Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

The real creators of the game were stolen from. Do not buy this game if you want to support the real developers. It's a beautiful game but find another source. Do not purchase off Steam, that's for sure.

Game is a work of art, masterful writing. ZAUM on the other hand should be visited by luigi mangione for financially ruining the real developers of this game.

Game itself? Very Disco, very good. 11/10, one of best if not best stories in games I have played
Means of capital as CEO of ZA/UM destiny studio and stabbing creators of world and game in their backs? Not very Disco. Don't buy a game if you want to support it's creators

It took me a long time to get around to this game. There is just so 'much' to this game that it threw me off at first, but I finally finished it. There is no better game. It is devastating and beautiful. A tragic tale that forces you into the center of all the shit and makes you want to crawl out yourself. For yourself. Everyone should play this game, everyone should love this game.

Do not buy this game on steam, I hope I bought it before the creators were fucked over by their company and I hope they got the money the deserve, but apparently they've been betrayed and are no longer receiving funds here. Fuck that company, the creators are pure artists. Capitalism has fucked the Communists. Pour one out.

Basically a choose-your-adventure book combined with a political science and philosophy textbook... on super drugs. The game is essentially 100% dialogue, so don't come in expecting any RPG/strategy mechanics or anything action-based. If you don't mind a dialogue heavy experience, this game is a massive recommend. The writing is immaculate, and you have a lot of interesting choices in dialogue as the player as well. The player's attributes do matter in terms of succeeding in some checks, but they are far more important in influencing the dialogue you get and can say. The character writing is also great. Also, the game is drowning in political themes and discussion. If you like substantive critical analysis and discussion of politics and ideology, you will love this game.

I wish there were more games like this, but nothing seems to come close. Maybe that's part of its charm. This is a one of kind game.

Aside from the mess with the developing company, Disco Elysium is hands down one of the best RPG games I have ever played. The writers must be a mix of genius scholars, and hilarious comedians. Even after playing it multiple times, I found that each playthrough brought entirely new things.

This is the best game in the art world.

A game about art and heart taking a stand again corporate brutal-ism draws an unfortunate parallel in the real world.

Do not buy it, the company fired the guys who made it, cancelled the sequel and harasses the remaining staff.

“What remains at ZA/UM is a cold, careless company where managers wage war against their own creatives, where artistry is second to property, and where corporate strategy is formed by an arrogant disdain for their own audience.” - Dora Klindžić

"Ït's the people on top - the motherf*****s in sailing shows and bowties - that f****D HARRY, f****d Kim, f****d Robert, Rostov, Helen, Olga, Cash, f****d Elysium, f****d me and you. They are not artists, they are professional f****s."
ZA/UM will forever stay a one-game studio. The individuals of ZA/UM, the cultural movement, have left the corporate body behind like the King Cobra slithering out of its' dead skin.
Remember, we promised:
ONE DAY I WILL RETURN TO YOUR SIDE

Wow! What a game!

It starts off pretty slow, but once I got into the game, I was really into it! Like a (Dick Mullen) book you can't put down.

The game feels very thorough with a vast amount of dialogue and good voice acting, a lot of which is very amusing to listen to. There are so many choices that affect dialogue options and have consequences way later in the game. You can go with anything from trying to present yourself as a functional human being, to straight up an unhinged cop trying to solve a murder case.
I really felt like I was forging my own path, which makes me curious how different choices could've altered parts of the game.

The game paints up a fascinating world with plenty of lore explained as you explore it, and it kept surprising me with its length without overstaying its welcome!

I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a slow-paced game with a lot of dialogue and talking. There's not a lot of action. Instead the game brings a nice narrative experience where you feel like what you say and do matters.

I admit, I've procrastinated on writing this review. Part of that is the length of the game. Disco Elysium isn't a long game, per se, but it's long enough that I had to find time to play it from start to finish. Part of it is my own schedule. I played this game in November, during which I also did NaNoWriMo and wrote a full novel in a month, so, y'know, busy. Most of that procrastination, though, is me being intimidated by this review and what I can add to a discourse that has, at this point, been thoroughly had. Most elements have been picked apart by reviewers more adept than I, and the pure gameplay elements I usually discuss seem a bit meaningless beside the overall picture Disco Elysium presents. There is a conversation around this game, it's been had, and I am late to it, stumbling and stuttering as I struggle to interject a thought already long since said.

But I'm still here. I'm still writing about it. Because maybe there is something more to say.


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3378374058

For the precisely no one who is unfamiliar with Disco Elysium, yet still reading my reviews for some reason, Disco Elysium is a detective RPG. You play as Harry Dubois, an amnesiac detective tasked with solving the murder of a mysterious hanged man. He is joined by his partner, Kim Kitsuragi, as he investigates the murder, rediscovers himself, and reshapes the future of the district of Martinaise.

