Disco Elysium

If you're the type of person to crank your speech up to 100 right away on Fallout, this game is for you.

There are two very common misconceptions about Disco Elysium I keep hearing from different people
1) It is some sort of elitist literature and requires effort to get into.
No it is not! The main inspiration behind Disco Elysium are Twitter and Reddit threads where edge-crazy people are doing bizarre political arguments; reading those is more of a guilty pleasure and a timesink, and in no way it is like reading "Infinite Jest" or something.
But just to be clear, that still does not make the writing less exceptional than it is, it is just the clear goal of Disco Elysium's writing is to entertain you, not to make you feel like you achieved something by finishing a 900 pages novel. And the game 100% nails it.
2) Okay, but isn't it still more of a book or a visual novel than a video game?
Also absolutely not true, I feel sorry for the devs when I hear that. Well, even if it was a true claim, as a linear visual novel the game would still hold up amazingly due to its outstanding quality of writing, but luckily for us all this is is not the case.
Disco Elysium is a unique RPG that astounds you with a non-conventional approach in many regards. Even if you've played every single RPG on the planet, you would still be surprised and pleased seeing how Disco Elysium plays with genre tropes and subverts your expectations.
Trying to use your previous genre experience, like playing too carefully, going over every single dialog line, trying to treat NPCs like they are typical single function video game NPCs - it all results in Disco Elysium mocking and sometimes brutally punishing you in a clever and witty way which makes you laugh instead of making you upset. It really feels like it is the freshest entry in RPG genre made in a very long time - especially in the first 10-15 hours when you haven't figured it out yet (and after 10-15 hours you sort of start seeing behind the curtains, but it is still fun of course, just in a more familiar way).
Really one of the most clever and funny games ever made, can't get it out of my head.

This game has a story better than any book I've read in 5 years.
This game depicts alcoholism and mental illness in such a sad, poetic and interesting way. In many ways it made me reflect on my own battle with alcohol dependence, and work to better my mindset about it. Otherwise, I'll end up a bloated disco cop, obviously (In all seriousness, the writing is hauntingly good. I suspect one of the writers either has, had, or had extensive experiences around alcohol addiction).
This brain made me rethink of the way my brain works. It always felt like it was going haywire constantly, like there were voices yearning to give advice but weren't able to atop the chattering of others. Granted, could be mild schizophrenia, but thinking that my manifestations of my ancient lizard brain, limbic system, electrochemistry/drug disorder, and logic all talk to me in the same room like we're having a meeting at a table. All of them are you, all of you are them. Don't dismay, embrace and work with it.
The roleplaying possibilities in this game are frankly a bit staggering. Whether you want to continue to be a violent, aggressive and drug-fueled detective or one that ponders moralism at his leisure entirely up to you and only you. The game adapts fantastically to your choices as well.
Lastly, in almost every single game ever with a follower, they are despised. I absolutely ADORE AND LOVE the partner you have in this game. Usually I'm wishing that other characters will stop talking so much, with the partner in this game, he not only helps you with the logic of each puzzle you encounter, he is a genuinely interesting character that only opens up and develops as your time and gameplay goes on.
This is just a masterpiece. I bought this and left it in my library for a couple months. The first time I booted it up I played 9 hours straight before I looked up and realized it was dark. Let me repeat that, *the first time I played this game, I was so immediately absorbed and intrigued that the time of day completely switching from the window literally 4 inches above my seat after I was done was a literal shock*.
This is nothing short of an absolute fucking masterpiece. It is criminal not to buy it, enjoy it, and replay it. I haven't even made headway in the game past day 3 because I keep restarting to make a character that fully represents myself irl. I finally got it on the third or fourth try, and the gameplay got *even better*.
You owe it to yourself to add this to your library. Wait for a sale if you are short on cash, it does seem like a bit much for the game at first glance, but I have no doubt in my mind when I say this: I haven't had $40 so well-spent in at least a year if not more.
Bravo, creators, dev team, all of you. This game is beautiful. I will admit there are a minuscule amount of bugs, one of which I noticed was still not resolved after almost a year of updates, but that is my solitary negative input. Play this game.

I think about this game every once in a while, now a month after having completed it. It's a unique RPG, but it's also a deeply emotional experience.
On the outside, the game calls itself "A Detective RPG", but I feel like this is misleading. The story arc is that you do, indeed, play a detective, and you're solving a murder, but this isn't the true story of the game.
The game is actually about a burned-out, middle aged man who destroyed himself and the player has to piece together his identity again from scratch. As such, the RPG aspects of the game are not attributes to things such as "Guns" or "Lockpicking", but rather personality traits like "Savior Faire" or "Empathy" and "Authority." This isn't an RPG of action, but rather an RPG of character. You, the player, decide the fate of the main character of Harrier Du Bois, and the man he becomes in your playthrough. This is the heart and soul of Disco Elysium, and while it is incredibly funny and engaging, I think depending on the story you feel Harry deserves, you'll be astonished at just how beautiful it is.

