Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

One of the best pieces of character drama written in a video game. VGs rarely have good writing. Most being barely better quality than an airport novel in terms of depth, intrigue, and drama. Seemingly unassuming, the -- at times, silly -- narrative of Disco Elysium punches way above its weight class and fells a Goliath.

Too bad not a dime spent purchasing this game will go to the people who've developed it. Yes, the developers have been forced out due to an investor coup and will not see the money you spend on their game. Please understand my non-recommendation.

They kicked out the devs and writers of this game for financial reasons now no one involved in the creation of it gets a single dime if we purchase it, and they said they don't mind if we pirate it. You know what to do.

sat on a slightly uncomfortable chair and killed myself
10/10 game

If you have the patience, this could be the greatest game you could ever play

If you know the outlines about DE'S story, you would consider it a "who did it" or "find the killer" kind of story but it isn't and it doesn't try to be one. Yes you investigate a murder but that's where it ends. It's more about dealing with one's past and all the decisions they took on the way to be where they are today. When I think about the world of this game, I realise how realistic it is. It's just different people in a shit world acknowledging its shitty and still trying to live their best lives and be happy, they are flawed just like us and trying to to find hope and joy. The town this game takes place in doesn't feel like a fictional town filled with fictional npcs.

You meet different people who have different outlook and opinions on things which you can learn more about if you do sidequests which will also teach you more about the history of the world and what the town has went through. To me disco elysium is about introspection about the burden of one's past, accepting your faults and improve for the better. The MC is self destructive and suicidal who uses drugs and alcohol as sources of escapism to cope.

This game also has a reputation of having heavy political themes, which it does have but it doesn't expect you to know about them. Like me, you could have zero knowledge about political ideologies and still love the game. Although I would still recommend to learn a bit about some which imo can enhance ur experience a lot.

The gameplay or lack thereof will turn off many people and which is why it requires A LOT of patience to not skip through very long dialogues. The ending can be a bit disappointing if u expect to play a murder mystery.

Disco Elysium is a character driven game which focuses on the journey rather than the climax. The world building of disco elysium is awesome, most players like me will miss out on certain details of how the world actually works which are tied to certain sidequests, which certainly would require a 2nd playthrough.

Disco Elysium is one of the best games I have ever played, it is thought provoking, comedic, engaging, and beautiful, simply a game that everyone needs to play.
But there is one enormous problem.
The studio behind this game is incredibly corrupt, they had fired all the people who created and helped make this game so special, if one was to purchase this game, none of the money they'd spend would go to the people who put all their effort in creating this game, when I found this out, I had already beaten the game. I'm not going to give a link, but there are places on the internet/social media where people had given free access to the game, the developers themselves encourage piracy of this game.
Overall, everyone needs to play this game, however it has a very complicated and messed up situation, if this situation is ever fixed, I would absolutely recommend it, but because it is not at the time of this review, I cannot recommend PURCHASING this video game.

I'd recommend this game, but not exactly sure why. I am 14 hours in and still very confused. So far, the only thing I know for sure are drugs are good, and don't try to turn the light on at the beginning or you'll die.

"There is an almost unanimous agreement between the birds and the plants that you are going to destroy us all."
- Insulindian Phasmid

So this game got stolen by the company aka greedy capitalist pigs and fired the people who worked on this game and it was pretty bad involving fraud and other dirty tricks. I only learned about the situation after I bought this game. Do not buy the game and do not give them a single cent.

This is my favorite game. The writing and world building are a cut above the rest. But do not give your money to the people that stole from us the chance for a sequel made by the original developers. Pirate this game.

This game is absolutely phenomenal. One of the best games I have ever played.

It oozes with passion. The art is inspired, the writing is witty and fun, the world building is dense and thoughtful, the music is wonderful, the characters and interactions are interesting and fun and chaotic and empathetic.

The game plays like a big DnD campaign, or a Murder Mystery. The game rewards you for thinking outside of the box. The game will poke fun at you, no matter what kind of ideologies you believe in. The game is simultaneously light-hearted and incredibly thought-provoking and deep. The game has given you a world with a million different possibilities and it wants to to go have fun and make all sorts of fun and outrageous choices.

Before you purchase the game on Steam, I encourage you to first read up about the controversies surrounding it's publishing and who is actually getting the money that the artists and developers deserve. Unfortunately, I only learnt about these things after purchasing.

Regardless, as a stand alone art piece, this game will go down as one of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences I have ever had in a game. 10 / 10.

