Disjunction

Disjunction is a cyberpunk stealth-action game set in a dystopian 2040s world, blending RPG elements with a top-down perspective. Players navigate a gritty, neon-lit cityscape, uncovering a crime-ridden narrative through stealth, combat, and player-driven choices. The game features a reactive story, sandbox-like levels, and a stylish aesthetic, offering a mix of frantic action and strategic gameplay.

Disjunction: A Cyberpunk Stealth Gem with Rough Edges

Introduction

In the wake of Cyberpunk 2077‘s tumultuous launch, Disjunction arrived in January 2021 as a quiet, polished antidote—a cyberpunk stealth-action RPG that embraced its indie roots while delivering a surprisingly mature and engaging experience. Developed by the three-person team at Ape Tribe Games, Disjunction is a love letter to classic stealth games like Metal Gear and Splinter Cell, reimagined through a cyberpunk lens and a top-down, pixel-art aesthetic. It’s a game that punches far above its weight, offering a reactive narrative, three distinct protagonists, and a level of player agency rarely seen in indie titles. Yet, for all its ambition, Disjunction stumbles in execution, with frustrating design choices that occasionally overshadow its brilliance.

This review will dissect Disjunction in exhaustive detail, exploring its development history, narrative depth, gameplay mechanics, world-building, and legacy. By the end, you’ll understand why this game is both a triumph of indie creativity and a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of ambition.

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Development History & Context

The Studio Behind the Game

Ape Tribe Games is a small, family-run studio consisting of three brothers: Erwan LeCun (team lead, design, story, and code), Ronan LeCun (design and story), and Kevin LeCun (story). The team’s modest size is both its greatest strength and weakness. On one hand, Disjunction benefits from a cohesive vision, with every element of the game reflecting the brothers’ shared creative direction. On the other, the lack of manpower led to compromises in polish, particularly in level design and gameplay balance.

The game was built using GameMaker, a tool often associated with simpler 2D projects. Yet, Ape Tribe Games pushed the engine to its limits, crafting a cyberpunk world that feels alive despite its pixel-art constraints. The studio’s collaboration with artists like Dmitry Dudko and Andrey Lyapichev (pixel art), Nate Kling (animations), and Dan Farley (music) ensured that Disjunction stood out visually and aurally.

The Gaming Landscape at Launch

Disjunction released on January 27, 2021, a time when cyberpunk was dominating gaming discourse—largely due to Cyberpunk 2077’s controversial launch two months prior. While CD Projekt Red’s title was mired in bugs and unmet expectations, Disjunction offered a stark contrast: a tightly focused, narrative-driven stealth game that delivered on its promises without overpromising.

The indie scene was also thriving, with games like Hades and Ghostrunner proving that smaller teams could craft experiences rivaling AAA titles. Disjunction entered this landscape as a hybrid of genres—stealth, RPG, and cyberpunk—appealing to fans of Metal Gear, Deus Ex, and Hotline Miami.

Technological Constraints

Working with GameMaker and a tiny team imposed limitations. The game’s top-down, 2D perspective restricts visibility, a critical flaw in a stealth game where awareness of enemy positions is paramount. The fixed camera angle often obscures threats, leading to cheap deaths. Additionally, the lack of voice acting—while understandable for an indie project—means the game relies heavily on text, which can feel overwhelming in a genre where immersion is key.

Despite these constraints, Ape Tribe Games leveraged their resources wisely. The pixel-art style, while divisive, is rich in detail, and the synth-heavy soundtrack by Dan Farley perfectly captures the game’s cyberpunk tone.

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Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Plot Overview

Disjunction is set in New York City, 2048, a dystopian metropolis plagued by economic collapse, climate disasters, and rampant corruption. The game follows three protagonists:

1. Frank Monroe: A cybernetically enhanced private investigator probing the framing of a community leader for a policeman’s murder.
2. Joe “Lockjaw” Murphy: A former boxer with a cybernetic arm, seeking vengeance for his daughter’s death.
3. Spider (Zhi Zhu): A hacker entangled in the city’s underworld, drawn into the conspiracy after decrypting a mysterious tablet.

Their stories intertwine as they uncover a conspiracy involving a drug called Shard, corporate greed, and systemic corruption. The narrative is reactive, with player choices influencing faction alliances, character fates, and even the city’s future.

Themes

Disjunction explores classic cyberpunk themes:
– Corruption and Power: The game’s New York is a playground for the wealthy and connected, where justice is a commodity.
– Identity and Augmentation: Each protagonist grapples with their cybernetic enhancements, questioning what it means to be human.
– Moral Ambiguity: The game rarely presents clear-cut heroes or villains. Even the protagonists are flawed, and their choices often have unintended consequences.

Dialogue and Character Depth

The writing is sharp, channeling the noir sensibilities of William Gibson and Blade Runner. Dialogue is text-heavy but well-crafted, with branching choices that affect relationships and outcomes. However, the sheer volume of text can feel overwhelming, especially during lengthy exposition dumps.

The characters are compelling but underdeveloped. Frank’s cybernetic eyes and Joe’s tragic past are intriguing, but their arcs lack the depth of AAA narratives. Spider, the hacker, stands out as the most nuanced of the trio, thanks to her moral dilemmas and ties to the Chinese mafia.

Reactive Storytelling

Disjunction’s greatest narrative strength is its reactive storytelling. Choices matter—sparing or killing a single NPC can ripple through the underworld, altering faction dynamics. This system is impressive for an indie title but occasionally feels superficial. Some choices lead to minor variations rather than sweeping changes, and the multiple endings, while satisfying, don’t drastically diverge.

