Disco Elysium Review

Disco Elysium is one of a kind RPG, the one that comes once in ten years. It will swallow you whole in it's interesting and batshit crazy world, you will read, explore locations, get to know people and ultimately yourself. Getting to know yourself is one of the main quests of the game because you are an amnesiac (who knew being amnesiac can be so much fun). You were sent to a small city in the middle of the worker strike to investigate a murder, but unfortunately you lost lost all of your memory of who you are from the night before in a crazy drug and booze filled almost suicide attempt. You completely lost your memory and as you wake up you start to have the internal talks with your psyche and analyze your surroundings, your psyche is actually one of the characters in the game characterized by monstrous images which are also your skills and checks.

There are 4 main stats Intellect, Psyche, Physique and Motorics. Every skill also has 6 subskills which will be your main dialogue checks. All those skills and subskills will be your main RPG elements which will shape your character and dialogue options. Your character can also wear clothes that give him buffs on certain skills. But probably the most interesting part of the character system is the thought cabinet (the perk system) which our character needs to unlock during his exploration of the world and during his philosophical dialogues with certain individuals, those perks can be substantial or a complete garbage, you can erase those thoughts and make new ones to further shape you to be an ultimate police detective, or many other hilarious outcomes like disco cop or hobo cop. This game is not afraid to take you to the dark side, and it will.

There are essentially 3 main characters, you, your psyche and your partner Kim Kitsuragi who is by the way one of the best NPCs ever written. He is an intelligent kinda too normal always reliant partner in your investigations, you will laugh most of the time during your playthrough. So what makes this game so special, it is a journey of a mad man who can slip through and become even crazier, or he can actually make a difference. The world of Disco Elysium is worth exploring, don't be afraid to make mistakes, this character is flawed in many ways and that will take you to many unexpected situations. You can die if you fail your endurance or morale checks by simple mundane things like sitting on an uncomfortable chair, or by kicking a mailbox, better save often.

Graphical style and the atmosphere in this game is very unique and memorable as you can see from the screenshots. Music while you explore around is very relaxing, at times tense, depending on the situation. During my 3-4 days of playtrough I was immersed completely, this game is a work of art, but it must be said it will not be for everyone. Disco Elysium is mostly a game about exploring and talking to people, you will talk a lot. This is essentially a playable book, if reading is not your thing than this game will not be for you. The overall quality of writing, dark humor, the atmosphere it is all worth experiencing, it reminds me of great Planescape Torment. I would love to see a movie or TV Show about this game one day, it is that good. Score: 95/100!