The best RPG game where you can laugh from the dialogues. The variability of the game is simply off the charts. I never found my gun

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. I purchased Disco Elysium before I knew the full story behind its development. The original creators(the people who poured their souls into this game)had it stolen from them by the studio. If you haven’t bought it yet, I urge you to look into what happened and reconsider supporting the company that took it away from them.

That being said, I can’t pretend Disco Elysium didn’t change something in me. This game is more than just writing or mechanics or the funny pretentious communist game men on the internet will make you think it is; it’s a deeply human, painful, and strangely beautiful experience. It’s about failure, about history weighing down on you, about trying to make sense of a world that has long since stopped making sense.

It’s a philosophical crisis, a political reckoning, and a personal tragedy all at once. It understands self-destruction better than most stories even try to, and yet, buried beneath all of it, there is still something resembling hope but only if you choose to see it.

The game lets you spiral, rebuild, deny, or embrace the truth in a way that feels more real than most games ever do. And it doesn’t give you easy answers. It leaves you wondering whether anything you did mattered, whether change is possible, whether history is something you can ever outrun.

I love Disco Elysium deeply. But I can’t recommend giving money to the people who wronged its creators. Look into the story behind the game. And if you must play it, find another way.

This is such a beautiful and heartfelt game. Unfortunately, the publisher has stolen the IP from the original creators, and as such I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone giving money to ZA/UM.

The game is amazing and I would have recommended it if not for ZA/UM's absolutely despicape treatment to the devs. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY, PLEASE.

Be really messed up if corporate suits stole this game right out of the hardworking dev's noses. Be even more messed up if the only ethical thing to do would be to look this game up on the Internet Archive instead of giving money to corporate bloodsuckers.

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, PIRATE IT INSTEAD! ZA/UM is a bad company who puts the dev into homelessness. Pirate it instead and then donate to the devs. A GoFundMe has been made with the title "Help Disco Elysium Writer Survive the Winter".

Easily one of the best games ever made, BUT DON'T BUY IT, ZA/UM LITERALLY STOLEN THE GAME FROM ITS ORIGINAL CREATORS.

These thieves don't deserve your money.

This is probably one of the best rpg games you'll every play, a combination of amazing music, worldbuilding, and characters that make up the city Revachol.

But fuck ZA/UM for stealing the game from the original creators. Don't give them your money.

Review after 42 hours play (In-game Day 4)
I'm cool with text-heavy games, but Disco Elysium is on another level. Right from the start, you build your character, not just through stats but through the very way they think. The Thought Cabinet is a genius system, letting you internalise ideas that shape your detective’s personality, opening up new dialogue and unexpected consequences.
The dialogue is insane, with so much depth that every conversation feels unique. Skill checks don’t just determine success or failure; they change how you see the world, bringing your detective’s inner voices to life. Every stat has its own personality, chiming in with observations, arguments, or absurd tangents. Upgrading a skill isn’t just about numbers, it shifts your interactions, making you more persuasive, perceptive, or completely unhinged.
It’s like Monkey Island with way more depth and replayability. The RPG elements really set it apart from traditional point-and-click adventures. The way you can build your character differently each time and get entirely new dialogue, skill interactions, and even ways to solve the case?? A true role-playing experience, rather than just a linear adventure.
I’m playing as deep as I can, soaking in every moment. The soundtrack is fantastic, the voice acting in the Final Cut brings every character to life, and the world feels alive in a way few games ever achieve. It’s like a great book, the kind you don’t want to end. And yet, I’m already planning my next build, exploring different choices and personalities. After that, maybe a speed run, just to see how fast I can crack the case.
Huge, huge, huge credit to the team behind this game. This level of quality doesn’t come around every five minutes. It feels like a once-in-a-generation experience, the kind of game people will still be talking about years from now!

If I had to compare it, it’s like Monkey Island meets GTA, a point-and-click adventure fused with gritty, open-world storytelling. If you love deep roleplaying, unforgettable writing, and a game that truly lets you shape your character, this is unmissable.

This is one of my favorite games of all time, but please pirate it. The company that owns this game was bought over through fraud and they're stealing money from the actual developers.

I think about this game often, with no exaggeration in that statement. Disco Elysium is one of the best written videogames I have ever had the joy of playing. I very much doubt there will be anything that comes close to what it does. It is thought provoking, overtly political and nihilistic but does not shed its humanity. It's a story that I think becomes harder and harder to tell the way it is told outside the medium of videogames. I can wax poetic about this game all day, sometimes unprompted, but I'm only really here to give it a glowing recommendation and urge everyone to play it at least once.

