Disco Elysium Review.Disco Elysium is one of those rare video games that are so unusual that they haunt you even in your sleep. She is instantly imprinted in memory, whispering masterful verbal constructions, amazes with vintage watercolor style and charms with characters. Despite the seeming simplicity of the game play, this is one of the most original projects of the last decade.
Disco Elysium Review;Complete Game Guide
Let’s talk about everything
Yes, the whole Disco Elysium is built on dialogues that are written at least as good as in Planescape: Torment – at the same time very lively, ironic, apt and literary language. There are so many of them that even the first scenes, when the hero just wakes up in the room, tries to get dressed, chat with a couple of characters and go outside, can take two hours in real time. Each dialogue here is the first 6-8 replicas, each of which splits into 6-8 more, and those more and more.
You can talk about life, music, books, work, about where my pistol disappeared, what I did yesterday, why everyone is afraid of me and does not like me. Can I borrow money from you, otherwise I have nothing to pay for the room? There is also a special person who is always ready to talk about philosophy, about being and consciousness – this is also an ironic reference to you-know-what-game.
We also constantly discuss politics. The action of Disco Elysium takes place in the conditional 70s-80s of the last century, in the era of disco, in the fictional city of Revachol, whose residents once tried to raise a communist uprising against the rule of the hedonist king sitting on cocaine. But it was suppressed by the Democratic Coalition. And since then, this port city has remained an arena for the clash of various political forces, industrial companies, mercenaries and bandits.
You understand that there are enough topics for conversation. The authors of Disco Elysium adhere to the principles of freedom of speech – here you can get bogged down in one dialogue for half an hour, talking about liberalism, communism, capitalism, fascism, racism, immigration and corruption. Nobody forbids the hero to express any views – to support or condemn tyranny or democracy, homosexuality, pornography and drugs, agree or argue with a local fascist, or not to stand up for an Asian partner when one of the jingoistic patriots tries to run into him, and so on. …
Disco Elysium Review;10 Facts
Variety of cops in nature
Likewise, no one bothers you to be rude and arrogant or behave more correctly. Or scare / amuse interlocutors with highly artistic nonsense about mysticism, hell and the apocalypse, call (and act out) yourself as a superstar cop who uses “speed” and does not part with his boombox, from which the local radio station spits into the surrounding megamixes. Or to be a “bum” who calls himself trash, extorts money from everyone he meets, takes bribes and walks with a special yellow bag, where he collects bottles. Yes, this is almost the first RPG in the world where you can turn in glass containers in order to earn some cash for health pills and for the night.
And here you can also talk with a bench, with your own notebook, with a door to convince it to open, and even with a mailbox, which, like a dog, is allowed to be stroked or kicked – how can you not remember talking with the closet from Planescape: Torment ?
All your remarks, answers and your behavior influence the formation of the personal and moral portrait of the hero. The game constantly calculates points in parameters such as communist, ultraliberal, moralist, fascist, good / bad cop, dishonest cop, superstar cop, apocalypse cop, always apologetic or boring cop. And those around, naturally, react differently to a half-insane fascist who imagines himself to be a policeman of the apocalypse, and to a politically correct liberal. The game allows you to combine and incongruous – I, for example, stubbornly turned out an ultraliberal communist who considers himself a superstar policeman. Well, who would doubt …
Quietly I talk to myself
Internal demons, subconsciousness, brains, central nervous system and character skills are also constantly involved in dialogues. Moreover, the game mechanics are largely built on this. Yes, Disco Elysium is also an RPG where his abilities and skills communicate with the main character. There are 24 of them in total, they are divided into four groups, led by intelligence, psychology, physical fitness and motor skills.
Logic, drama, rhetoric, empathy, reaction, endurance, knowledge … Some are responsible for the ability to convince, lie and notice the lies of others, others – for reaction, coordination, the ability to handle physical tools, control yourself, charm men or women, intimidate and put pressure on authority, bluff and so on.
And in each dialogue, certain skills (depending on the situation) literally speak to us, referring directly to the hero, explain something, prompt (“He is clearly hiding something, push him!”) And even argue together.
Detective RPG
The likelihood that such and such a skill will speak and insert its five kopecks depends on the level of its development – a roll of the dice is made on the probability of this. Likewise, dialogs are constantly checked for the success of using the appropriate ability. For example, if you are physically strong enough and know how to handle tools, then you will probably be able to open the trash can yourself, and if not, then communicate, ask for a key and look for other ways.
At the same time, without leaving the dialogue, you can open the skills panel and invest a free skill point in the parameter you need right now in order to increase your chances. We accumulate experience constantly – for completing quests and even simply for opening some lines. Upon reaching a certain level, a new skill point is issued, and you are free to immediately use it or save for the future. Equipment also affects the parameters.
Of course, we define the starting spread of parameters at the very beginning, when we are allowed to choose one of three preset archetypes or create a unique hero. Therefore, each playthrough can really be different from the other. For example, rhetoric, drama, logic most often entered into dialogues with my intellectual cop, revealing several other options for the development of the situation than if I played for a physically developed police officer or a pathological psychologist with an unstable psyche .
Pro
- Great storytelling quality
- Huge freedom of action
- Great replay value
- The real impact of all character parameters on personality and story
- Successful graphic style
- Finally, a translation into Russian
