Disintegration Review: Gameplay Videos, Multiplayer Impressions, Speedrun Tips

Disintegration stands as one of the most unique, bold releases on the 2020 calendar.  

Developer V1 Interactive—spearheaded by one of the co-creators of Halo, Marcus Lehto—offers a mutation that blends first-person shooter (FPS) gameplay and real-time strategy (RTS) into an intriguing mix while promising a large singleplayer campaign and multiplayer with competitive elements. 

The pitch isn't hard to like: Disintegration essentially puts players in control of the camera perspective of an RTS on a Gravcycle. That responsibility tasks players with the usual commanding of troops RTS-style—with a twist, as that Gravcycle can fly around a battlefield in first-person mode dealing damage of its own. 

As deep as it is interesting, Disintegration is the sort of title that can spawn long-running franchises in a hurry if done right. 

Graphics and Gameplay

Graphics and presentation could have fallen on the back burner for a game as ambitious as this while the horsepower focused on other areas. 

Yet Disintegration doesn't look bad by any means. It's a stunner in the cutscenes department, and things don't take too big of a hit in normal gameplay. 

That isn't to say looking good always means looking interesting. There are a variety of different areas in the game, spanning countrysides, canyons and cities as well as different biomes. Water, foliage or urban cityscape detailing all looks good, and yet, the limited color pallets of each can wear out their welcome quickly. 

One thing Disintegration does have going for it is how things look in motion. Parts of environments are destructible, and it's a blast to level an enemy's cover. Detailing in combat, besides good-looking explosions, commands attention—quickly boosting backward and seeing the trail left through the air is an awesome touch. 

Sound design is top-notch, too. The voice acting oozes character into each of the group members and radio conversations that are often boring in other games. Meanwhile, the score in the background does a proper job of fitting the moment. 

But strong marks in presentation wouldn't matter much at all if the fusing of two genres largely left separate didn't work. 

But it sure does. 

Gameplay is simply a joy. The usual suspects as far as RTS controls go are all here. From a first-person perspective positioned where the camera would normally be in an RTS, players issue commands to a squad of friendlies on the ground. Strategically moving them around the map, making them interact with items and assigning their special abilities is all a breeze on mouse and keys or controller. 

This wouldn't normally be that big of a deal, but adding the FPS-infused Gravcycle to the mix changes everything. Players are free to dart around the battlefield, flanking enemies while issuing commands. They can zoom up close and personal to an individual enemy or stay far back and offer barrages of fire. All this, by the way, while managing usual RTS assignments and providing health to friendlies that need it. 

There's a delicate, enjoyable gameplay loop here previously unheard of for a genre blend like this. It features expected things, such as smartly combining crew abilities to stagger and defeat enemies, and it's fun to get creative with the freedom. Bunkering down the friendly squad against a big enemy while darting off at a different angle to personally eliminate the snipers scoped on them is brilliant and one of many examples. 

Granted, the FPS-ing itself isn't overly interesting. The freedom is awesome, but the guns don't pack a major punch or offer the feedback that makes other FPS heavyweights so much fun to play. Part of the problem is the so-so enemy A.I. that will sometimes smartly find cover but other times seem confused and just stand around soaking up damage. 

Given how much happens on screen at one time in larger battles once the training wheels come off, the HUD isn't overwhelming, and it is simple to mostly keep track of things on a grander scale. At least in the campaign, objectives vary well enough and have a good narrative sense within each mission. 

Players will get to pilot three different types of Gravcycles that all feel distinct enough. Usual suspects apply here, too, with the shotgun-wielding cycle notably slower. It would be nice if the cycles were a little faster and mission boundaries and vertical boundaries were a little better defined, but those are minor annoyances. 

Behind the gameplay is a smooth customization suite that impacts what happens on the battlefield. The presence of upgrade chips scattered throughout levels encourages exploration, and it's fun to pick and choose upgrades strategically for the player character, as well as each member of the squad individually. Upgrade areas include damage output and regeneration, among others, and it's safe to say different players could dance through the campaign with very different styles. 

Freedom and variety seems to be the theme above, which makes sense. The pre-mission freedom and in-level freedom while moving around atop established RTS tropes makes for a brilliant gameplay experience with minimal hiccups. 

Story, Multiplayer and More

Disintegration's story is the right mixture of silly and serious. 

The scene is simple enough thanks to a futuristic slant: Earth hit on a global warming event and humans responded with voluntary "integration," the process of putting one's mind into a machine. Again, it's a bit silly, but the severity of which the world and its characters treat this backdrop makes it a ton of fun. 