However, DO NOT BUY IT, as the original creators have all split from ZA/UM thanks to publisher meddling. Borrow it and enjoy what I consider one of the best pieces of speculative fiction ever created. And be nice to Kim.

In a typical KOTOR conversation, you are presented with three options. The first, implausibly stoic and obviously belonging to the light side. The second, a boring neutral answer. The third, a comically evil action.

Disco Elysium throws that storytelling mold out the window. There is still a comically evil choice, but the others never sound perfect. It's an impactful change, one which challenges the player at every step.

The other striking aspect is the sheer size of the game. After completing the story once, I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what Disco Elysium has to offer.

Disco Elysium is a beautifully written, heartfelt, world-bending game with art so capturing that my boyfriend and I have separately purchased the vinyl. It is one of the best of its genre. I generally don't fall for mystery games, but I'm always weak to compelling characters and story-rich environments. This game has both of those things, while offering a brutal philosophy on its world and ours.

So why the negative review? Because you shouldn't bother purchasing it. The original crew's stake in the game were ruined by some scum investor Tõnis Haavel. While you may feel neutral about where your money goes, sending it directly to a fraud is another.

incredibly expressive and interesting game but sadly yet another ripoff in the industry by publishers
Long story short the original staff who made the game great are no more, they are no longer supported by your purchase of the game

Great game but DO NOT BUY this game even if it is in sale. A group of investors (parasites) screwed the minds behind this game, so what you pay for this game is not gonna go to their rightfull owners.

As many have said before. DO NOT BUY this game even if they sell it for a dime. A group of investors(parasites) screwed the minds behind this game, so what you pay for this game is not gonna go to their rightfull owners.

This game is genuinely beautiful. Well worth every second you play it. Beautiful art style, well-written dialog, excellent voice acting and music. I could sing my praised about Disco Elysium for hours, but I will keep it short. This game has inspired my own world building and will stick with me for a very long time. Truly a wonderful game about life.

Can't recommend it because the creators of the game were forced out of their own company; their own creation, and it's a tragedy all the more because this game is one-of-a-kind.
Find a key on eneba or g2a and get it that way. That way, you can play a game worthy of your time, and not support evil people!

This game is fantastic, but the developers of the game were pushed out of their own company by executives through hostile takeover; don't give money to those executives, just watch a playthrough online or something

Um dos maiores exemplos que eu já vi de um bom video game

Ele não cria apenas uma história mas sim um universo inteiro com sistemas politicos que refletem nossas realidades nos deixando questionando até mesmo naquilo que mais acreditamos

Uma arte incrível
Uma soundtrack fascinente
E uma incrivel demonstração de comunicação de personagens com seus mundos e o jeito que eles sobrevivem e se adaptam a eles

Tequila Sunset e Kim Kitsuragi, vocês são os melhores detetives que já existiram

I have played for three hours to get a taste, and it's gang busters. It pulls you right in like the whores you'll meet along the way... 100% immersion from the word go and I notice some of the attributes are tilted to immersion and environment.

...and as far as RPGs go; I haven't had one light me up like this on an intro since Balder's Gate II, over 25 years ago.

Pending a more thoughtful reply after digging in, but I say "yea".

Don't get me wrong, this game is *amazing*. It incorporates RPG mechanics in a way that's incredibly immersive and seamless with the storytelling, redefining the genre. Choices *truly* matter, from what you put your stat points into to individual dialogue decisions, and failed/passed checks changing story paths later on. Failure only opens up alternative story paths, and you can carve out your own story from the world of Elysium. Also don't forget that this is a *segment* of the world of Elysium. Probably the *best* sequel potential from a game, ever.

Unfortunately, that's where my main reason for the negative review lies. This game will never actually *get* a sequel. ZA/UM booted the original writers and creators of the world of Elysium, sending the game into copyright limbo. This not only means that an incredibly talented group of artists has had their own work ripped from them by the claws of capitalism (making this game, ironically, even *harder*-core communist propaganda), but the lore-rich world of Elysium may not actually ever reach it's story-telling potential.

Now, I wouldn't advocate that you ever *pirate* this game instead of purchasing it through steam, but I definitely wouldn't want you to support this kind of business action, especially by giving this company your hard earned money. Isn't a man entitled to the sweat of his brow, after all?

I love CRPGs.

But man it's going to be hard going to another CRPG without the depth of voice acting presented in this game.

I found Disco Elysium to be a beautiful and enjoyable game overall. This may sound a little weird, but, for me, it's reminiscent of some of those sillier comedies from the 90s and earlier 00s, it's whacky -- it's zaney. But, every now and again it grabs you by the shoulders, stares into your eyes, and speaks directly to your soul.


and after completing it, I can't help but wonder what else did I miss? I look forward to revisiting this game sometime in the future when its luster has worn.

