Disco Elysium: The Short Review
Since Disco Elysium launches in a few hours and I couldn't find enough time to do a full review yet, here's a short version
Is Disco Elysium the best RPG of all time? That's very subjective. But I can surely say that it's the best RPG of it's kind since Planescape: Torment (you'll be hearing this a lot more).
Since I've mentioned Torment here, there is no need to explain what kind of an RPG Disco Elysium is.
*If you're a person who doesn't enjoy reading extremely detailed walls of text frequently for 10+ minutes at a time, then this is not the right RPG for you.
*If it's combat you look forward to the most in an RPG, then this is not the right game for you.
You're still here? Good. Disco Elysium is many things. It's part tense detective drama, part goofy buddy cop fiction, part Existential Crisis-The Game, part self-discovery book, part disturbing Irvine Welsh novel, all mixed into an uncanny bag.
Other than that, it's really hard to explain how weird and bizarre Disco Elysium truly is.
Pros
+ The super-detailed writing, unique retro setting and suspenseful story
+ Dialogue simulator
+ The 'ol amnesiac trope but pulled off well
+ Role play as either drunk cop, bad cop, slightly good cop, druggie cop, hobo cop, butthole cop, superstar cop or even apocalyptic cop
+ Punch a junkie kid in the face, scream I AM THE LAW in the face of the elderly, lick alcohol off a desk, steal shoes off a dead body
+ Drink yourself to death, cry in front of a mob boss, have the aforementioned junkie kid make yourself his lil' bish, impose your nihilistic world views on a young girl
+ Engage in frequent discussions with the multitude of voices in your head
+ 24 unique skills, each having its own use
+ Develop up to 16 unique thoughts in your head per playthrough to further define your character. Become a feminist and ask people if they have a phallus in their ear.
+ Skillchecks, skillchecks everywhere
+ Despite the heavy dialogue-driven gameplay, the character models are well animated
+ Beautiful, painting-like visuals
+ Amazing soundtrack
Cons
- No traditional combat system. All combat encounters take place through dialogues and skill checks (and there aren't a lot). Not really a con but can be a turn off to some
- A fixed character like in Torment (But you modify his attributes, skills, can shape his personality and decide how the world perceives you)
- The story-driven nature of the game results in the player not having the freedom to do things other RPGs offer (like beat the living shit out of random NPCs)
- Not a challenging game at the slightest
- Time moves forward when you talk to people/take part in scripted events (Simply walking around doesn't count). Though you get plenty of time to talk to people and explore before a day ends, timed stuff annoys the hell out of me.
- Some of the load times are kind of long even on an SSD
- Cannot pan the camera or change movement controls (Double-clicking to run all the time becomes tiring)
- Sometimes the pathfinding is iffy
- Need the ability to customize UI elements
Personally, one of the best RPG I've played in recent times (and I've played a lot). Do note that Disco Elysium will only appeal to a certain RPG crowd (those that aren't turned off by text-driven narrative)
Also, remember to turn off the political side of your brain before taking the plunge. Disco Elysium is a self-conscious game that may or may not offend some of your beliefs. But it's all in good spirit. It's a video game after all.