Disco Elysium is a non-violent (mostly) RPG, creating a fairly distinct style of gameplay. Rather than investing in combat skills or weapons, players invest in ways for Harry to approach the world and the thoughts he has about it. A player might choose to invest heavily in empathy at the expense of logic, or in pounding athleticism rather than perception. The choice, as the game's tagline suggests, is entirely what sort of cop the player wants to be, and how they choose to interact with the world around them.

Disco Elysium is also almost entirely text-based. While Harry does move around a beautiful landscape, the problems he faces and barriers he must overcome are text-based, using a set of invisible dice to resolve whether he has the skill to overcome a particular challenge. His interactions with the world are based on the conversations he has and what he says, with the player's choices informing who he ultimately becomes.

There's a lot within Disco Elysium that makes it clear why it's held in such high esteem. Its writing is some of the best writing in video games, with fleshed-out character after fleshed-out character filling Harry's world. Kim Kitsuragi alone is one of the best companions in the grand canon of video games, and he is one of many, many characters in Revachol. The world is lush and lived-in, and the ideas interesting to engage with. The history of the world is as much a character as any of the people, and Harry's grappling with it and placing himself within it as compelling as any relationship he builds with other people.

Similarly, the very feeling of playing the game is phenomenal. Both its artistic style and music do an incredible job of building the world and its emotion. The plaintive horns of British Sea Power hit me every single time I entered the square outside the Whirling-in-Rags, and I kept being delighted by it.

The sum of Disco Elysium's parts work together beautifully to create a masterful experience. The whole is greater than that sum, but even then, it's with the knowledge that each individual part is itself a masterpiece.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3378373893

The puzzle with Disco Elysium, then, is more of a meta one. This is a game with universal acclaim, that everyone agrees is a modern classic. And yet, despite that acclaim and despite the real desire on the part of the game-buying public for more Disco Elysium, ZA/UM has not produced another game. There is no true sequel to Disco Elysium. Indeed, ZA/UM itself has splintered, with the devs and writers responsible for Disco Elysium scattering out to a variety of new studios and a variety of new projects. Much of this splintering is specifically because of the success of Disco Elysium.

In many ways, the story of ZA/UM reflects the story of Harry Dubois. They were good at what they did, and they fell apart because of it. Also there were probably blonde ladies smelling of apricots involved, but I can't confirm that part.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3378374198

This is not to say that there are no successors to Disco Elysium, or that it hasn't had a lasting impact. Instead, it's fair to say that what made Disco Elysium so successful is also what makes it hard to reproduce, and arguably means its greater impact on games will be minimal, even while it remains one of the greatest games of all time.

There are successors to Disco Elysium, games that likely owe their existence to the ground Disco Elysium broke. Games like Citizen Sleeper are very much games in the same vein as Disco Elysium, with a rich world explored through text, and a layered, living backstory that needs to be understood for the story to make sense. However much I love these games, though, they don't have a large impact on the industry. Instead, they remain indie darlings and cult favourites, games that everyone who plays them agrees are amazing, but whose success is based on criteria that don't appeal to a more general audience.

Disco Elysium has a long tail, but it is a shallow one, lapping up against games that might never have otherwise succeeded, but drenching them when it does find them.

This is the conversation that still remains about Disco Elysium. It's this conversation about its legacy, why it's complex, and why it's shallow. It's that conversation about what it takes to move the needle in an industry consolidating around the most profitable ventures to the exclusion of games like this one, and how, even when a game like Disco Elysium is successful, it's almost an act of self-sabotage.

Disco Elysium is an incredible game. I wish there were more like it, but equally, I understand why there aren't.

Developer: ZA/UM
Genre: RPG
Year: 2019
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Game length: 20 hours

If you enjoyed this review, check out my other reviews and my curator page. Thanks for reading!

A cynical and beautiful and hilarious and heart-wrenching game with no flaws but its management. Don't support this game, don't spend money on it but play it in whatever way you can. The creative minds behind this game will not get compensated if you pay for this game, only the greedy studio will.

To be honest i don't write a lot of reviews but this game, wow it honestly blew my mind! When i first played it i didn't know what to expect and it can be hard to figure out at first but after a while you get the hang of it. The Characters are so unique and fleshed out its crazy. every character has its own personality and it so great. The main character is also so good! Gotta give this game a 9/10 for its storyline!

Good but weird. Its hard to describe what it's like without actually playing it. Its enjoyable but it feels like there should be more to it. Story is very interesting and engaging! The gameplay systems are super interesting if you go and read them all for world-building. Sadly, they are not as engaging in practice. Traversal is ass, straight up.

SAVE EVERY TIME YOU MAKE A DECISION. There is a very minor bug every once in a while if the game has been on for a couple hours. It makes it to where you can't do anything but move, and interactions wont work.

I'll keep this brief.
I like the idea. Very very much.
But JUST can't stand the execution.

The game is very morbid, very damp, very raw and it made me feel like trash. The internal and all dialogue, in fact, are very, very well written, don't get me wrong, but it's just so depressing to read and listen to the musings of a degenerative mind that.. I have enough of that in my own life.

