Disco Elysium Detect-All

After hearing all the rave reviews for Disco Elysium, I bought it in the Steam sale, tested it out this afternoon ... and immediately know that I have to play more of this game. And I was shocked to see that, despite all the love it's seen here so far, it doesn't have its own thread!

I've done very little so far: made a build, explored my small apartment, and talked with the woman outside...

Spoiler:

When presented with an opportunity to give her "the look," I did --but my charm was low enough that I could only manage to say "I want to have f*** with you." I loved that she confronted me, and I had the opportunity to either back down or own it (and I totally owned it).

I'll probably rethink how I want to build out my guy, and start over later on. More to come!

The day this comes to console I'm gonna take that drunk detective on one hell of an adventure! All the while enjoying the internal battle of his different personality traits.

Chuffed that its ranking in the upper echelons of a lot of Goodjers GOTY 2019 lists.

DE is my 2020 purchase that I expect to look back on as the 'why did I wait' award. Why? Because I really need to trim down my pile first. Which I do. On the plus side, I think this is the best I've done at avoiding the Winter Steam Sale thus far. Only one dip for ~ $ 1.99, thus far.

Thanks for creating the thread! For now, let me cross-post from the GOTY thread:

1. Disco Elysium (PC)

Why is Disco Elysium often considered the better spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, and not Tides of Numenara - the game actually developed by the same people? Because Torment towed the line a bit too much, and Disco Elysium did away with whatever holy cows they needed to slaughter. No tacked-on combat system but still fun ways to fail, a universe that feels unique but still familiar, and most of all: a main character that's more interesting than the NPC's. That's not to dismiss amazing sideshow Bobs like Kim or well anyone else. But the internal monologues within your PC are such a perfect solution to the empty shell issue main game characters suffer from. And like it's spiritual father (mother?), it's greatest strength as a storytelling game is how the game mechanics intertwine with the story in such a graceful and unpredictable manner. This might be the best RPG I ever played.

Thanks for reminding me about Disco Elysium. As a big fan of Planescape: Torment, Disco Elysium is high on my list of 2020 titles to play.

So I'm not very far in. Probably around 12:00 p.m. on Day 1, I've explored the building where you start, and good chunks of the crime scene. But I thought I'd offer up some of the things I've learned about the game's systems, here (no spoilers), for anyone considering the game. I don't know about you all, but whenever I am faced with a character creator, I always start a few times so I can figure out how the skills I've chosen will actually affect the way the game plays.

Here, there are four categories of skills, with seven skills ineach category. The categories are, essentially, physical, motor skills, intellect, and psyche. Each category starts at a rating of 1, and you have up to 8 points to distribute between them. So, for example, I wanted to make a character that's very smart and emotionally savvy, but with a low physical aptitude. I gave him 4 intellect, 4 psyche, 2 physical, and 2 motor.

Those ratings do two things: they're a baseline modifier for skill checks, but they also create a ceiling for how many points I can put into each skill. So, for instance, with a starting 4 intellect, I can put up to 4 skill points into "encyclopedia" [my ability to recall facts] during the game. But with only 2 in motor, I can only put 2 skill points into perception. It appears you get 1 skill point for every experience point you gain. You can also designate one specialty skill at character creation: that skill gets +1, and then everything else in the family has its cap raised by one. I picked perception, which gives me a free skill point, then raises the cap on all "motor" skills from 2 to 3.

All of this affects skill checks within the game. Those are done on a roll of 2d6 + a modifier, which combines your baseline, any invested skill points, your gear, and your "thoughts" [like my character gets a bonus to authority vs. men, because he's a feminist]. There are active checks: some of these can be retried if you fail; some are one-time-only [and risky]. But -- and I love this part -- there are lots of passive, background checks that treat the skills like personality traits which offer extra information or try to steer your behavior. I see a lot of those background checks from my mental and social skills, but practically none from my physical and motor skills. So presumably, if I made a different type of character, I would see a bunch of different prompts, and different aspects of my personality would be weighing in.

I just helped someone out and they gave me a fedora.

