Deus Ex Mankind Divided lets you defeat bosses with combat or stealth - but not chats

Update: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided gameplay director Patrick Fortier clarified to Eurogamer that the game's "classic boss fights" can be resolved through both overt combat and stealth approaches, but you won't be able to talk your way out of them. Instead, debates that are resolved separately can influence the way a boss fight plays out later on.

Original story: Despite being one helluva great game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution's boss fights were a nasty bottle of plonk next to the balanced vintage of the main story. Eidos Montreal has already promised that it's leaned from its boss battle boo boos while still pushing itself to ask some really hard questions with its latest effort, Mankind Divided. In the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, gameplay director Patrick Fortier and narrative director Mary DeMarle discuss the importance of giving you the same freedom of choice you have in boss encounters as you do in the main game.

Considering the stark difference of quality between those dust-ups and Human Revolution's engaging story, it's so surprise to learn those battles were actually developed by a separate studio. Thankfully, for Mankind Divided, Eidos Montreal is firmly in charge. "It’s all about supporting all the different play aspects," says Fortier. "That was the main thing that was missing from the boss fights. Thematically, I think they were interesting, but certain players found a challenge there that wasn’t really catered to them." Mankind Divided’s bosses are much more balanced in this regard. "There are ways to stealth them, there are ways to beat them in combat and there are conversations you can have that maybe give you a different means of dealing with the situation altogether."

The latest issue of OXM, with Halo 5 Guardians on the cover, is out now. Download it here or subscribe to future issues.