Disco Elysium is not like any RPG you've played before. The game mechanics are all walk and talk. The battles, if you want to call them that, can be counted on one hand, and they are resolved within two or three rolls of the dice. There is a criminal case, but the game doesn't push you to solve it. Far from being a hero, the protagonist Harry is a man who has been broken by the reality of his life. On an emotional level, Disco Elysium feels like the hangover after a party night you can't even remember. Harry woke up in a world he wanted to escape, with the dreadful knowledge that his next opportunity to escape is days away. Or the fear that he has already crossed the line and it's all just a delirium. Disco Elysium is more of a story you tell yourself. If you want to completely abandon your duties as a police detective and just bathe in misery, the narrative will continue in that direction. And it will still be a totally gripping story that will eventually come to a compelling and consistent conclusion. It is, after all, a somewhat 1980s detective-noir tale, with consistent world-building and storytelling that create a unique and immersive atmosphere.
