DISCO ELYSIUM

Developer/publisher ZA/UM Studio Format PC

Many words have rightly been spilled on Disco Elysium’s story of a broken cop, a swinging body and a decomposing city. Set in a vivid world that’s not far removed from ours, it’s an angry game, cultivated in Estonian avant art and activism circles by a team of poets, artists, musicians and weirdo game fans. It’s sardonic and funny, but it’s also founded on hope, with a tender soul which draws its tragi-comedy into stark focus.

Disco Elysium, in other words, is quite unlike any other game that was released this year, and it draws a new line in the sand for its genre. How often are RPGs really about roleplaying? Disco Elysium gives you the rare chance to play your character, Harry du Bois, through the maelstrom of his 24 skills. Each represents a slice of his persona, encompassing his inhibitions, prejudices, obsessions, awareness and memories, and can talk to you, providing its own variably reliable commentary on his quest to solve a murder and in the process discover who he is.

Writing plays a huge role in all this, of course, but it’s underpinned by a game which delivers crunchy risk and reward through the choices it surfaces. There are conscious ones, made by levelling up skills and raising the odds of passing dice-roll skill checks on them. More powerful skills will open new conversational lines and pathways for action, as well as potentially getting in your way. And there are more subtle ones: Disco Elysium watches what you have du Bois say and quietly aligns your character on an ideological spectrum that ranges from communism to fascism. Allow him to think about them and they’ll become part of his Thought Cabinet, where they serve as perks and form his reputation. By the end of the game, Harry is a palimpsest of your conscious and unconscious choices, and a role fully played.