This is coming from someone who likes high difficulty levels and challenges and I really like the setting of depressive worlds, but this game is for masochists.
No judgement. No rating, play at your own risk, I know it's highly regarded, but for sure this isn't for everyone.

Oh yeah, don't buy this game.

True art in video game fashion. Long before development on this game started, long before the developer company was created, Elysium was conceived from a teenager who created his own DnD world to play with his friends. As an adult he became an author, writing about the world he'd created, only to see that his work wasn't successful. His children told him it's because he's writing books, and nobody wants to read books anymore. They told him that he should make a game. ZA/UM, when it was established, was comprised of that same group of kids playing DnD whom afterwards became an art collective; they came together to bring Elysium to life.
I genuinely feel like the fact this game exists is a miracle in itself.
This game sets out to accomplish many different things in one package and it succeeds at 95% of it: writing, artwork, music, story, world building & lore, voice acting, and more I must be forgetting. The further you get into this game, the more you understand, the better it all gets. This game wasn't at it's best when it first came out, but the Final Cut had a lot of rewriting that pushed the game into a better direction. Before the og devs were legally strongarmed out, they revised and worked to make this game perfect as they could. This is an experience that everyone is going to have a different understanding of. I don't want to say much because it is intended that you know nothing going into this, I wouldn't reccomend looking at the steam videos either. This game is truly special, and we'd be lucky to see another like it in our lifetimes. We'll see what the four diasporas have to offer, but Elysium is finished. Gaming's greatest one hit wonder. Pirate it.

This game is a work of art that should absoutly be played by everyone however i can not reccamond people offically buy it like I did. The game was stolen from its origional creators by people defrauding company funds to buy a controlling share and then booting the people who actually made this. Buy from shared resources do not give this thing wearing Za/um's corpse money

This game is beautiful, and worth your time.

I will play through this game, which is short relative to other RPGs, every year. Eventually there will be a year that I forget, and will never play this game again. Eventually I will not remember this game, its story, or its characters. I will, however, have been permanently improved by this game.
I cannot imagine any other set of 20 hours being more beneficial than a single playthrough of Disco Elysium.

Plays great on SteamDeck by the way.

Disco Elysium is an RPG game that delineates the detective story of an amnesiac police officer and his partner, Kim Kitsuragi, as they trace the evidence of a hanging corpse over a tree.

Throughout this process, our protagonist gradually recovers his memory regarding his name, background,and the equipment his possesses as a police officer. However, this game strikes a profound chord relating to an economically and culturally melancholic circumstance. Political attitudes such as communism liberalism, monarchism and fascism blend with various social forces like labor union, foreign corporation, government, and international organizations, creating a cultural landscape filled with depression based on fictional historical events and the nostalgic disco of bygone eras, reflecting a pessimistic present and a prosperity ever haunting.

Everyone can cast their own reflections in this hardboiled detective story, resonating with the Leonard Cohen-style songs our protagonist sings (if your are lucky). Ultimately, we return to a depiction of post-Soviet capitalism where human affairs echo Dostoevsky's volumes, as Faulkner wrote,"Between grief and nothing, I will take grief."

A fantastic homage to ttrpgs, point and click adventure games and crime thrillers. The writing and characters are excellent. If you have the patience, I highly suggest it.

Game was stolen from the devs via hostile takeover, the current company is a shell of what it was and they're stealing all the profits.

I LOVE this game SO MUCH but I cannot in my right mind recommend you buy it from za/um knowing the history of its development. I got it on a very good sale when I didn't yet know, so I'm happy I didn't put more money in these people's pockets. for the love of everything, play this game, but NOT from these publishers. seriously, it will change your life. Disco Elysium lives in my mind rent-free now

One of the most unique, replayable, story rich RPG's I've ever played. Everyone should give Disco a whirl. Some of the funniest, most touching, sad, disturbing, screwed up, mind expanding scenes I've ever experienced in a game. Unlike anything else I've ever played. Top five games of all time, honestly. I'll replay this one several more times at the very least, there's just so many things that effect the story in fun ways, especially failed skill checks. Go extreme with your initial build, max out one of the categories. You'll be glad you did.

Really enjoyed the story and concept of the game. Kim for the win!

ZAUM is run by a scumbag of a CEO whom i wish all the worst, but the game itself was made by talented and passionate people whole pour their souls and love into it and it shows

Disco Elysium is an amazing game with a unique take on noir, life, level-up, and RPG.

The production value is invaluable, the story will require you to take your guts and heart with your full hands.

Play it, love it, and be inspired by it.

TL;DR: This is a well made piece of interactive fiction with a cool, uncommon art style. For people who like reading it's one of those must-play games that defines a genre!


Now, for a more nuanced review:

In Disco Elysium, you play as an amnesiac, alcohol and drug addicted detective who is trying to solve a murder in a run-down harbor.

