S
tealth games are normally cautious affairs, where
you’re creeping carefully through the shadows past
guard patrols and surveillance cameras, but
Disjunction doesn’t have time for such ponderous play. This
top-down stealth game is all about speed and precision, as
much inspired by Hotline Miami as Thief.
Set roughly 30 years in the future in a cyberpunk vision of
New York, Disjunction sees you play as three characters –
detective Frank Monroe; boxer and former convict Joe Murphy;
and a female hacker known as Spider. They each become
entangled in a conspiracy that begins with a local community
leader being framed for the murder of a police officer.
It’s a familiar cyberpunk tale, but it’s well told. Both its plot
and characters are acutely drawn through snappy, minimalist
dialogue, while most conversations feature a range of choices
that can affect the overall direction of the story. The storytelling
is bolstered by the grungy yet vibrant pixel art, which makes
excellent use of its cobalt and gold colour palette, while the
action is underpinned by a buzzing synth soundtrack that
brilliantly evokes the game’s retro-futurist theme.
As a stealth game, Disjunction is broken up into short but
often fiendish levels that typically involve breaking into secure
locations to obtain vital pieces of evidence. Between you and
that goal is a swarming hive of sentries and security measures,
ranging from various human guards, to security cameras, laser
turrets and even robotic spiders.
The result is a shifting maze of vision cones designed for
you to slip through them swiftly and precisely. Disjunction
isn’t designed exclusively for stealth – you can blast your
way through the levels if you want. However, the levels’
arrangements, with sentries leaving tiny gaps in their patrols
that can be exploited with the right abilities – a smoke grenade
here, a holographic distraction there – indicate that stealth is
the primary goal.
The slick and speedy stealth play makes for a refreshing
change from the norm, and successfully navigating one of
Disjunction’s hyper-secure labyrinths is always satisfying.
However, it can also be a frustrating experience, and not just
because the game is designed to be difficult.
Certain issues, such as inconsistent checkpointing and
the sentry vision cones often extending into the corridors
separating rooms, mean the challenge can vary significantly
between levels and even individual areas. Additionally,
sometimes the game is simply cruel, hiding enemies behind
doors or placing elaborate security setups beyond the limits
of the low and non-adjustable camera.
Disjunction gets you back in the action quickly, but the
design isn’t quite tight enough to prevent irritation creeping
into the experience. That said, the challenge is enjoyable more
often than not, so Disjunction merits a recommendation for
players seeking a slightly different take on stealth gaming.
RICK LANEDisjunction / £12.99 inc VAT
DEVELOPER Ape Tribe Games/ PUBLISHER Sold OutDISJUNCTION
+^ Great presentation
+^ Good story
+^ Fast-paced,
challenging stealthDISAFFECTION
-^ Can be extremely
frustrating
-^ Inconsistent
checkpointing
/VERDICT
Disjunction’s
quickfire stealth
is thoroughly
entertaining,
when it isn’t
making you
want to tear
out your hair.OVERALL SCORE
72 %%