Fast Links
Title: Disjunction
Developer: Ape Tribe Games
Publisher: Sold Out
Genre: 2D Stealth RPG
Release Date: January 28, 2021
Available On: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Version Tested: PC
Official Site: https://disjunction-game.com/
If you were to ask me to name my favorite stealth game, I’d tell you Dishonored. If you asked me which ones I’ve played, you’d get the same answer (along with a little Hitman here and there). Needless to say, stealth isn’t traditionally my area of expertise. It requires a lot of patience and coming from someone who loves DOOM 2016 to death, that isn’t something I excel at in any capacity. Regardless, Disjunction spoke to my inner passion for the cyberpunk genre and almost immediately had me interested. For what it’s worth, I’m glad I chose to take the chance, even if the title has its shortcomings.
Disjunction’s Dark Version of New York
Disjunction drops you into a cyberpunk version of New York, nearly 30 years into the future. This society is much different than the one we know today, with mechanical augments being a commonality among the people. Not only that, but the lower cities are run entirely by the local gangs with corruption running rampant throughout law enforcement. If you’re aware of the nature of the cyberpunk genre, you know the drill. Within the world Disjunction has created though, you’re dropped into the roles of three distinct citizens whose paths cross to face a common goal. They’ll soon find this goes much bigger than what they originally expected though, and will require the utmost care to overcome.
For what it’s worth, Disjunction does a fairly good job of showcasing all this while helping itself stand out from the crowd. It’s hard to not mention its borrowing of Grand Theft Auto V’s trio protagonist concept, but it executes it well enough to make it seem less like an imitation, and more like its own fresh idea. Each person has their own ideas they keep close to their chest, some of which aren’t apparent until the end of the game. It all gives this sense of mystery both to the result of the main story and where each character will end up going forward. All of this being to some degree a result of your actions helps to further that level of immersion and satisfaction.
Fresh Familiarity
It even goes further than its inspiration’s ideas as well, centering playstyles and upgrades around one theme. Are you looking to stun enemies before going in to knock them out? There’s a character for that. More looking to stick to the shadows and avoid detection? You can do that too. It’s all built around a refined energy system that forces you to make constant decisions around when the best time to use each ability is. It makes the experience engaging throughout, even if it can’t always carry the weight of variety (more on that later).
That energy feature of Disjunction is built directly into its difficulty, which in practice takes the same route as a game like Dark Souls despite not being as challenging. You start each section with an area that appears incredibly challenging for your level of experience. As such, you go through failing the levels over, and over, and over again. It’s only once you’ve taken the time to learn and understand the level that you’ll finally make it through to the next stage and score yourself some fresh upgrades. While this definitely led to frustrations and a few choice words throughout my playthrough, it made finally passing each stage that much more satisfying.
A Great Looking (Albeit Repetitive) Adventure
It’s all wrapped together with a great atmosphere, thanks to a team of experienced sound and art designers. The cyberpunk world of Disjunction is crafted beautifully, with some intricate detail in the worlds that, while not the best I’ve seen, feed well into the grim reality of the locations you’re infiltrating. It all adds to that sense of tension, only heightened further by the harsh sound of the various weapons. I’m generally easy to please on the front, and Disjunction succeeds well in building the atmosphere that it desires.
But in the end, Disjunction suffers from a few issues that are noticeable throughout. The first, and notably the biggest, is in the variety in objectives and gameplay. While the abilities and upgrades of each character remedy these issues somewhat, the side objective of each level is the same. There could’ve been missions such as eliminating a key target, activating three switches, or securing some sort of artifact just to name a few. Instead, it’s the same upgrade kit every time. It makes the game age rather quickly, not helped by the main objectives suffering the same fate. The other issue is in a lack of map which, while rather minor, can be annoying on some of the latter, maze-like levels. I found myself oftentimes getting lost and not for the right reasons, often forcing me to make my way back through rough situations just to navigate.
Conclusion
Verdict: Disjunction offers a stealth experience that, while not perfect, truly showcases some of the grittier aspects of the cyberpunk genre. Across all three characters, the world of 2048 New York is built up as a dark future, one that we can only hope to never truly experience. This, combined with the variety in gameplay, makes for a fun six-hour venture you wouldn’t want to miss. While it falls short of its full potential, Disjunction is a stealth title that fans of the genre will find themselves deeply entrenched in, wanting more after the credits roll.
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