This 2011 standalone expansion, playable without the main title, bridges a gap in the Deus Ex: Human Revolution narrative, detailing Adam Jensen's three-day disappearance. As an RPG/Shooter hybrid, gameplay centers on utilizing augmentations for stealth, combat, or hacking to navigate environments. Its scope is condensed compared to the core game, focusing solely on this specific plot segment across Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.
The gameplay inherits the established formula of the parent title, blending first-person shooting with deep role-playing game (RPG) elements. Players navigate environments using a combination of stealth, direct combat, and technological augmentation.
Objectives can be approached through several distinct playstyles, reflecting the core design philosophy of player choice:
This episode is specifically dedicated to exploring the events surrounding Adam Jensen's mysterious three-day disappearance. It provides context for his mental and physical state leading into the later parts of the main storyline, deepening the understanding of the conspiracy involving human augmentation and corporate power struggles prevalent in the game's dystopian world.
As a focused downloadable episode, The Missing Link offers a significantly more condensed experience than the full-length core game. It is structured around a specific mission arc across several interconnected locations, resulting in a shorter overall playtime designed to deliver narrative resolution for that particular timeframe rather than the sprawling exploration found in the main campaign.
This standalone content was made available across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC (Microsoft Windows) platforms.