DISORDER Review (PC)

I’ve been working my fingers to the bone for the past several weeks, desperately hoping to find something—anything that would scratch that rogue-like itch. It was only a few days back, sometime after I had spent a ludicrously long time scraping the barrel of the Steam storefront of its hidden gems and redundant replicas, that I eventually stumbled upon DISORDER, an action rogue-like that, at least in my optimistic eyes, had the potential to become that ever-elusive back scratcher that I had been longing for since the drought began. I needed it to be exactly that. But, as time eventually passed, I came to the realization that, even with the optimism of an adolescent, looks could be deceiving, and GRUMPY’s newest addition to the catalog was no stranger to that.

For an independent video game, I think it’s only fair that we commend its developer(s) for their efforts in devising not only a working prototype (we’ll touch base on that in a short while), but for also being able to construct a game that at least plays like a typical rogue-like. But, to be brutally honest, that’s about as much as I’m willing to credit for, as DISORDER does fall short in numerous areas, and it doesn’t take a great deal of time to come to the conclusion that, despite its best intentions, it’s still a far cry from being the product that its creators initially intended it to be.

If you’re still on the fence about DISORDER, and have yet to put your money into it, then be sure to read on as we gradually unpack its contents. Care to join us as we delve into the details? Then let’s jump right in.

To Remember

DISORDER, for those who’ve yet to embark on that same deep dive into the Steam labyrinthine system, tells the tale of an amnesiac who, for some reason unknown to us, has the familiar goal of wanting to “uncover the truth behind her past” in order to make sense of her future and, above all, her purpose in a seemingly endless department store that’s oddly teeming with jacked-up animatronics and deadly robots. The story, while not entirely comprehensive, gradually becomes clearer as you traipse through the multiplex, shovel through enemies, and unlock nifty add-ons at the local Gift Store. Herein lies a rogue-like stepping stone system that we’ve seen countless times before; you dive once, and you unlock a new fragment of a memory, and this process repeats itself over until you eventually reach the fork in the road, so to speak.

As far as storylines go, DISORDER isn’t anything I’d refer to as utterly spectacular; it lacks the basic plot elements and powerful scripture to convey a solid message. Don’t get me wrong, it has the setting, but with a lack of direction and a ludicrous amount of unusual dialogue choices, it oftentimes makes it difficult to understand or gel with. And annoyingly, the disappointment doesn’t stop there, either.

Clotted & Cluttered

Let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room here: DISORDER is, first and foremost, an independent IP, and so, naturally, you wouldn’t necessarily go waltzing into its inner circle with the expectations of seeing a perfect masterpiece, or anything even remotely along the same lines as, say, an award-winning rogue-like. Suffice it to say, DISORDER doesn’t present itself as a groundbreaking work of art, nor does it compete with its ilk for a spot on the apex, either. On the contrary, it makes it almost clear right from the get-go that, while several of its components certainly lack the technical polish and complexity of a modern-day triple-A IP, it has an identity, and it has the ambition to propel its message across the globe. And that’s great; I love an indie project that disregards the social norms and articulates the values of smaller projects.

With all of the above said, I just can’t ignore my true feelings towards the game as a whole. Firstly, the combat mechanics — eh, they’re not great. I say that, mainly due to the fact that most, if not all of the combat encounters that you stumble across in the campaign are not only stiff and cluttered, but inconveniently marred by sluggish combos and a robotic feel that’s almost impossible to forget about. Secondly, there’s the fixed camera angle—an annoying addition to the mainframe that offers little to zero flexibility or assistance to the combat system, in general. It’s because of this significant shift in focus and the shoulder-hugging perspective that I wound up spending a little too long on simply trying to figure out whether or not any of my attacks were landing, or if I was just mashing buttons for the sake of it. Again, not great.

On the Other Hand

On the flip side of this rather disappointing prelude, the graphics aren’t all that bad. Alright, so they’re hardly punching above their weight, but with a glossy aesthetic that’s both pleasant to look at and even thematically on point, there’s a surprising amount to celebrate. On the reverse side of this same coin, there is the dialogue, and not to mention the translation—two things that, although drawn to the ideology of a serious script, dwindle into a humorous cluster of slop and laughable sentences that lack the basic context of a plausible message. Of course, I can’t raise too much of a complaint here, but the fact that you can hear the voice actors giving it their all to avoid line breaks is enough to spoil the immersion. If it was a comedy, then fair enough — but it isn’t; it’s a game that tries too hard, and it shows.

I’m not saying that DISORDER is an Early Access game — but it’s about as broken as one, I’ll say that much. To that end, it’s difficult to recommend it in its current state, for it lacks the basic functionality and composition of a full-fledged action rogue-like title, and it could certainly do with a little extra time on the back burner before showcasing its true colors. At the time of writing, it’s about as monochrome as its refund policy — and that’s a darn shame, given the fact that it could’ve performed a lot better with one or two major tweaks to its infrastructure. In time, though, it’s likely to take a turn for the better. Well, here’s hoping it will, anyway.

Verdict

DISORDER tries its best to capture the essence of a booming cyber-electric rogue-lite, but ultimately falls short when it comes to manifesting the authenticity of a genuinely compelling experience. Aside from its half-baked combat mechanics and general clunkiness, DISORDER also fails to deliver a thought-provoking storyline that’s both engaging and audibly satisfying. It’s almost as if AI wrote the scripts and devised the outlines for the code—a much, much earlier version of AI, at that. And that’s a shame, because if you were to remove the shoddy elements from the system, then you would have a relatively good game with some decent bones of its own. But, sadly, that just isn’t the case with this post-launch iteration.

To paint it in black and white, DISORDER could’ve been a much better rouge-like, should it have spent a lot longer in the oven and not been settling for a lower quality product that lacks the depth of a complete IP. I’m not on the verge of sweeping it beneath the rug altogether, mind you; sure, it’s a little wooden, and yes, its dialogue is about as cheesy as a nineties TV commercial — but maybe, just maybe, that’s sort of what intrigues me about its existence. For the time being, I’m calling it for what it is: a janky rogue-like with far too many loose wires. Call me back in a month or two and who knows — I might just take that back and chalk up an alternative conclusion to the case.