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Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Core Gameplay Loop

Disjunction is a stealth-action RPG with a focus on player choice. Each level is a self-contained challenge, tasking players with infiltrating secure locations (warehouses, penthouses, labs) to retrieve evidence or interrogate targets. The game offers two primary playstyles:

1. Stealth: Sneaking past enemies, using distractions (e.g., Spider’s holographic cat), and non-lethal takedowns.
2. Action: Guns-blazing combat, leveraging each character’s unique weapons and abilities.

In practice, stealth is the intended path. The game punishes aggressive play with brutal difficulty spikes—enemies are relentless, and firearms feel underpowered.

Character Abilities and Progression

Each protagonist has distinct tools:

• Frank Monroe:

  • Tactical Baton (non-lethal)
  • Pistol (lethal)
  • Smoke Grenades (distraction)
  • Healing Ability

• Joe “Lockjaw” Murphy:

  • Cybernetic Arm (non-lethal melee)
  • Shotgun (lethal)
  • Power Bomb (AoE stun)
  • Dermal Plating (armor)

• Spider:

  • Stun Baton (non-lethal)
  • Uzi (lethal)
  • Holographic Projector (distraction)
  • Pulse Grenade (non-lethal AoE)
  • Cloaking Ability (temporary invisibility)

Progression is handled via two systems:
1. Upgrades: Found in levels, these permanently enhance abilities (e.g., faster attacks, longer cloaking).
2. Talents: Unlocked via XP, these offer passive buffs (e.g., increased stealth, reduced energy costs).

While the systems are functional, they lack depth. Upgrades often provide marginal improvements (e.g., “+0.1s attack speed”), and talents feel more like loadout choices than meaningful character growth.

Combat and Stealth

Stealth is the game’s strongest suit. Levels are meticulously designed puzzles, requiring players to observe patrol patterns, exploit blind spots, and use environmental tools (e.g., shadowed walls, security cameras). The vision cone system is well-implemented, though the fixed camera angle occasionally obscures threats, leading to cheap deaths.

Combat is serviceable but unsatisfying. Weapons lack impact, and enemies are bullet sponges. The game’s punishing difficulty discourages direct confrontation, making combat feel like a last resort rather than a viable playstyle.

UI and Checkpoint System

The UI is functional but unremarkable. The ability tree, while clear, lacks personality. The checkpoint system is the game’s most controversial mechanic. Each level has one manual checkpoint per floor, and progress is lost upon death. This design choice amplifies tension but often feels unfair, especially in later levels where a single mistake can erase 20 minutes of progress.

Innovations and Flaws

Innovations:
– Reactive storytelling in an indie stealth game.
– Three distinct protagonists with unique abilities.
– Branching dialogue that affects outcomes.

Flaws:
– Fixed camera angle obscures threats.
– Checkpoint system is punishing.
– Combat lacks depth and feels underpowered.
– Repetitive level design in later stages.

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World-Building, Art & Sound

Setting and Atmosphere

Disjunction’s New York is a cyberpunk nightmare—a city of towering skyscrapers, neon-lit alleys, and corporate strongholds. The world is richly detailed, with lore delivered through terminals, newspapers, and environmental storytelling. The pixel-art aesthetic is divisive but effective, evoking the grit of Blade Runner while maintaining readability.

Visual Design

The art direction is stylish but inconsistent. Some levels (e.g., a Mafia boss’s penthouse) are visually striking, while others (e.g., generic warehouses) feel repetitive. The character designs are strong, with each protagonist visually distinct. Animations are fluid, though limited by the 2D perspective.

Sound Design

The soundtrack by Dan Farley is a standout, blending synthwave and ambient electronic to create an immersive cyberpunk atmosphere. The music adapts dynamically, heightening tension during stealth sequences. Sound effects are crisp, from the thud of a non-lethal takedown to the whir of a surveillance drone.

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Reception & Legacy

Critical Reception

Disjunction received mixed but generally positive reviews, with critics praising its narrative ambition, stealth mechanics, and cyberpunk aesthetic while criticizing its punishing difficulty, repetitive level design, and lack of polish.

• TechRaptor (90%): “A cracking first effort from a miniature team.”
• PC Gamer (72%): “A compelling story and speedy stealth make up for its less even moments.”
• Game Revolution (4.5/10): “Disjointed, discordant, and disappointing.”
• Metacritic (67/100): “Mixed or average.”

Commercial Performance

The game sold modestly, appealing primarily to cyberpunk and stealth enthusiasts. Its $15.99 price point (often discounted) made it an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.

Influence and Legacy

Disjunction hasn’t had a major impact on the industry, but it stands as a testament to indie ambition. Its reactive storytelling and stealth mechanics have inspired smaller developers, proving that narrative depth and player agency are possible even with limited resources.

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Conclusion

Disjunction is a flawed gem—a game that aspires to greatness but is held back by its indie constraints. Its reactive narrative, cyberpunk world, and tight stealth gameplay make it a standout experience, but punishing difficulty, repetitive design, and lack of polish prevent it from reaching its full potential.

Final Verdict: 7.5/10 – A bold, ambitious stealth-RPG that stumbles but never fails to intrigue.

For fans of cyberpunk, stealth, and narrative-driven games, Disjunction is worth playing—just be prepared for its rough edges. It’s a game that could have been a classic with more time and resources, but as it stands, it’s a respectable debut from a studio with immense potential.

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Additional Notes

• Best Platform: PC (mod support, better performance).
• Replayability: Moderate (branching narrative, multiple endings).
• Difficulty: High (stealth is mandatory; combat is punishing).
• Length: ~8–10 hours for a single playthrough.

Disjunction is a game that demands patience but rewards those willing to engage with its systems. It’s not perfect, but in an era of bloated AAA titles, its focus and ambition are refreshing. Here’s hoping Ape Tribe Games’ next project builds on this foundation.