The game is played through a series of conversations with many, many options. In between talking to people (and yourself) in your detective work, can explore the harbor district of the city through a isometric perspective, and will encounter challenges that are completed through skill checks -- die rolls based on your character's skills that must exceed a target number to succeed.

There's a lot that Disco Elysium does right -- The story is very engaging, gives you tons of agency, and you become pretty invested in what happens to the characters. Very few times have I wanted to hold my bladder to keep reading and see what happens. Disco Elysium has given me the most of those moments in my life.

The presentation is beautiful and stands out from lots of other games nowadays that try for the typical popular anime, dark fantasy, or cozy styles. The art resonates with the themes of the writing; the post-revolution, washed-up malaise is felt in every bit of this game's presentation. The music accompanying all of this is distant and atmospheric, taking a backseat to the high-quality voice acting. The rich. deep voice of the narrator is consistently good and worth noting.

Now most RPGs will give you decisions on how you want to approach the evil wizard, romance the princess, or haggle with a shopkeeper. Disco Elysium is not most RPGs. A core mechanic is ideology, of all things. What your character believes in. Are you a communist? A moralist? A neoliberal? A fascist? This is a very strange thing for an RPG like this to try, but there are dialogue options throughout the game that allow you to pursue a political ideology during your detective work.

I'm all for crazy, fun, and entertaining ideas in a game like this. I think it works in the capacity of "Haha that's funny", but I get the impression that the developers were pretty serious about implementing this mechanic. They have spoken before that they have subscribed to the ideologies of Marx and Engels and have created this game as a result. Especially after finishing the game, the communist themes of the game are very prevalent. It feels like if I want to be a communist, the dialogues options to be a communist are framed as morally good and upstanding, and I'm assuming that's due to the biases of the writers. What this also means is that there's clearly veiled contempt for other political ideologies all throughout the game. Most of the neoliberal dialogue options just make you sound like a douchebag, and being a centrist, you still are considered "part of the problem".

I still had a very good experience with this game by not taking it too seriously and just enjoying the characters, but even while Disco Elysium does give you a unique opportunity to express yourself, it waves its finger at you and moralizes to you about why you're wrong or doesn't let you be as precise as you'd like. It's either revolutionary communist, or evil, capitalist fat-cat.

All this being said, it's still a great game, and does its messaging better than lots of other games made by progressives. Please try it out. A full recommendation from me!

This is one of my all time favorite games, and one of the best-written RPGs I’ve ever played, with phenomenal worldbuilding, a compelling cast, great soundtrack, and an innovative approach to dialogue focused gameplay. A true spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, avoiding the pitfalls of that game by forgoing a combat system completely.

You play as a detective waking up in a trashed hotel room with no memory of who or what you are, after a destructive, drug fueled bender. Tasked with solving a murder, the game ultimately isn’t about the investigation, but your character’s personal journey. You’re not a hero or a chosen one, you’re a broken, chaotic mess of a man, and it’s up to you whether to piece yourself together, or drown yourself in alcohol, drugs, and self-delusions.

A core part of the game is its skill system, with each skill representing facets of your characters physical and mental attributes, like you might expect from any half-decent RPG, but with the additional layer of each skill acting as voices in the characters head. Each skill is essentially a character in their own right, and the more you level it up, the more input it will have in dialogue. Put enough points into Inland Empire, for example, the skill representing ones imagination, and you will be able to talk to your necktie. Different builds in this game will drastically change what skills you will interact with in dialogue.

The game is built around the concept of failing forward, even if you fail a skill check, there is still a path to progression, and failure can often lead to a better or more entertaining outcome. I've never felt the need to savescum in the game. Some of the most impactful moments in the game were a direct result of me failing a skillcheck.

I don't think I have played a game that has drawn such a wide range of emotions out of me. It’s one of the funniest games I’ve ever played, but it also hits you with gut-wrenching moments of dread and heartbreak. Even if you don’t share the protagonist’s struggles, there are plenty of painfully relatable moments.

Disco Elysium is an absolute must play for anyone who loves deeply nuanced RPGs, with rich character progression, and incredible writing. It’s pretentious, unapologetically political, and absolutely up its own ass, but that is all very much part of the charm. Even if you have no real interest in politics like me, the game’s deeply human story and innovative systems still makes for an absolutely unforgettable experience. It is a game that sticks with you long after it’s over, and I can’t recommend it enough.

This is my first review, and I feel compelled to share my thoughts because Disco Elysium is one of those rare games that really makes you think. It's not your typical RPG, and it's unlike anything I've played before. If you're looking for a traditional action game, this might not be for you. But if you’re open to something different something more focused on story and choice then this game is worth your time.

What I like about DE is that there are no “right” answers, you’re allowed to be as idealistic or as cynical as you want. The game really lets you shape your character’s personality through your choices, and the dialogue reflects that. It’s a lot more about conversation and internal conflict than about solving puzzles or fighting enemies. You really feel immersed and often times you feel like you're a real somewhat f-ed up Detective.