If you let it, this game could tell you an amazing detective story.
Or tell you a thought-through history of a unique world.
Or drag you into unending arguements with yourself, usually spiraling into despair and self-loathing.
Or leaving you wordless as you observe a dramatic scene to masterfully written soundtrack.
This is art, folks. One of the best games I have played in years.

Disco Elysium is one of the best games I've ever played. It's an RPG, but it's a very different one, with no combat and heavy focus on skill checks. It's also a detective story, that feels amazing to slowly unravel until you finally solve the case.
If you want to try it, I'll give you three advices:
- Don't look for spoilers, be a real detective.
- Don't metagame or reload if you fail a check, live with the consequences of your choices.
- Don't skip text. If you are tired of reading, stop and play again another day.
While Disco Elysium has some replay value, it's all about the first playthrough. Don't spoil it and enjoy the ride.

There is only one word that accurately expresses what I feel when I play this game: delight. Pure, unadulterated delight. It's like the game is winking at me, every time a dialogue option veers into completely unexpected places, or a joke surprises me into laughing out loud, or an astonishingly witty line brings a grin of appreciation to my face that just never leaves. Even the depressing parts that squeeze your heart are breathtakingly real. How can you not fall in love with someone that makes you laugh and feel emotions so easily? The game and I are in this together. We've bonded. It's too late to go back now.
In case you live under a rock and don't know about literally the best god damn game to come out in 2019, let me introduce you: Disco Elysium is a story-driven cRPG where you progress not by fighting battles but by navigating excellently written conversations. In this regard I'd say the game more resembles an adventure game: you explore the world, pick up items, talk to people, talk to them again after things have changed, and you try to overcome obstacles by using out-of-the-box thinking. The rpg elements come into play with the unique set of skills (and I'm not joking when I say unique) you can invest in, the dice rolls (completely transparent and 100% based on luck) that can come up during dialogue, and of course the bread-and-butter of all good rpg games worth their salt: about a million quests and sidequests that give you that sweet sweet exp and a sense of completion as you methodically scratch them off the list.
The plot of the game is about an amnesiac detective trying to solve a murder case and that's all I'm going to say on this matter. No, I'm serious. I don't want to spoil anything for you, not a single first impression. In fact I've already said too much. Frankly I wish I could borrow a leaf out of our protagonist's notebook and erase all memory of this game from my brain, just so I could experience that bewildered sense of wonderment I felt when I first realised how truly weird and unique this journey I was embarking on was. Suffice it to say, this is a very very very VERY well-written game. This isn't hyperbole. You're in good hands.
My only word of advice to new players is to forget everything you know about playing rpgs. Don' try to optimise your build or savescum and reload every time something doesn't go perfectly according to plan. In fact Disco Elysium encourages a truly transgressive philosophy for a videogame: failure is an option. Failed rolls can still progress the game, they offer unique dialogue branches, hell sometimes failure is actually preferable! So don't try to "win" the game. Play the game. Experience it. Be free.
Also if you ever get tired of reading, take a break and come back later. There is a LOT of reading involved (I mean, obviously, kinda that's the whole point of the game) and it would be a pity to speed through it because of burnout. Because content-wise Disco Elysium feels massive. It's not, not truly, the world map is hardly that big compared to other games, and yet it feels big. This is because there are about a million things to do and interact with and talk to in every square inch available. I've spent literally hours in one single area of the map. There's also an "open world" element in play since you can travel to (almost) everywhere in whatever sequence you like. It's like the opposite of a ubisoft game: instead of a huge empty map filled with generic identical encounters, you have a medium sized map filled with entirely unique encounters to explore. I know which kind I prefer to play.
And improving on the amount of content is the surprising replayabilty of Disco Elysium. You wouldn't think a plot driven game where there is one single mystery with one single answer would be as engaging the second time, and yet! This mostly comes from how much your skills affect the dialogue and narration, giving you different lines and encounters you didn't even know you were missing. My first playthrough was a high Intellect, high Psyche one (which was an absolute blast even though I was such a weakling my tie literally killed me in the first five minutes, I very much recommend it) so for my second playthrough I went for the opposite skills and was surprised by how fun and new it all felt. Plus let's be real, there's no way you're gonna find everything on your first go. There's always a dice roll to fail in new and exciting ways!
I've extolled the game's virtues long enough so let me just reiterate the main point: Disco Elysium is not only a great and well-written game, it's also a unique one. It's the best thing I've experienced in years, and I sincerely hope it starts a new trend for clever, witty, passionately made games. Do yourself a favour and give it a go.