Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

To keep things short this game succeeds where Numenera arguably failed in recapturing some of the key magic of the original Planescape Torment while very much breaking new and exciting ground. I won't speak on heavy specifics, as part of this game's charm is going into as "blind" as possible. Sure the setting may not be trekking across the different planes of the DnD reality or far flung sci-fi landscapes of Numera. Instead, the game takes place in a world much like our own (the new ex-yugo republics as they were in the 90s particularly come to mind). However, as a trade off, the trash mobs and atrocious combat of Planescape (one of the biggest flaws with the game according to its original creators) are gone and a more fully realized dialogue system and inner voice mechanic (one of Numenera's more ambitious but not fully realized ideas in my opinion) are present instead. This is very much still an rpg which means character load outs, skill checks and specs are present. Interestingly enough though, when these shift away from combat and focus on dialogue..Well let's just say this is an indie title that has somehow managed to breathe a new life into the crpg renaissance which as of late was becoming more of a nostalgic laundry list than a true rebirth. In fact I would say that this game most accurately captures the feeling of playing a true tabletop game with a dm who is always one step ahead of you. Which is a thrilling and increasingly rare experience. My only caveat is, if you don't like reading this game might not be for you, for anyone else please make this a must buy.

"Intimidate, sweet-talk, resort to violence, write poetry, sing karaoke, dance like a beast or solve the meaning of life." i can, with full confidence, say that the answer to the last one is 42

Disco Elysium was presented as a dialogue focused CRPGs, like Planescape Torment. Being a fan of the latter, I was very excited for Disco Elysium. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I will first mention one of its greatest qualities: Disco Elysium is well written. But this one good quality is over-shadowed by its faults. Disco Elysium's world, its characters, and the only companion (namely Kim), are all very bland and uninteresting. Only the player character's skills, which each have their own “personality” are interesting, but that’s about it. Kim is merely a cop, the player is merely cop who drunk himself into amnesia. Don’t expect characters as unforgettable as the characters from Planescape Torment, because there aren’t any truly interesting characters in Disco Elysium. The level of freedom is quite limited. The main story has one real ending (unless you count dying before the end as an ending), and the main story is quite rigid. And although certain problems can be solved in a small number of different ways, the differences do not affect the story a lot. Don’t expect an RPG with many different endings, multiple solutions, and branching narratives, because Disco Elysium is mostly (though not completely) on rails. Also, for a CRPG (or CRPG-like game), the game is a bit on the short side. But it felt long, at least for me, but only because the story was boring. I kept expecting some interesting event would occur, but rarely did something notable. Only the first couple of hours was the game interesting, and after that, it became overly bland. There were only a small handful of moments that were truly interesting. (spoiler: like when I found out the murder victim was both hanged AND shot, or when I found out there was a group of game developers in the game world trying to create a D&D-like game using radios). All in all, the story did not impress me. I disliked this game’s art direction, but that’s a matter of personal tastes.

The game starts with the main character waking up in a trashed hotel room with no recolection of who he is or what he whas doing before. You can also talk with your multiple urges (and personalities)... and also you tie. And things just get crazier from here. This is a isometric RPG, focused solely on the dialogue. This means there is no combat per se, just word confrontations and skill checks. There are multiple ways to solve each problem, so you can spec your caracter to suit what you find would be interesting and make sense for the role you're playing. Regarding the story, it is a slower one, but quite interesting. In a way, the side stories add a lot of backstory, making them essencial (at least for my experience). The conclusion is not a neat bow, but I think it fits the noir theme throughout (and the weirdness also). It took me 22 hours on my first playthrough, but I can see going to 30 if you really explore everything there is to see. I believe it is worth a buy!

So I played it a month ago, when I first completed it. Now two Run's later, I must say: " I love this Game! " Rhetoric: It is better than anything else. Its more funny than all other Games I played and has the incredible Story with a suprarealistic worldbuilding. Suggestion: BUY THIS GAME! Drama: DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT US! You will regret it. Electrochemistry: GO SMOKING! OR VAPE! JUST SUCK ON SOMETHING WITH NICOTIN! Endurance: You can handle this. Volition: YOU CAN'T EXPLODE IN EXCITEMENT. Conzeptualization: Like a mushroomcloud everyone sees your true self hammered in your face. My own mind totally adapted the one of the Protagonist. So just buy it and love it.