I first thought that replayability of this game lied in leaning into communism/capitalism/fascism/... the second playthrough. But honestly, I feel like I'm just getting to know our main character and finally know how to roleplay him. I think my next play (whenever that will be) is going to be a full-on drug trip.

I've been playing it through the lens of wanting to heal our protagonist (kick the habit(s), rehabilitate somewhat as a copper) but I'm letting the wackiness shine though as I get further into the game.

On the downside I just kicked a trashcan and died of a heart attack.

I got to the part where I need to

Spoiler:

rule out different shot locations for the murder

. I couldn't figure out how to proceed so I looked at a walkthrough and apparently a check that is supposed to come up when I look at a particular thing never comes up so I can't proceed. Then it crashed when I tried to load my save game a couple times, so I uninstalled.

The game was hit and miss for me. The world is certainly fleshed out and seemed like a believable cohesive place. I enjoyed my interactions with my partner and my character tried hard to gain his approval. There were other interesting characters and story lines though out and some I wished that would just hurry up and end.

Not that it is particularly important, but it felt more like like an interactive story that you could nudge in different directions based on the stats you improve and dialog choices you can make. Not really anything in the way of adventure game puzzles or gameplay elements.

So I finally managed (after a couple of failed attempts) to really get into this game over the weekend. I just wrapped up day 1.

I am playing a character who has taken the whole amnesia thing as a wake-up call and is doing his very best to turn himself around and be a force for good. And yet he STILL does not deserve Kim.

So, yeah.... If anyone is on the fence for this because the praise sounds hyperbolic, if you were a fan of Planescape: Torment or loved Vampire: Bloodlines or just get a kick out of dense, character-heavy RPGs you really really really need to play this.

I'd spent the past couple weeks playing this off and on, then something... happened.. this weekend, and I got completely enthralled. I put an obscene number of hours into this over the last 72 hours. I'm nearing the end, and just can't speak highly enough of it. Planescape Torment has been on my backlog for a while, but honestly after playing Disco, I'll be surprised if Planescape can outshine it.

This lines up with my experience - it took a few hours before it hooked me, but then I'm all in on it.

I’m still waiting for the console release they said would be happening in 2020, as I don’t have a system to play it on otherwise.

Director's Cut coming March 30th. Also, it's very fortunate that this thread came up first on the site's Google search. I'd hate to think how many threads I'd have to dig through because the game has "Elysium" in the title.

Rat Boy wrote:

Director's Cut coming March 30th. Also, it's very fortunate that this thread came up first on the site's Google search. I'd hate to think how many threads I'd have to dig through because the game has "Elysium" in the title.

...will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Stadia on March 30
...
If you’re waiting to play it on Xbox or Switch, those versions aren’t due until summer.

Honestly? I'll probably wait until it hits Game Pass or some monster Xbox sale.

Rat Boy wrote:

Director's Cut coming March 30th. Also, it's very fortunate that this thread came up first on the site's Google search. I'd hate to think how many threads I'd have to dig through because the game has "Elysium" in the title.

I'm assuming I can pick up my half-completed game and continue from where I left off with all the shiny new bobbins and voice-work?

GameSpot: Disco Elysium - The Final Cut Is Like Going From A Black-And-White Movie To Color

"I would even go so far as to say that it's sort of like having seen a film in black and white, and hopefully having liked the film, and then coming back to that film after the director has sort of reworked it and created his dream version of the film and seeing it in full color, all of a sudden," voice over director Jim Ashilevi said during the event. "I would say the difference is that vast and dramatic."

...

"We wanted the existing game to shine in its full glory, rather than rush off and go wild with expansions," he said. "Disco Elysium was already complete, all that was missing was the political quests branch, which is now added to the story. Thus it made complete sense for us to pour most of our resources into the aspect of the game that still had the greatest amount of untapped potential--voice over. Up until now the game mainly stood on the shoulders of two giants: the writing and the art direction. Now we finally have that third pillar built in the form of full voice-over, which not only complements but also elevates the strongest features of the writing and artistic style of the game. With those three pillars supporting the experience of moving through the story the player finally gets fully immersed in the game the way we wanted them to be immersed in it in the first place."

Never more hyped for a game I've already played.

