Disco Elysium

Literally one of the best games ever made. The writing, music, acting, story, humor, world building/lore, options to choose from etc. are so good. It's a truly incredibly game
Don't buy it though, find other ways to play it. The creators were all pushed out by a literal criminal who turned the company into a actual shell to make money. We'll probably never see a continuation of the story of the world because they stole that from the writer and, as mentioned, pushed him and his original partners, out of the company.

Great game, sail the seas. The people who actually made this game got pushed out. This game was stolen from the creators, don't buy it and help fund their theft. Find different ways to experience it

A real masterpiece, a true work of art we will never see again due to some slimy business men taking over the studio. The game is worth experiencing, without a doubt, but do not give your money to these thieves who hijacked the studio.

This game will fundamentally rewrite your brain. It's hands down the best argument to bring up to anyone trying to say video games can't be artistic. It's sad, it's funny, it's downright beautiful. If you haven't played this game you're missing out.
The publication company screwed the devs right up the ass until they bled though so maybe dont spend money on it

Disco Elysium likely has the best writing in a game I’ve ever played. It’s unfathomable to me how a team was simultaneously young enough to connect with the humor of a generation and also mature enough to not be too reductionist, besides where it’s the essence of the joke. The writing is so nuanced, so wildly imaginative, that I will simply not be able to do it justice when I alone am such a meek manipulator of vocabulary by comparison. This is the best game I finished in 2023, and would compete with the big dogs from nearly any year of my gaming history.
I don’t know whether to crown Disco Elysium my personal “Game of the Year” for 2023, because I usually only reserve that title for games which I both start and finish in a year. But the reality is that I barely scratched the surface on my previous attempts to play Disco Elysium. That “attempts to play” point is probably the most critical part of this review, too.
My previous attempts to play Disco Elysium were impeded by my inability to get through heavy dialogue focused RPG’s with massive portions of unvoiced text. I really wish I could say that I can play through heavy text-based games at this point in my life. I’m an avid reader outside of games! Although I don’t consume much fiction, I do read articles, as well as essays, books, and textbooks daily. Yet, through the medium of games, I inexplicably struggle.
My previous engagement with Disco Elysium was all before the game was fully voiced, and man… I’ve mentioned my desire to have voice acting in certain games, even if not at great quality, and even praised when it occurred, but miraculously, not only did the voice acting allow me to play this absolute gem, which is verbose to put it lightly, but the voice acting is simply outstanding!
The voice quality is so good, but so is the attention to the detail in the pauses, the tonality, the characterization. It’s magnificent stuff. And, of course, this is propped up by the aforementioned writing quality.
There is no lack in the breadth of interesting paths to discover, either. There are story avenues about religion, politics, sociality, conspiracism, aging, death, philosophy, biology, and the list goes on.
Although there is a healthy grouping of “copotypes” to explore, they ultimately don’t have that much impact, which is a minor shortcoming, but for me what was provided was sufficient enough to quench my thirst. My biggest criticism of Disco Elysium is the inconsistency of animated moments.
The player character at times vomiting, lifting weights, etc. add so much flavor and immersion (as well as hilarity) to the game, that when simple things happen like, sitting in an unimaginably uncomfortable chair when facing your rival, punching a door, and throwing a ball and they aren’t animated, it leaves me wanting. I would have loved to have seen some of these moments animated.
Having two sorts of “health” in the game is a cheeky implementation to add weight to purely emotional decisions, and the game’s integration of both a tutorializers, but also a grounded companion, who you not only don’t hate by the end, but you actually love and crave the approval of is nothing short of praiseworthy. Kim Kitsuragi is one of, if not the, greatest companion NPC ever, is he not?
And, I’d be remiss to not draw attention to the incredibly stylized and iconic art and music of the game, too. It’s hard to imagine a Disco Elysium that looks any other way. The intricate visuals, although mostly static, with light visual effects for drama, are emergent. The music and art allow the game to become more than the sum of its parts, without saying that each of its parts are anything but lovable. Although sound effects are not as notable, as well as any real heavily involved “gameplay” (for lack of a better term), they don’t stain perceptions of the game’s quality.
Every time I finished a session of playing Disco Elysium, I left my PC in an almost drunken stupor, probably not unlike those of the protagonist which you control, flabbergasted at the perfection with which this game flips the switch between hilarity and intricacy.
I expect Disco Elysium to be timeless in a sense, but also be representative very strongly of the era in which it was made. I very much look forward to the day when I feel the call to try this one again, because I’m sure along with it will come a host of varying emotions and memories and new impressons.
Until then, I’m gonna say goodbye to Disco Elysium and give it an extremely pleasurable score of...
9.5/10

Disco Elysium feels terrifyingly real. It reminds you of the hard truth that existence can be a headache. Throughout your life, you're mostly sad and alone. You might feel like some of your memories are brutally unforgiving. Burdened by a world trying to tear you apart, you try to get by. Still, you always come back to the same old question: Why? What's the purpose of all this? And the game answers in all seriousness: "There is no purpose. You're all alone. Everything is insignificant. Just give up." It's the heavy truth handed to you by the game like a hard-to-swallow pill.

Of course, nobody can pinpoint what this game is mainly about. Psychology, the inner workings of our mind? Philosophy, the meaning of life? Finding your identity when you feel like you're all alone in the world? Politics and ideologies? The moral of this game can be interpreted in a lot of ways but I think there's an obvious message it's trying to convey: Being right doesn't exist. No matter what you think or do, it seems like everything is simply wrong. And when you try to choose a side or develop an opinion about something, the game critisizes you harshly. It defines you. But it also makes you change your outlook on life. You become more skeptical about yourself, making you question your beliefs. Although, in this game, even your own mind isn't a safe or trustworthy place. You can try to ignore your thoughts but they are too loud.

However, if you stop focusing on an end goal - in this case, why you came to Revachol in the first place - for even just a second, you can make living worthwhile and life beautiful. Explore yourself and get sidetracked from the main case, make the best moments by seeing what makes *you* feel like you. By having small conversations with the locals and paying attention to details you can truly enjoy life and come to a conclusion about your identity. In all honesty, solving the case might have been the worst part of the game because it ended it.

Comrade,
Yet again, the owner class has co-opted their workers' art for their own financial gains. The great irony that such a fate has befallen this specific game and the work of our fellow comrades should not be lost on you. It is your duty to find this game on another platform that does not line the greedy capitalist pigs' pockets.