It can be one of the funniest or saddest gaming experiences depending on how you play, but either way, it is definitely very memorable, and extremely unique among all the games out there. Goes straight to the favorites

there never has been and never will be a better written game than this. if this was a book it would be a classic and if it was a movie it would win like 4 oscars. easily one of if not the best game i have ever played what the fuck

This is one of the best written games in existence. It touches social, political, moral and existential themes, all with an underlying sad irony that makes you think about the game long after you turn it off.
It's mostly dialogues and there's a lot to read, but it's so well written that even descriptions of the most ordinary things become a joy to read. Also the voice acting is great and full of personality

I know there has been some drama around it about stolen rights, but I haven't really digged into it, so decide for yourself if you want to give the money to whoever owns it now, but in any case you should play this game.

Is this a good game - yes
Should you buy it - Dont even think about it! The game is great, the publishers suck, buy any of the great games based on Disco, or wait until Disco is dirt cheap.

a true work of art. elevates the medium of video games. absolutely unparalleled. love for the craft and love for the world suffuses every inch of this work. it's perfection

This game is up there with games like RDR2 when it comes to... well, everything (this is just my opinion, though).
I have not played for a long time, but every time I do it's a mind trap, not letting go of me, and lulling me into a trance that not many pieces of media or anything in general can do.

Unfortunately, the investors of the company literally stole the company away from the creators then fired them and robbed the IP. And the developer of this true passion project is begging for money to survive. This is ironic, given what this game's story is about.

I can't in good faith tell anyone to give them money and I would refund this if I could.

Great game, but if you care about the creators then don't support this. They got stolen out of their IP and one of the developers is begging for money on GoFundMe just to survive

One of the best games I ever played.
Dont buy it.
The authors get nothing
The studio was stolen by a greedy mf and the official creators of the studio and the authors of this work were kicked out of it.
Dont buy it.

The publisher of Disco Elysium, ZA/UM, gutted their development team post release and does not pay them for their contributions to this masterpiece.

Don't buy this game.

Play this game.

But don't buy this game.

You know what to do, don't ya matey?

Great game, dogshit company, or rather their CEOs and management team.
Download the game for free via the Internet Archive.

https://archive.org/details/disco-elysium-ultra-compressed.-7z

Love this game, have since launch. Do not buy it though. It was stolen by the publisher and the original minds behind the game were driven from the company, so they see no money for their creation. Internet Archive now hosts the game for free, get it there instead. Piracy is the only morally correct choice here.

Weird, and a bit tricky to get into, but once you do it's amazing. It is occasionally challenging where it feels like the story has faltered, and there is no way to proceed - this normally is because there is something you haven't finished yet, but there are so many things to finish that it can be tricky to know what to go back to to look for.

Never played anything like this before. Although a bit heavy on the text but it felt like a playable book. Amazing and thought provoking experience.

It has an interesting story behind it, but the lack of autosaves and weird insta kill dialogue choices sucked all the fun out of the game.

Easy recommend, the writing is phenomenal and the thought cabinet system is genius.

I recommend going in blind and maybe restart after tipping your toes in the game system for a bit to build a new character.
Also while you can always "save scum", especially white checks, if you feel annoyed by them, i also recommend to enjoy the main characters failed attempts.

Really immersive gameplay and significative RPG choices, perfectly written story.

Amazing amazing amazing game. Do NOT buy it on steam though. The money will not go to the developers who deserve it.

This game doesn't need a good review from me, it's an incredibly good game and my words can't do it full justice. What I will say is that it's a story-driven point click experience, if you wanted an adrenaline-based action game you probably picked the wrong game. It's worth stating that Disco Elysium has the capacity to charm and offend the player at times, sometimes even managing to do both things within a single paragraph of text. Those easily offended by concepts such as drug-use, fascism, communism and the occasional bit of free market entrepreneurialism might also struggle with this game. Disco Elysium can be difficult to understand at times, that's deliberate, and the process of learning things is part of the joy of the game. Personally, I found this game is best played with a glass of whiskey, but whatever practice or substance makes you sit back and relax whilst playing this game is to be recommended. I confess that I've written this review, in part, to try and persuade my friend to continue playing it... coz I purchased it for him ages ago, but he's kept entirely quiet about his time playing it. Some people don't get the game... and i get that, I also get that some people need to be hit with a stick occasionally just to take that first step into the unknown.

I'm not condoning violence here, but I'm off to find me a good beating stick...