Of course, it wouldn't be a good tale without mischievous baddies. In this case, that's Rayonne, an entity enacting forced integration. Players slip into the role of the famous Romer Shoal, who happens to stumble into helping a band of rebels fight back against the big bad. 

The assembled crew is a funny cast of characters, and the story has some surprisingly good cinematics that help to tell a lengthy tale between missions. There are up and downs, though. For as good as the story is and the cinematics are, there is also a Destiny-lite tower sequence that serves as downtime where players walk around and talk to crew members in mostly barren areas and at a sluggish pace. It just feels like a limited social space where only a few crew members even have voiced lines. Better than just menu hopping to the next mission? Maybe, but turning up the movement speed would at least be nice. 

But that's the lone major blemish. Some missions can drag on in length around the 30-minute mark, but overall, it's a surprisingly good and long campaign. 

Multiplayer is where players will likely spend most of their time regardless of whether they tackle singleplayer. Three prominent game modes greet them upon launch: Retrieval, Collector and Zone Control. 

Zone Control is exactly what it sounds like and a staple of most FPS games these days. Three zones are up for grabs during a given match, and the wrinkle is Gravcycles can't actually capture zones. It's a decent idea that encourages focusing on properly controlled ground troops to win, though going for Gravcycle-on-Gravcycle kills is still a fun element and risk-reward. 

Another aptly-titled mode is Collector, which is again an FPS staple within the confines of this RTS hybrid. Players have to collect as many brain cans as possible to win by destroying enemies and Gravcyles while picking up friendly cans in the skirmish to deny the opposition points. 

Retrieval might just have the most competitive upside, as it splits the opposing teams into attackers and defenders then swaps roles halfway through. The former go on the offensive trying to take cores and deposit them for points, with only ground units able to actually transport the cores. 

In the early goings, multiplayer seems like a hiccup-free experience, and there is certainly some potential for it to grow legs and carry the game for a long time. It's a different sort of feel compared to most things, in a good way, though whether this sort of niche will cement a spot on the market and keep an active community might simply hinge on post-launch support. 

While said niche won't appeal to everyone, there is a lot of strategic fun available, especially thanks to some of the other typical multiplayer features included. Different Crews can mean different playstyles and synergistic possibilities, as well as flairs.

Those expecting consistent, fast-paced dogfights between cycles might come away disappointed, but the slower strategic elements make the big payoffs in fights well worth it. Certain Crews with speedier cycles will make sense when needing to get to an objective faster than the other team, while taking a beefier tank-like cycle on defense adds some depth. 

Speaking of the usual multiplayer fanfare, Disintegration boasts the expected things like challenges, customization options and even emotes. None of it feels too out of place in the universe, nor unfair or grindy. 

From a broader perspective, Disintegration doesn't lack modern features and accessibility items. Load times are quick, the options suite is expansive, there are varying difficulty options and the singleplayer and multiplayer tutorials push newcomers in the right direction. 

Speedrunning Tips

Disintegration could end up having a pretty interesting speedrunning community. 

On first pass, the campaign feels like a 10-plus hour affair, including cutscenes. Skipping those, plus blowing through any optional dialogue in the on-ground portions between missions, will chop numbers off times. It's the same story for eventually memorizing how to get through menu upgrading and outfitting the fastest. 

Out in the wild of a mission, things are rather linear. But memorizing where upgrade chips are located in each environment will make subsequent runs even easier, as guaranteeing upgrades will mean stronger traits and an easier time with enemies. 

Skipping some portions of enemies in levels is possible without issue. Generally, though, getting overly aggressive with the cycle itself is a good way to guarantee kills and continued progression at a steady pace. Pouring upgrade points into damage output and survivability is the best way to assure players don't have to babysit A.I. companions. 

Niche or not, Disintegration will task would-be runners with juggling many different systems at once in a variety of settings and against increasingly tough foes and scenarios. Runners tearing it apart should make for good viewing right after release, especially if many start to compete for world records—maybe even on the hardest difficulty. 

Conclusion

It's not often a new IP shows up on the scene and commands attention in the land of sequels and remasters. 

Yet Disintegration does just that, merging two genres in a way we really haven't seen before to great results. The tactical RPS side of the gameplay is superb, and the FPS side is at least passable while serving as an innovative wrinkle that keeps the gameplay loop fresh. 

Add in a robust multiplayer suite with some interesting modes and plenty of room to grow as well as a story that unfolds in meaningful, if not unexpected, ways and Disintegration has the look of a summer hit with potential big staying power.