After simply watching the opening sequence of a bleak metropolis blanketed in thick clouds, it’s pretty obvious that Ape Tribe Games’ inspirations are worn proudly on their sleeves, but Disjunction also plays like a cyberpunk dream.
While at PAX I was fortunate enough to get demo-time with Disjunction, from Ape Tribe Games. My hands-on demo had me playing as Frank the private investigator — one of the three cybernetic characters whose lives are intertwined in this sci-fi mystery story. After waking up, my character gets a phone call from a woman named Sibyl, whose husband Lamar is supposedly falsely accused of the murder of a cop. Instigated to investigate the matter further, she tells you of a shady, non-profit clinic in downtown that he might have gotten caught up in business with. After hanging up the phone and directing Frank to the apartment door, the aforementioned ‘metro’ cutscene plays and it’s off to the clinic.
Sure enough, the clinic is full of goons, and in order for you to get to the investigative info you need for the case, you have to get past them — by whatever means are necessary. You can totally play this game as a super stealthy character or go in with cybernetically enhanced guns a’ blazin’ — which is typically how stealth action RPGs play out — but you can still get away with taking everyone out while using some of your more stealth-like abilities.
If you choose to move around stealthily then Frank has a tactical baton that can be used to stun enemies and do non-lethal damage to them. On the other hand, he’s packing his revolver, which can do some serious damage and instantly kill lower-type enemies. Obviously the caveat of using such a weapon is the loud sound of gunfire, and since the enemies can both see you (indicated by their cone of vision) and hear you, you’re in for a fight. Thankfully, since Frank’s has his passive ability, Deadeye — which allows your first attack to hit for double damage — the enemies won’t be alive for long. Additionally, there is a smoke grenade that you can use to blind enemies for six seconds and a Shock Bolter that lets you stun them for four seconds.
You could probably guess the amount of possibilities from these weapons alone, but you’ll be able to upgrade and customize your ‘talents’ later on in the game to create your perfect playstyle. With three unique characters who all play differently, there’s plenty of action in however you choose to play it, and since the story is impacted by your choices, it really seems like it’s a wholly customizable experience.
Disjunction’s thumping synthwave tunes pair well with the beautiful pixel art characters and environments to create a unique experience you won’t want to miss when it comes out later this year.
Disjunction is available to wishlist on Steam. You can also check out their alpha demo on their website and follow them on Twitter.