10/10

A Captivating RPG For Those That Appreciate Good Writing and Character Expression

this really is one of those games that changes something in you after playing it. it's worth EVERY hour spent in it, even more - you WANT to spend as many hours as possible. it breaks your soul, glues it back together, gives you something to think about, and becomes a light in the darkness. no other game has ever made me feel something like this. disco elysium is magical, in everything: from the music to the gathering of people it has gathered around it. the game of the century.

I'm not usually someone to play any type of video game. I grew out of playing video games once I hit age 11 and decided to focus on other things.

This is the first video game since then to have completely enraptured me in its story telling, not to mention somewhat pull me out of a depressive state.

The narrative, writing style(!!!!!!!!!), voice acting, art style(!!!!!!!!!!), the little details, the sounds, the music, etc. Every character is so incredibly human. I've gotten a little emotional about this game and some of my friends (especially those with depression and/or substance use disorders) have shed tears. This game is raw and it makes you think about all of the little voices in your head and the way you and other people work. I haven't met a single person who hasn't thought about themselves and the world through the narration and writing style after playing it.

I think everyone can find something to enjoy about this game, but if you're someone who loves thinking about how humans work, I would HIGHLY recommend playing this game. The only reason I'd say "STAY AWAY" is if you want to play a game where you don't have to think.

"In the dark times, should the stars also go out?"
Beautifully written game. No matter how bleak the future is, there is still hope and life in it.
Do it for the working class, for true love, for the freedom of humanity.

Inside Out walked so that Disco Elysium could run.

The game tells the story of a drunk, amnesiac police lieutenant DuBois with his partner, the stoic no-nonsense Kim Kitsuragi having to solve the case of a reported lynching near a hostel, only falling down a deep rabbit hole once they investigate further. The writing in Disco Elysium is outstanding, not just in RPG, but in all of games;
the story of the game is quite thrilling and does use plot twists accordingly to advance the story and reach it to its conclusion, while also subverting some of the tropes of police procedural series, it is pretty original for an RPG to play detective. The themes of starting over, working hard to see the end, not giving in to despair, reconciliation and above all, dealing with failure wind throughout the game which gives it a genuinely mature feel.

Disco Elysium is a very, very political game, several times pointing to how the gears of politics not many are interested in shape the world and each nation and group's place within it. Instead of a good/bad moral stance, it is instead a political stance that are decided through conversations and although all worldviews are treated with intense scrutiny and criticism, are given nuance, so keep that in mind when you talk to someone.

The characters in this game are some of the best and most developed I've seen, with the two main characters, Mr. DuBois and Kim might as well being as iconic (and kind of reminiscent of) Holmes and Watson;
and the game doesn't stop there, every character, major or minor, has something distinct, each having their own complexities and struggles, having to deal with their views on you and the world, and ways you can get them to open up about the case and reveal the depths they're hiding, in that you feel very immersed in the game's setting. The characters don't feel like props put to a game for the story to progress, they feel like actual people with their own things happening in their lives. The voice-acting as well is done with great effort and since The Final Cut makes the game fully-voiced, it prospers.

The worldbuilding is one of the best, hands down. Taking place in a large but rundown city of Revachol put under a strict international military occupation following an attempt at a revolution, giving a rather powerful backdrop to the happenings you encounter along the way, the lynching becoming a small piece of puzzle in a much wider set, the world being reminiscent of ZA/UM's Estonian origins and its post-Soviet socioeconomic landscape. The developers spared no effort at creating a colossally-detailed world, with its own vocabulary, history and progression, yet very similar to our own, giving it an alien but familiar look that creates a wonderful mix of feeling like you're there.

It helps with the very good handling of the exposition, DuBois suffering from amnesia serves himself as a surrogate for the audience introducing the concepts slowly through the dialogue or the thoughts in his head, one is quite motivated latching for more information about Elysium by searching every room or investing in Encyclopedia skill to hear what a "radiocomputer" is. At the least showing the potential in setting in an different world that doesn't need to be Sci-Fi or Fantasy.

The visuals here do show the priorities set, the in-game 3D models are pretty flat with primitive movements, but is more than made up with the beyond moving artwork by lead artist Alexander Rostov.
The game's art style is incredibly distinct in that it doesn't look like a painting done on a frame or tablet, but a mural on the walls of rusted buildings, the game's landscape has a very painted-on look to it like you're walking on an interactive panoramic masterpiece, meanwhile the portrait of characters feels like commissioned portraits worthy of ending up on the museum, each one having different motives to it and what they feel.

I told a lot about the design in the story, but what about the actual gameplay...

