Disintegrationis a brand new title from one of theco-creators ofHalo, Marcus Lehto, and a small team of just 30 other people who make up a new development studio, V1 Interactive. Lehto certainly has a respectable pedigree after helping create one of the most iconic video game franchises ever made, so many people are extremely hopeful about the projects that will come out of V1. But for a Freshman outing,Disintegrationis hampered by some obvious limitations.
Disintegrationis a seamless mix of the FPS and RTS genres, combined with a veryHalo-esque futuristic setting and a focus on both singleplayer campaign and multiplayer gameplay. The story follows Romer Shoal, a former celebrity racer who becomes a rebel hero along with his rag-tag team of misfits and trusty flying gravcycle. In this setting, most people have been “integrated,” ditching their human bodies for shiny robot forms with extra abilities. Our heroes fight to free humanity from the clutches of the powerful Rayonne, who seek to integrate the last remaining normal humans and create a post-human future.
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For such a small team, the visuals inDisintegrationare stunning. The intro calls to mind theHalogames of yesteryear, with an orchestral score and an unmistakable visual style.
Aside from the ingenuity present in core gameplay design, the visuals are probably the most impressive part ofDisintegration’s package. Animation isn’t always weighty and voice lines don’t always sync up with character movements, but those are minor complaints when the general quality of lighting, colors, and design is pleasing to look at.
The game is an almost perfectly balancedmix of RTS and FPS gameplay, which makes for an extremely fun and unique experience. Flying around on a hovering gravcycle, the player is able to get a top-down view of the battlefield as their AI companions fight it out on the ground below. Giving orders is seamless and the AI is smart, rapidly following commands, then taking cover and strategically picking off enemies even if left to their own devices.
An engaging and challenging loop of combat occurs in which the player scans an area, sets up their companions to begin the fight, orders allies' powerful abilities to take out clumps of foes, and then zooms around picking off the occasional enemy or issuing new orders. This is whenDisintegrationis at its best: in the heat of battle, quickly ordering a mortar on a cluster of Rayonne, commanding allies to focus on a powerful target, then diving into the fray from above with supporting fire until its time to back up, heal, and start issuing new commands. However, the core concept alone isn’t enough to hold the game together.
In hours of gameplay, there is little to no variety in level design, enemy types, or combat mechanics. Every fight boils down to a handful of enemies scurrying around a couple of buildings, a road, and a car or two. Movement with a controller is the most intuitive, but the lack of a good aim-assist combined with tiny enemies viewed from on high meant that playing with mouse and keyboard is still preferable. The first few fights are fun and engaging, but the game quickly becomes repetitive.
TheHaloseries had some of the best singleplayer campaignsever to grace first-person shooters, butDisintegrationstruggles to deliver a worthwhile narrative. The teammates are dry, boring, and even occasionally annoying. The hub world is flat and lifeless, and feels mostly unnecessary. The player must wander around on foot and talk to randomly placed robots who give out secondary mission objectives, but it feels more like a chore to collect them all. Even talking to AI companions gets tiresome within a few interactions. There are certain elements within the game that feel a little rough around the edges, but the hub world is the worst offender.
Once in a mission, things are better but still can feel a bit unpolished and the patterns start to become apparent too quickly. The story was not particularly gripping either, but gamers who enjoy RTS games and get hooked onDisintegration’s admittedly great combat may be able to make their way through and genuinely enjoy themselves.
Multiplayer may well be whereDisintegrationshines most. Each player takes control of a gravcycle pilot in command of a team of allies, just like in the campaign. The AI allies come in all shapes and sizes, and different crews offer a wide variety of weapons and gameplay styles, along with somereally phenomenal cosmetics. While the campaign lacks dynamism and excitement, the multiplayer sandbox provides a promising glimpse at how the full experience should function. If the game is different enough from traditional shooters to warrant playing is up to individual players, but this is the type of unique experience that can develop a dedicated fanbase.
Ultimately,Disintegrationis good, but it does not deliver on its full potential. $50 is just too steep of an asking price for an interesting game with solid mechanics that lacks depth. To some, the game might be worth checking out for its unique gameplay, but most players will likely be frustrated with the package as is.
Disintegrationwill be available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on Aug 01, 2025.
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Disintegration is a unique first-person strategy sci-fi game from V1 Interactive and Private Division. The game’s blend of genres make it stand out from similar FPS. The game features special Gravcyle gameplay, tactical elements, a meaty single-player story mode, and much more.