What builds are people thinking about for their new playthroughs? Last time I went the default Thinker, which was nice because Encyclopedia was there to explain some of this weird world to me. So this time I'll have to be dumb as a rock.

Agathos wrote:

Never more hyped for a game I've already played.

What builds are people thinking about for their new playthroughs? Last time I went the default Thinker, which was nice because Encyclopedia was there to explain some of this weird world to me. So this time I'll have to be dumb as a rock.

I know what you mean. Not cause I chose Thinker. First run I focused on empathy, inland empire, shivers, and esprit de corps. That seemed to offer interesting takes on the world and interactions regularly, but I wasn't paying enough attention to how much of the game was gated by those.

I was thinking high volition and rhetoric to see if you can kind of will your way through situations. And I don't even know how to pick a moral view, they've all got their repulsive qualities. It doesn't seem like a game that would lean towards the more PE skills, though it is easy to dismiss the convincing power of being able to catch a mundane objected tossed your way.

Agathos wrote:

What builds are people thinking about for their new playthroughs? Last time I went the default Thinker, which was nice because Encyclopedia was there to explain some of this weird world to me. So this time I'll have to be dumb as a rock.

I was a knuckle-dragging belligerent fascist on my first playthrough, so I'll be trying something more cerebral if I come back for Final Cut.

I found that you can't really be 'stupid' in this game, though. Low INT characters are more the Dirty Harry type - physical and relying on hunches and intuition, rather than thinking their way through situations. I only mention it because I was initially disappointed by my inability to be an absolute buffoon until I understood this.

I actually find this analogy a bit cringe based on my relationship with the source material.

Much like I don't need tawdry film colorization to enjoy Casablanca to the fullest, I don't feel Disco needs full voiceover to see it's full or intended potential.

To suggest so sells the game as originally released incredibly short. To whit, the primary draw for No Truce With the Furies when originally announced was the million-word script (11 novels!) and the literary writing style aspiring to stand side by side with Planescape: Torment. That's what put the game firmly at the top of my most wanted list since the moment it was announced.

And against all odds, it actually delivered. Perhaps even topping the perennial Torment as the most well-written game of all time.

Reading has always been my favorite pastime along with gaming. The prospect of successfully fusing the two, much like Planescape did some 20 years ago, was always an intoxicating prospect. Esp. when you consider how bombastic and "in your face" gaming is traditionally represented. The alternate idea of engaging with the written word in interactive form is quite uncommon outside of text-based interactive fiction. It's simply a completely different experience than passively having a story passed along through voiced character dialogue.

And while one in not inherently better than the other, there's no denying that they're two completely different experiences for the end user. So when the sentiment is passed off that the game is now "finally compete (and colorized)", I'm sorry but it just rubs me the wrong way and refuses to acknowledge the prime mover for the original game's success.

Noooow, all that being said. I'll admit that I'm happy for the dev that they're able to cast a wider net with Disco in making it more accessible with full voiceovers and console ports. I'm also grateful that it's a free upgrade for existing owners. And I'll undoubtedly be playing it again with voices turned on. (Thankfully, you can also keep the original limited voiceovers via a toggle in Options for grognard purists such as myself.)

So I don't think this move is a mistake. At all.

I just think it's a mistake to so quickly forget this game's roots and what makes it so special & utterly unique in the medium for so many.

In case anyone is interested in joining us, Disco Elysium was just voted as our next Gamers With Jobs CRPG Club game. Details are here. Come join us!

I've just seen IGN's review of the Disco Elysium: The Final Cut & there's some fantastic insight from Simon Cardy:

The Final Cut - Hearing Yourself Think

Disco Elysium - The Final Cut expands its original cast to include fully voiced performances for every character, but none make more of an impact than the 24 different sections of your brain that accompany you throughout your journey. To emphasize just how important they are, roughly half of the more than one million words spoken in this sprawling RPG belong to your character’s innermost thoughts. Voicing all two dozen of these cerebral incarnations is jazz musician Lenval Brown, who masterfully breaths new life into ZA/UM’s tome of a script.

