Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

Completed Disco Elysium 3 times before posting this review, used different archetypes, played the game on different ways, and one time after the other the game managed to surprise me, show me something different, give me extra details and changing the development of the story based on my decisions, successful and failing rolls. They manage to include a toon of content in this relative small world condensed with details, many stories to tell and some of the most bizarre and lovely characters you could ask. I'm waiting for more content of ZA/UM Studio.

I love the game's low simmering surrealist vibe. The central conflict is an internal one, concerned primarily with the concept of identity, which is why a lot of people are saying that nothing happens in it. They are wrong. One of those aspects of identity is political identity, of which the game is largely critical as a blanket concept. *All* of the ideological positions are represented as as deeply flawed caricatures of themselves, because they are authentically portrayed as the sincere beliefs of deeply flawed characters. The people calling this game "commie propaganda" or whatever have their heads so far up their own bottoms that they can't see that the games portrayal of communism is deeply, deeply critical. On the flip side they react to the game's critiques of their own beliefs with pure "I resemble that remark" hysteria. They are also wrong. I think that the fact that the game managed to so anger these reactionary types is a large part of what makes it so special. In the end their reaction only goes to reinforce the game's critiques of them. And of me. And of you. Much like the protagonist himself, deep down, we all fear the mirror.

The central focus of this detective RPG is not the case you need solve, but YOU as a character. Who you are, who you were, how you choose to approach the situation you found yourself in. The recurring theme is discovering the troubling past and choosing how to deal with it. The atmosphere and soundtrack are amazing. The mechanic when your skills converse with you is unique and choosing different skills make other playthroughs (and the way you view the world) really interesting. Add surreal elements, great world building and you're in for a treat. This game is one of a kind and a hell of a journey.

My expectations for DE were something at the level of Planescape Torment and non-combat playthroughs of Age of Decadance. It largely delivered. The setting, the plot, core gameplay and the quality of writing hooked me up almost immediately. Soundtrack and art style are not quite my taste, but still very distinct. I enjoyed most of my time with Disco, and the praise is definitely deserved. However, so is some of the criticism. At times, it felt like there was too much info dump; the ending was nice, but not ground-breaking; you can roleplay different archetypes, but there is little variability in outcomes, on a grand scale (apart ffrom a few). I hoped for something AoD-style, where you can radically alter the direction of the story in key points. The biggest flaw for me is that, in terms of gameplay, the second and all subsequent playthroughs promise to offer largely the same experience as the initial one. Yes, there will be different situations, locations, dialogues and outcomes, but in terms of mechanics, this will be still the same active and passive skillchecks and plenty of reading. Again, AoD felt sufficiently difffrent during non-combat and combat runs. DE's greater length (of about 40hrs for me) also plays against it in this case. Overall, a very good and original game, but more for the lovers of this type of gameplay. 9/10 Playthrough: about 45hrs, did most of the content available for the single playthrough, plus checked some alternative outcomes. Missed a few quests as they elapsed because of the passage of time.

Disco Elysium is essentially a point and click adventure game where you play as a detective trying to solve a murder. That sounds normal. The game is anything but normal. The graphics are excellent, and the voice acting is superb. The music is subtle, except when it's not, and then it's brilliant. To start, your character has been on an alcohol and drug bender that has rendered him with no memory. Aside from serving as an easy way to introduce the world and characters, the amnesia lets you play as crazy as you want. Select the oddest of dialogue choices to try and convince everyone you're a disco god who is on the police force as a side job. Or try to play it straight and narrow, and ignore the side quests that demand you drink alcohol or do drugs. However, drugs and alcohol provide bonuses (and maluses) that you might need to get the information from a witness. The plot is intriguing, and like any good mystery, it seems anyone could be the murderer. It's a slow burner of a game, and there is no direct action, no mini games, nothing but an RPG where every action is based on your character's skills and previous interactions. Getting information from a witness might give you a +3 on your check to tell if the suspect is lying or telling the truth. It appears to have some replay value based on your cop type and interactions with others. I've only played through the game once while trying to be a normal cop. I plan on playing again soon with a completely different build and just be as crazy as possible. Great game if you like slow paced adventure games set in an incredible world.