The gameplay of Disco Elysium is... not that good. While staying true to the pen-and-paper RPGs and to me, it doesn't really translate well into a computer game partly due to lack of real action on screen. I will say it is very unique, rather than levelling up your weapons and armour to attack more enemies, you level up your inner thoughts that serve as your party members that guide you to a satisfactory outcome when talking to people, with a sufficient level passing a check where you can hear its thoughts.
For example, Rhetoric helping you see what are they trying to say and helping you better convince them, or Inland Empire making you have conversations with things that can't talk; crafting an extensive and thrilling game of shoulder angels. The skill levels are also capped to encourage replay value.
The issue comes from how it's not really balanced, most of actions occur in INT field so focusing on other fields can lock you out of many quests.
Then there are the checks, roll a dice and see if it advances the plot. While care is given to cases where the check is failed since the game is about accepting it,, you'd rather want the best outcome like in any other game and one could be pushed into save-and-loading over and over to get it, which kind of pushes down the enjoyability.

The good thing is that the checks can be curved by completing side-quests but not all; will say, even the side-quests are very engaging and can have twists of their own, even a minor one like finding and recovering a corpse on a boardwalk has its own share of gravitas. Problem came when it piled quests on me at the beginning and gave nothing to do with them until later, a thing that made me feel under pressure and got me to put the game off for a few months.
Either way, it is a game without much action with combat mechanics not existing, making it more like an interactive Poirot novel than what you expect for a game. If you're familiar with pen-and-paper, you'll probably enjoy this game a lot more, most of my issues with the gameplay come more from my particular distaste in RPG anyway.

The music, well, just by exiting the first building you're in, you start to get greeted by the game's distinguishable score. It goes in several places, whether the gloomy "Instrument of Surrender" or the Pop-y "Whirling-In-Rags" or the gratifying "La Revacholiere", it stays in your head. Just the soundtrack alone has its place in games history. Honestly, with a name like "Disco Elysium", I was expecting Disco music.

Conclusion:
+:Deep and complex characters, amazing and emotional artwork, otherworldly worldbuilding, engaging story, great voice-acting, distinct and beautiful music.
-: Gameplay is barren at best, frustrating at worst, slow and badly-paced beginning.

Disco Elysium has its flaws, but they can be forgiven easily by the marvelous might of its storytelling and the art direction. The game may not be great to play, but it is extraordinary to look and hear, and with that ends up as the one game I can hold to prove computer games are an art form. While it had its humble beginnings, it truly ends up as one of the greatest indie games ever made, standing on the shoulders with Cave Story, Papers Please, Undertale, Cuphead and such.

An experience that can't be put into words.
Just press start and roll with it without guides and experience it cause hollyyy

Once in a generation, important piece of art. By all accounts, it shouldn't exist. But here it is and it's the best written game of at least the last 15 years.

a philosophical game for tough times, and a beautiful yet haunting world unfolding before you as you play.

This is the best game ever made.

I do not say this lightly. This game touches your soul. You will laugh and you will cry. You will see your own life experiences reflected in this game.

It is real art, and it makes the artistic ambitions of rest of the games industry look trite and amateurish by comparison.

It is an achievement.
Disco Elysium is lighting in a bottle that likely won't ever be replicated.

very good game but dont buy it, what happened to the game's developers is very unfortunate and i advise you look into it

This game is an absolute gem. I have a hard time putting it into words, it's so good. The artstyle is stunning, yet timeless. Every frame looks like a watercolor painting. Any time the game tries to be funny, every single one of its jokes land. How the world reacts to you as a character varies, and you can never fully predict what an interaction will give you. It'll try make you laugh at Raphael's antics in one moment, and try to make your heart wrench 5 minutes later as you learn a depressing fact about the person you're interacting with, Kim, or even yourself.

People say they don't like the game because of how political it is, or how much you have to read in order to really take in the world and its characters. I guarantee, though, 9 out of the 10 people that say things like that immediately go on to Twitter and doomscroll for the 10th time that week.

The world of Disco is robust, each one of its characters feels deeper than the Grand Canyon, and the writing is always witty, thought-provoking, or gut-wrenching, whichever one it tries to do in an interaction. Your skills and the way they talk to you can change how you go about solving task, and the density of all the different ways skills can talk to you must have taken years alone to think about, write, and program in. This game is just a masterpiece in every definition of the word. 11/10

Disco Elysium... Where do I begin?

This is a game I picked up shortly after playing "Return of the Obra Denn,". Fans of detective and narrative-driven (or, indie) games know this game well. And, by 'shortly after,' I mean nearly a year later- when I was ready to have my soul crushed by a notoriously well-written detective game. The way the genre can, with precise execution, lull you into your own mind and access your 'deeper' subconscious, is beyond incredible- though it takes careful execution.

Disco Elysium is criminal in its ability to perform this delicate surgery into the inner psyche.

With that being said, I hope to encourage others to delve into this venture, without too much detail or hyperbole. This review will be, mostly, emotional- with some semblance of logic and nuance sprinkled in, but take it knowing that I have come to deeply appreciate this game. TL;DR at the bottom.