His bass-heavy, calming yet authoritative voice guides you as much as it does educate you on the world of Revachol. The casting for this role was always going to be crucial to the success of The Final Cut, but after hearing the gravitas and depth Brown brings to it, it’s hard to imagine Disco Elysium any other way.

Final Cut - Vision Quest

One of the most impactful additions in The Final Cut are the Political Vision Quests. These four optional objectives are mutually exclusive, meaning you’ll only get to see one of them per playthrough. They are tied to the political leanings you’ve shown during the story and add roughly 20-30 minutes of enjoyable new detective work. While not directly affecting the outcome of the main storyline, they do a great job of teaching you more about the world and quirky characters of Revachol, one of the main draws of Disco Elysium already.

The original release included a lot of political theory and many of the dialogue choices you made influenced your characters leanings, from fascist to liberal and everything in between. However, there never felt like there was any sort of payoff or closure to whichever path you took. The Final Cut provides exactly what was missing by adding these quest lines late in the story, allowing you to fully commit to a branch of ideological thinking.

In my playthrough of The Final Cut I chose to embrace Communism, which culminated in a bizarre, bewildering, and ultimately enriching conversation with two new characters I wouldn’t have met otherwise. Revachol and its socio-political history were always one of the key strengths of Disco Elysium, so naturally I was more than happy to delve deeper into that while simultaneously being given more opportunities to build out my protagonist and find his place in the world.

Final Cut - Finding A Voice

Every person you meet in Martinaise is now fully voiced, and it can’t be overstated how much of an improvement this is over the original. The 2019 release did feature limited voicing of some characters, and the inconsistent quality of these performances was one of my few criticisms of Disco Elysium when I reviewed it then – but I couldn’t be happier with the results this time around.

A couple of cast members remain, most notably those playing larger roles like Kim Kitsuragi and Evrat Claire, while others that had only partially voiced roles have been changed. These include Cuno, who’s new performance still carries the obnoxious essence of the character, but is nowhere near as grating on the ears as it once was.

Practically all of the newly added cast members hit the mark as well, breathing new life into the world of Disco Elysium and further reinforcing the diversity that can be found in the city with a globe-full of accents and languages. The biggest compliment I can pay to the vocal additions is that all of the characters sounded exactly how I imagined they would when I first played. It mirrored the joy I get from first hearing an audiobook or film adaptation of one of my favourite novels, with the voices I once solely heard in my head finally played back to me.

As a reminder, it’s got a short Playstation console exclusivity and comes to Xbox and Switch this summer. No dates confirmed for the latter. I might wait until it’s on Game Pass, with the stack of games I have... IMAGE( https://emojipedia-us.s3.dualstack.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/thumbs/320/emoji-one/104/video-game_1f3ae.png)

I don't know how I feel about this. There's not enough new content to commit to a 40h game again, and I actually liked the scarcity of voice-overs.

(Like most people I presume), I read way faster than the dialogue is spoken, and that makes my brain hurt. Either a game is built like a Mass Effect around the spoken word / facial expressions with subtitles supporting my non-native English upbringing, or I like the first sentence spoken for flavor while I read the rest myself.

Aaron D. wrote:

Much like I don't need tawdry film colorization to enjoy Casablanca to the fullest, I don't feel Disco needs full voiceover to see it's full or intended potential.

After playing an hour or so last night I will say I'm happy I played it once without all the voice work. That way I have the memory of my own mental voice to compare to Lenval Brown's version. There are certainly some lines I would read slightly differently.

I'm also picky about reading a novel first before the movie comes out, because I want to establish my mind's-eye version before seeing someone else's.

It helps that the writing is so good, I can stop and re-read the same sentence in three different ways and consider it time well spent.

What are your thoughts about playing this on a console? I haven’t played any version, but the footage I’ve seen makes it’s seem like a crpg with a lot of text that wouldn’t be great on a tv.

I would think the quality of the controller support would be the larger factor. If it's good I hope the controller support makes it to the PC version. The literal act of pointing and clicking is so tedious.

IUMogg wrote:

What are your thoughts about playing this on a console? I haven’t played any version, but the footage I’ve seen makes it’s seem like a crpg with a lot of text that wouldn’t be great on a tv.

The PC version at least has a text size slider.