Disjunction (Switch)

I have a few key triggers that draw me to certain games, Cyberpunk setting is certainly one of them, another one is sprite-based graphics that one certainly gets me sat up in my chair. Ladies, Gentlemen, and androids this is Disjunction.

Disjunction is developed by Ape Tribe Games and is the latest title attempting to take a slice of that gritty noir-soaked Cyberpunk pie. A mysterious drug called Shard is taking over the city and the game initially puts you in the gumshoes of Frank Monroe P.I, it won’t be long until you meet the game’s two other protagonists Joe and Spider who are just as cliche as the P.I being a boxer and hacker!. 

While the story isn’t breaking any new ground at all, it does react not only to your choices but your actions throughout which is quite impressive, and most of all it’s a well-written mystery that will grab the majority of players from the initial scene which smacks of noir in all the best ways. 

Disjunction visually is all kinds of my bag, focusing on a sprite-based style reminiscent of the 16bit era, rather than going the Neon route, Disjunction focuses on a darker grittier colour scheme, harsher yellows and the like. The sprite work on show is outstanding and had me sold from the initial smoke stemming from a cigarette sat in an ashtray by Frank’s bed in his overly empty and dark apartment.

Disjunction is a top-down game with a control scheme closely following the twin-stick shooter genre. Left stick moves, right stick aims, trigger shoots and you have buttons to trigger your sneaking and also your abilities. Much like a certain other stealth game of the Metal variety, when you are sneaking you can see a “visibility cone” thus giving you the room to plan and react accordingly.

Depending on which character you currently inhabit you’re given a range of abilities, these use energy that isn’t exactly raining down from the sky, one of the biggest dilemmas is when to use what so you’re not caught out down the line without any energy. Alongside this, you also have to factor in your health and finally your ammo count. 

The tagline of the game is “no one has to die unless you want them too” and yes the game is fluid enough to allow stealth or combat or even a mix of both to really stretch the dynamics of the story. What I did find interesting about it though was it felt more geared to stealth around the board with every character, even Joe our boxer and presumed tank of the crew.

Disjunction clocks in at around 8/10 hours and the fact the story changes with your actions and responses means you’ll find yourself ready to jump back in and twist the narrative someone doubling the playtime. 

Aside from music randomly jumping in when it sound have been quiet and the odd time my input didn’t quite work I had no issues with Disjunction in the performance department and the pickup and play nature of the Nintendo Switch really benefited the gameplay.

I had a moody, complicated and dark time with Disjunction which being a noir/Cyberpunk title it was exactly what I wanted. While not quite as balanced in the combat department as I’d have liked the game is still a fantastic title and the price point is honestly staggering at how cheap it is for what you get in terms of quality and content.