I purchased this game 5 months ago- it took me that long to boot up the game, in part to the working-man hours that consume my day and in part to the fear of internal turmoil that might be brought upon a game-adjacent mystery-genre counterpart I had graciously stumbled upon a year prior (that still sticks with me, soundtrack, story, concept and execution alike). Run-on sentences aside, the point I am trying to make is that I waited a long time to play this game. Four years after it's final release, one year after my acknowledgement of its existence, and months after it's purchase (which, I should say, was in knowing no more than its genre, discount, and high-praise), I am happy to conclude that forty-five-point-eight hours from one week ago, I am delightfully finished with my first playthrough. I am also in a loose state of distraught, closure, and satisfaction, with other emotions still muddling in the mix (written, here, mere-minutes after completion).

This game is a king of the role-playing detective genre: it dominates in world building, excels in writing and art-style, and evokes the emotions and misery of the situation unveiled before our protagonist. The best on-the-nose comparison to this game is the decision-making of 'Divinity: Original Sin 2,' (or, Baldur's Gate 3) coupled with the writing and art-direction of the best walking-sim game you can think of; even this descriptor does not do the game justice. The writing cannot be better written, as I am sure many other reviews have noted, but if reading is a drag to you, fear not- the voice-acting is phenomenal, truly setting the tone for the game.

Though niche, I feel as though I should touch on it, as it is a major reason why this game connected to me. This game hits a tight spot in the nerves. It hits home on some, likely-too-common feelings, relatable to some but perhaps not many. It hits on that sore, sore spot, hard. It feels strong. This feeling, I hated, but quite enjoyed- if you've felt this sequence of emotions, then you know what I mean. You may get something out of this game deeper than the surface it presents, which, on it's own, is worth investing time in. If you want to feel that tight and dry sensation in your throat and warm streaks down your face, then this is the game for you, you hopeless romantic.

TL;DR:

With a more objective lens, this game delivers well on story, art, gameplay and execution. Overall, the game tells a story far grander than it's birds-eye focus. World building is immense, but not overwhelming- contained, yet not limited or trivial. The characters feel alive and the destination feels real: both important factors for making your actions feel fully-realized. This game presents moral quandaries as more than mere arbitrary inputs, but as important decisions cascading from personal truth. This is a thought provoking game, made with immense love and profound consideration.

Even now, there are decisions I wish I had made- or, decisions I wish I had not made, still residing with feelings of regret at my own lapse in judgment. The only decision I can confidently say was the correct one, was investing my time in this masterpiece of art.

Holds a story that changed the way I perceive storytelling. Deep dystopia with interesting parallels to the real world that are fascinating to connect. Unique characters that differentiate themselves from each other with well-crafted designs and dialogue. Profound interweaving of political ideas and literary themes into the medium. Excellent, engaging writing. Such good writing. Literally the best videogame writing I've ever seen. Engaging gameplay loop, and a knockout ending to boot. Worth every penny and at the top of my recommendations for anyone. A true must-play

Holy hell. Probably the most in depth RPG I've played to date. More of a piece of art than game, yet still a phenomenal game and commentary on social structures of real life as well as certain game tropes.

The only issue I myself came across was the voice over sometimes not aligning with the text, but honestly, with how many lines and variations of lines this game has, it is entirely fair to have an oversight here or there.

A masterful and finely crafted piece of work. Highly recommended.

Incredible game. Has great writing, humour, voice acting, art style, everything. However it requires a lot of reading, so if you are, very, very allergic to books - wouldn't recommend. Otherwise though, I could see how this could get a person into reading books.
Also I would recommend pirating it because the game was stolen from the devs

I won't be able to eloquently put my thoughts about Disco Elysium into this review. The writing of the story is as engaging as it gets, you'll hear this game often compared to the video game equivalent of a novel and this game is just as "page turning" as the best of novels.

RIP neck tie, you'll be missed bratan

Whilst I definitely recommend everyone to play Disco Elysium, I want to give a slightly more nuanced take on the game.

This game has probably got the best writing of any game I have played.
The visuals are fitting, the music always appropriate and tuned perfectly for the setting, the gameplay extremely interesting and a story captivating.
From all of the above this seems like a perfect game, doesn't it?

Well it is for the most part, but I want to give you the opinion of an adult that that has a lot of daily responsibilities... I actually struggled getting through this game. Not because I didn't like it but because I found this game to be heavy... To be appreciated to its fullest you must give this game all of your attention and as an adult with a full time job that is draining I found this to be very difficult as I could not dedicate the time I think this game deserves.
As you can see, I have 90 hours in it. This is way more than you need to finish this game, however I started playing it once and abandoned it when there was turmoil in my life and by the time I had the mental capacity to play it again I decided to restart as I had forgotten most of what I had experienced.

Having finished the game today... I love it. A lot of games these days are flashy and fun for a little bit but just dont have much substance, whilst Disco Elysium is the polar opposite of that.
This game made me feel things, which is not something most games can achieve for me these days.

Looking past the poor practices at ZA/UM studios (I think this is something all people playing this should be aware of), I think this is a brilliant game and everyone who likes gaming should try this game out, just dont expect it to be a light background game you can pay little attention to, at least if you want to fully experience what it offers.

