Occasionally, there’s a game that comes in and consumes your attention. This year, I’ve had three games that have had that effect on me. Those games are Deathloop, Guardians of the Galaxy and Disco Elysium. Two of them I can tell you all about how they managed to consume my life to an unhealthy extent. The latter two games I mentioned? Man, I could go on and on about them but Disco Elysium? Seriously guys, how do I tell you about how good it truly is?
Recently, I went back and retrieved Disco Elysium from my backlog. I’m a gamer who is easily distracted and like a lot of people, my backlog is an ever-growing labyrinth. So, with that in mind, it’s best left ignored and only revisited every so often when there’s a lull. However, the game was an unfortunate casualty to the backlog gods after it made its way to the PS4. Thankfully, a recent next-gen upgrade and release on the Xbox platform had me buying it again. It was still fresh in my mind and I didn’t really want to abandon the game again. So, after unlocking all of the achievements in Guardians of the Galaxy, I decided to take the plunge and commit.
In case you haven’t played it, Disco Elysium is an isometric RPG based heavily around the concept of tabletop gaming. Developed by ZA/UM, it’s a narratively driven game written by novelist Robert Kurvits, featuring heavy amounts of dialogue. Any amount of action comes solely from the player’s ability to pass a skill check with a dice roll. Graphically, it sports a beautiful oil painting art style and music by the band Sea Power.
Set in the (mostly) open world of Revachol, you assume the role of a burnt-out detective, who after a few days of heavy drinking, experiences a traumatic amount of amnesia. The detective wakes up in a trashed hotel room and can’t remember a single thing, about anything. Upon getting dressed and (hopefully) recovering your lost shoe, you make your way downstairs and discover the reason for your being in Revachol. There’s been a murder and it’s up to you and your new partner, Lieutenant Kitsuragi, to find out whodunit. What ensues is a uniquely wild ride, that’s up to the player to craft for themselves.
The game takes place over the course of multiple days and players are able to tailor their detective to their specific playstyle. There are four primary stats and 24 skills divided amongst them. As you proceed through the week and help out the citizens of Revachol, your detective earns experience that goes towards earning skill points. Skill points can be put toward improving your skills or unlocking slots for “thoughts” in your “thought cabinet”.
During my last playthrough, I kind of ignored the thoughts and spent time improving my skills. When it came to the murder investigation, I did what I could to solve the murder and I feel I did it splendidly. By the time the credits rolled, I felt stunned by how good Disco Elysium truly is. While I solved the murder and arrested the person behind it all, I did not expect events to unfold the way they do.
What I really loved most about Disco Elysium was the constant battle that takes place inside of the detective. Almost every one of the Detective’s skills manifests themselves inside of his head and has a voice. Electrochemistry is the skill that drives you to give in to certain vices, whereas Volition is the force that compels you to complete the investigation and keeps you grounded.
There’s this wonderful moment while interrogating a witness where the Volition skill helps you realize that your other skills have been duped. The skill claims they’ve betrayed you and can no longer be trusted. Your volition drives you toward discovering what really happened, should you choose to listen to it. It’s an incredibly unique moment in the game because at no other time does something like this happen and the writing truly shines.
Being a heavily narrative-focused game, it feels impossible to talk about it in a way that doesn’t spoil anything. Even now I’m struggling to fully express my feelings about the game. It’s simple to say how much I love the game and it easily worked its way into my top five games of all time. I have played a lot of video games in my lifetime but nothing really comes close to Disco Elysium.
I realize this word keeps coming up but it’s such a unique experience that can’t merely be explained in simple terms. In all honesty, the way I’ve done so above makes the game sound pretty plain. However, it’s a game that really should not be spoiled, especially where the ending is concerned. It also feels like a crime to just simply use a general recommendation like, “Hey man, Disco Elysium is good. You should play it!”
It has been a couple of days since I finished the game and I’ve really just been chewing on the thought of it. Disco Elysium is a phenomenal game and one that is well worth experiencing. I truly hope that ZA/UM inspires more games based around tabletop gaming. If you played the game in 2019, I strongly suggest revisiting the game if only to experience the fully voiced dialogue. I just wish I knew how to explain how much of a masterpiece the game truly is.
