Disjunction is my most surprising new game of the year so far, a cyberpunk stealth action game with a solid art style and some pretty good writing, at least by the standards of such things. After playing the alpha demo, I would say that it’s like if Hotline Miami and Deus Ex had a baby. It inspires quite a bit of confidence in first-time developers Ape Tribe Games.
It’s also got a pretty well written dark, neo-noir tone and plenty of opportunity to make your own way through the levels—at least in what they’ve shown off so far. It’s very much about finding your way through patrols of enemies and taking them out in the most efficient fashion you can using your character’s unique abilities. The final game will tell three interlocking stories, each from the point of view of one protagonist. Here’s the trailer:
In the demo, I really enjoyed shocking enemies into unconsciousness, then quickly disposing of their bodies before their friends noticed they were gone. I had promised the client that I wouldn’t be seen, after all. The game’s stealth mechanics rely on shadows around objects to narrow your enemies’ cone of vision, which is pretty simple but as the trailer shows can get quite complex quite fast. The developers' talking points promise "a reactive story where your choices have real consequences." Out of curiosity, I revisited the level again and made a bloodbath of it—infuriating the client and getting different dialogue afterwards.
You can download and play the alpha demo of Disjunction at the game’s official website. It’s also on Steam. Disjunction is due to release some time in 2019.
