probably the best written game I have ever played.
Hot Take: If you don’t end up with the Sorry Cop ending on your first playthrough you are a lib
One of the best things about it is that it made g*mers/fascists very angry.
I missed the controversy on this one, what were they mad about?
It’s a very leftist game and they also thanked Marx and Engels at the video game awards
Not only is it well written, but I love the esoteric character traits. “No clue what SHIVERS is supposed to do for me, but I guess I’ll level it up cause it sounds cool.” Cut to 30 minutes later when I pass a SHIVERS check and get access to a beautifully poetic description of Revachol set to some wistful music.
The first night playing this I had to stop because I was afraid I’d wake up my neighbours from laughing so hard.
I rarely replay games, but this is one that I think I’m going to start up for a second time. Honestly, this game is what tipped the first domino on my path to recovering lib, and for that it’s always going to have a special place in my heart.
The absolute melancholic mood really gets to me. I’m really looking forward to the english release of the novel and tabletop rpg
I would die for detective Kitsuragi
It’s one of those games that I was a different gamer before and after. Before Disco Elysium, I believed we knew how a narrative game would play, what limits did it have, what types of choices could be done and the quality and quantity an indie game could deliver. After Disco Elysium, I knew all of that was wrong. And the best part is not that Disco Elysium doesn’t just exceed your expectations and says ‘this is the most you can ever expect now’, they let you know clearly, there’s still more to know and do when it comes to videogames.
Disco Elysium and HBomberguy ruined RPGs for me. I’m not sure if I hate them or love them for that
You have to trascend into sadomasochistic gaming: when love and hate become meaningless, it’s all an experience.
Read an interview with the lead writer, and he had a philosophy of art that has stuck with me ever since:
“I want there to be fictional universes that talk about our own real life experiences. About the political problems we’re facing, the geopolitical structures around us, the problems of the modern world, etc. Universes which don’t leave us feeling numb, alone, and abandoned after we have finished exploring them. Universes which actually equip us with life tools and provide context for what’s happening to us. Which give us the strength to carry on with our lives, instead of making us feel empty to the point where we say, “Oh my god, I want to go back to the land of the Elves, but I can’t; I’ve already seen it all”.
The best aim behind this revolution in how worlds are built is that of changing how people interpret escapism. I want them to feel good when they return, better equipped, ready to accomplish things, with new tricks to use as they go about their business.”
One more reason Disco Elysium can change your life (as a gamer).
Anodic dance music with communard messaging will bring about revolution all across the pale.
Literally what I’m trying to build a career around
Disco Elysium is so goddamn good. everything is beautifully written! the solution description for Mazovian Socio-Economics is my absolute favorite.
0.000% of Communism has been built. Evil child-murdering billionaires still rule the world with a shit-eating grin. All he has managed to do is make himself sad. He is starting to suspect Kras Mazov fucked him over personally with his socio-economic theory. It has, however, made him into a very, very smart boy with something like a university degree in Truth. Instead of building Communism, he now builds a precise model of this grotesque, duplicitous world.
It’s pure gold.
One of my favourite lines from the game (MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE LAST 30 MINUTES)
spoiler
The Deserter: He opens his eyes and stares right through you. “It was real. I’d seen it. I’d seen it in reality.”
Half-Light: Some kind of great terror. Worse than what you’ve seen. You: “Seen what?”
spoiler
The Deserter: “The mask of humanity fall from capital. It has to take it off to kill everyone - everything you love; all the hope and tenderness in the world. It has to take it off, just for one second. To do the deed. And then you see it. As it strangles and beats your friends to death… the sweetest, most courageous people in the world,” he’s silent for a second. “You see the fear and power in its eyes. Then you know.”
You: “What?”
spoiler
The Deserter: “That the bourgeois are not human.”
I tried to convince him I was a fellow communist and he called me a lib. 10/10 political discourse simulator
he called me a reactionary lol
I got about 1.5 hours in, failed a skill check, and ended up living under a bridge. Should I try again?
Yes. I’m guessing you ran out of morale? Did the union boss get you? Most of the time if you fail a check, as long as you still have health/morale, you can either keep progressing, or try again later. Plus the game is the most leftist game ever made.
Yeah I think it was morale. IIRC I tried to do an investigation on a body and failed. Pretty sure I had already fucked up even before that though — I have no experience with RPGs at all lol.
I would highly recommend trying it again. It’s probably one of the greatest games ever made. Just make sure you save often (but don’t save scum, the game’s funnier if you don’t) and explore to find some healing items before you do anything important. You can also heal in the middle of dying, btw.
