So many times I've heard of video games medium still waiting for their "Citizen Kane". I don't know about Kane, but in "Disco Elysium" we got our "Crime and Punishment". "Undertale" is like "Watchmen": it's amazing, layered and extremely self-referential, but you can only appreciate it if you've played other RPG games/read other visual novels about superheroes. "Disco", on the other hand, is like Dostoyevski's master work. Not only it has this dense, heavy, very Russian atmosphere (Robert Kurvitz's hometown of Tallin, Estonia is not that far away from St Petersburg), but also while it's lengthy, wordy and seems like impossible to get through, once you get into it, it turns out to be surprisingly light at times, flows extremely well, it's full of fleshed-out characters and everyone - really, everyone - could find something that resonates to them in the myriad of stories told. Truly a masterpiece in the medium of video games. PS. Also, that music... I thought it absolutely makes sense that the soundtrack to a game called "Disco Elysium" was made by a band that previously recorded an album titled "Valhalla Dancehall", but the truth is, it was the other way around - Robert Kurvitz is such a fan of the band that the game is absolutely riddled with references to the band's body of work.
The gameplay isn't the best, the game is pretty easy and it makes more an interactive movie that a genuine challenging video game, but story is coherent and clever and characters and dialogue are all real Back to the Future quality stuff! I spent great time with this game and if you ever wanted more BttF after the film trilogy, don't hesitate to grab for the game!
I place the experience of playing "Gone Home" somewhere between "Stanley Parable", "Braid" and "Among the Sleep" as one of those interactive stories that made me go home (heh) and rethink my life. Just like the best movies or books do. More like that please!
The first time I played this, I stopped after several hours and had to almost get a therapy - that's how this game works, and how tought the decisions are that you have to make. Half a year later I finished it again and again, but never took it lightly - with simple resources and compelling interactive storytelling "Papers, Please" draws you completely into the grey and harsh totalitarian enironment.
