A long-simmering project to run Deus Ex through Unreal Engine 5 looks to introduce a VR mode, modern lighting, and more previously impossible transformations to the PC classic
DXU24 isn't a port or a remaster, but a tool to translate Unreal Engine 1 games into UE5 at runtime.
I've never had the space in my life or my house for a VR setup, but the promise of having an all-time favorite like Resident Evil 4 or Jedi Academy transformed by the tech always gives me pause. The DXU24 mod project for the original Deus Ex seems set to offer that and more.
DXU24's anonymous creator put out a massive development update for the project clocking in just shy of 27 minutes on YouTube. Rather than offering a straight engine port like Daggerfall Unity or one of those "Nintendo, hire this man!" UE5 recreations of a classic gaming locale, DXU24's bedrock is a custom solution to translate Unreal Engine 1 into UE5 at runtime. DXU24 explains it far better than I could on the project's Patreon page:
"You need a copy of the original game for this to run at all. The general idea is the original game is booted as it normally would be, and through my software, communicates with another running instance of Unreal Engine 5. Through this communication link the games state, assets, everything, is communicated to Unreal Engine 5 and reinterpreted as a modern game asset, all at runtime."
Running the O.G. Deus Ex this way opens up the potential for all kinds of advanced rendering techniques and features that were previously off-limits, like Lumen global illumination and VR support, the latter of which is a primary focus of DXU24.
An older video showing DXU24 running in VR at the Paris hub's La Porte de l'Enfer nightclub really captures my imagination, this potential to be immersed in one of my favorite fictional worlds like never before. DXU24 is also committed to getting the gameplay right, to the point of fully reimplementing Deus Ex's weapons for the VR mode. DXU24 shows off that kind of sick VR tactility you're used to seeing in games like Boneworks or Half-Life Alyx, with full manual reloading of a physics-based magazine and other interactive moving parts.
Rad as it is, I still don't know if I'm getting a VR headset any time soon, which is where DXU24's graphics and modding options come in. A May 2023 video showing Maggie Chow's apartment in the original game and modded in DXU24 (by creator Crimzan) side-by-side really lights my fire. The UE5 version avoids that awful "HD remaster mod" look, instead offering something super slick that reminds me most of Nightdive's recent System Shock remake, this deliberate contrast between advanced lighting and texture work with more low-fi assets.
We won't have terribly long to wait for a release either, with DXU24's developer offering a tentative mid-2024 release window, and the project will be available on Steam for $12. You can follow DXU24 on YouTube and Twitter, or subscribe to the project's Patreon for more updates.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other Deus Ex overhaul projects that may tickle your fancy in our guide to having the best Deus Ex experience today, while the Deus Ex Randomizer mod offers perhaps the most chaotic way to experience Ion Storm's classic.