Synopsis: man wakes up with zero memories and learns he is a police officer who is tasked with solving a murder mystery and the political drama behind it.
TL;DR: play it if you like story games.
Disco Elysium (DE) instantly became subject to widespread critical acclaim upon its release in late 2019, which is rather impressive as an avant garde dialogue RPG. I have learned to be skeptical of this kind of hype after Cyberpunk 2077 was a massive disappointment (and not just because of the bugs). Fortunately, it delivered.
In contrast to the average modern goyslop game, there is very little active gameplay, sex, or violence to hook you in. Instead, it operates almost purely on dialogue. And it’s not your average dialogue RPG either, as the game has its own unique dialogue mechanic. This consists in being able to level “skills” like logic or perception which give you insights into the current conversation beyond what appears at the surface level. This is very effective as a mechanic, as it manages to digitalize one of the most prominent parts of real life conversations: emotions and thoughts.
The game starts off as a fairly conventional murder mystery story, but develops into this weird political drama with a murder surrounding it. The author (Robert Kuvitz) is an unironic Communist, which I was very surprised to hear. This is because the Communists in this game are not particularly sympathetic, given they are:
A Communist version of Hakan/BAP. Yes, they made this work somehow.
Some corrupt piece of shit labour union leader.
A pretentious Spaniard
Some obnoxious Black girl
A bunch of trashy thugs
This actually makes the game more brilliant in my eyes, it shows a level of nuanced thinking that is very rare these days. Many people concieve of their political allies as “the good guys” who are strong, high status, empathetic, and moral, but Robert is clearly a cut above the delusional millenial soycommies and portrayed communists as they really are.
Beyond the cool dialogue mechanics and the story, this game doesn’t really have much going for it - it’s essentially a book told as a game. That said, the narrative is really something special, and I would highly recommend playing the game.
Design (12/15):
Distinguishment: (7/7) - unique artstyle and distinctive UI
Animation: (not applicable)
Sound: (1/2)
OST: (0/2) - too lowkey
Character designs: (2/2)
Backgrounds: (2/2)
Script (46/50):
Character Investment: (10/10)
Character Realism: (2/2)
Character Complexity: (3/3)
Plot solidness: (5/5) - well thought out and tight
Plot complexity: (9/10)
Ending: (4/5)
Pacing: (not applicable)
Stakes: (12/15)
Value (15/15):
Thematic elements: (5/5) - no overarching theme, but nuanced in its own way
Skill: (5/5) - a game that i definitely could not have made with my own skills
Originality: (5/5)
Enjoyment (20/20):
Did I like it: (20/20)
I'd say the theme of letting go of the past, both on personal and societal level, is prevalent enough to consider it overarching for Disco.