Firstly, If you are thinking of buying this game or you just found it, you are probably thinking, do I really want this?

The answer is, "It depends".

So what firstly, what kind of game is Disco Elysium?

Disco Elysium is not a game in the modern sense, its much rather an interactive story with point and click adventure mechanics.

Does this detract from Disco Elysium as an experience? No, it does not.

So what makes this game unique? Why is it so highly regarded?

Disco Elysium is good, not because its story is unique and "beyond this world" like some individuals might imply. It's good because the game presents an environment filled with detailed and voice acted characters, which helps the player connect with the world presented to them.

That's the charm with Disco Elysium.

It's clearly a game that had a fair amount of resources put into it, like voice actors, which gives the story that punch that really pushes what might be seen as a above average story, to something immersive and in some cases relatable.

So what is this story?

You play a detective who awakes in the town of Martinaise, a depressed rundown war-torn backwater in the middle of some political strife.

The game itself is probably around 15-25 hours long, depending how slowly or quickly you can run through the dialogue, to which there is several books worth.

The core gameplay is essentially completing tasks which can be found through dialogue. You progress through the game either by going through dialogue, exploration or "investigation" (essentially a mix of the first 2).

Also, don't expect to solve the mystery right away, the game is scripted and you are going to reach "the outcome" of the story no matter what you do.

It's the dialogue and how you develop your character that change.

This is the meat of the game and is probably why its highly regarded. There are many characters, all whom have their own outlook on the world, to which many present you their personal politics and beliefs.

However,
The game is, lets say, quite political at times, and it certainly encourages a lot of philosophical thought and self-debate about ideas and politics. It doesn't try to indoctrinate the player into subscribing into any line of political thought. It simply presents and encourages thinking in a political space that is totally disconnected to our world and our dialogue of politics. The same ideologies are there, albeit in different words but the struggles remain.

This will be reflected through your character, as you can opt for certain lines of political thought, or you can just go disco style.

So, Is it worth playing?

I would personally say, yes but I did struggle to get into the game when i bought it at the start, because quite frankly, I didn't know what I was really getting into, and the reviews presenting the game as "life changing" certainly didn't helped matters either.

It can be slow and tedious at times, I certainly was thinking, what am I doing now? Where am I supposed to go? Gameplay wise, it slightly falls apart by Tuesday, when the dialogue runs out and you met all the characters you can interact with, and on Wednesday when you can access the other part of the map, it feels large and barren, and there isn't as much to interact with and so it gets slightly boring.

I personally think this goes to show how good the voice acting is and when that stops, Disco Elysium's shortcomings become more apparent.

So to summarise, It's a point and click adventure to which text makes up the entire meat of the game. The story is average, its a typical drunk, hit the bottom kind of detective and his side-kick partner trying to solve a murder. There are curveballs and twists as any story has. But really, the magic is in the voice acting and dialogue which really sets the game apart from others. I mean, imagine Suzerain with fully voiced dialogue, people would probably call that a political story masterpiece perhaps?

This is hopefully a more accurate and honest reflection of what the game is. I'd highly recommend it, and it certainly has been insightful, but please don't be fooled by people who go slightly overboard with the positive reviews, to which they abandon all nuance.

After all, this game is all about nuance.

Disco Elysium is such a special game, nothing quite like it on the market. The final cut adds so much QoL (quality of life). This game is designed in such a smart way and you will be hooked right from the start in the mystery plot. Replayability is good because you can make so many decisions and different directions to explore. A dark and gritty game with a good detective story and flawed characters. Some decisions can be frustrating since the game is very unforgiving, so I ended up having to reload a few times when I screwed up in ways that made it hard to come back, but I do enjoy the storytelling so much. The gameplay is simple but the RPG aspects with choices and the vibe of the world and detective setting is super cool. The artstyle is interesting and fits well. The voice acting is really good and it is very impressive how much work has gone into this product. Well worth playing, a true gem. This is a game you will remember long after playing it.

Took me a while to get into it but I couldn't get enough once I was a couple hours deep. Has a great narrative that, while it has heavy political overtones, is ultimately a really poignant statement about history and how tightly we allow ourselves to be constricted by it. Explores this brilliantly through the protagonist's personal journey as well as the central case itself.

Gameplay is relatively simple but extremely dynamic. Never felt the need to save-scum skill checks because there was always another way around a given problem -- someone else to side with, some other apparatus to pry at. I'll save the alternate outcomes for a second playthrough. Wish the fast travel was less restricted though.

Anyway, fuck ZA/UM.

exceedingly frustrating. tried playing this game half a dozen times over the years and everytime I just end up frustrated before even getting away from the dead body completely.

none of the positive reviews of this game say the word "fun" for a reason. if you play games to have fun, think twice before playing!

bcak in my day (i am 32) games were like "whta if u were a taxi driver and u had to drive real fast". oh how the times have changed! you dont even drive a single taxi in this game (probably).