Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

Great game, great art style and now with more voice acting! I had to quit though because I became too attached to the protagonist: halfway through the game I realized that he was a tragic hero, destined to die and that made me way too sad.

This game is the best computer RPG yet. It sets a new standard the way that Planescape: Torment and Baldurs Gate 2 did before it. It's innovative and original but it also gets the basics about mechanics and player agency right. And the writing is excellent. There is no "combat" in the usual sence but there are some very tense moments that feel very real. I won't tell you everything about it, because I think that might spoil the experience. It's very good, and I think everyone that likes RPGs should play it. I hope the devs get all the appreciation they deserve and that the game sells well enough for them to get the freedom to do another game the way they want to do it. I think you guys did something truly exceptional with this and I hope you feel pride in that.

The writing is quite funny, and the idea of thought cabinet is certainly interesting, while feeling undeveloped. Besides that, the game is not great. Mechanically there's not that much to it, bad dice roll can stop your progression forcing a reload, interacting with the world feels a bit clumsy. I wish I bought something else.

The freedom of choice and structure are unparalleled in other offerings. Honestly, the best part was the ludonarrative alignment - you're a cop, and you don't know anything about the world, but yoiur character also knows nothing about the world. The interactions with your skills play off the narrative but also the metanarrative. It's honestly inspired. There are some amazing scenes, there are some skill checks, and you have to be willing to metagame a little, as the fourth-wall breaks are only done subtly - I accidentally passed the point-of-no-return to the epilogue, but in hindsight, it was signposted pretty heavily. I've taken lots of notes on things I'd like to try differently and am already planning a second playthrough (maybe not as a boring communist). But I can never experience playing this game for the first time again. Lovers of classic computer RPGs, with text-heavy dialogue trees and an emphasis on writing, this is your game. Buy it, play it, enjoy.

Combine gonzo journalism with a police investigation and you get something like Disco Elysium. The plot is engaging; the world in which it is set is thoughtful; and the interaction between the characters is deep. I haven't played a game so fun and engaging in years.