original Deus Ex art director Jerry O’Flaherty saw footage from the remaster, his reaction was clear: «What the heck! No. This shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry to everyone involved in this. Oh well… if it’s happening, why not? Who am I to criticize?”

O’Flaherty emphasized that the original project was a perfect alignment of talent and technology. The team of artists, led by Jay Lee, crafted a visual style that was closely tied to the capabilities of the Unreal Engine, while the rest of Ion Storm utilized Id Tech.

Jerry O’Flaherty

The artist pointed out that early 3D games required immense manual effort to achieve realism. He likened the creation of visual styles to painting. According to O’Flaherty, in the past, an artist could simply draw a nose and add a small white highlight, bringing the image to life and making it feel “realistic.” He noted that modern technology automates this process in pursuit of absolute realism, yet in doing so, it sacrifices expressiveness and impact.

He believes that «sometimes reality isn’t what’s needed,» suggesting that an artist should embellish the image slightly to ensure it appears correct. This is why, he explained, Hollywood meticulously manages lighting—not for authenticity, but to achieve the desired visual effect.

Fans resonate with O’Flaherty‘s sentiments—Deus Ex indeed deserves a remaster, but not like this. Many recommend simply playing the original or its fan-enhanced version known as Deus Ex: Revision.

If the new look of this classic doesn’t deter you, you can play Deus Ex Remastered on PC (Steam), Xbox Series, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch starting February 5, 2026. The developers promise a Russian text localization.