Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

My first game finished in 2023 was Disco Elysium. 

The game is quite distinctive. It’s like playing a tabletop role playing game like D&D, giving you a lot of different options through dialogue. The success of your choices is sometimes predetermined but often is dictated by a combination of your stats and chance. And many problems can be solved in multiple ways, and in different orders. If you have physical prowess you can jump over a gap or break down a door, or intimidate people. Alternatively, you can figure people out, lie to them, or endear yourself to them to get them to let you in. 

The story has you solving a murder in a poor city in a fictional world, with a union led by a corrupt man squaring off against mercenaries hired by the capitalists. It also veers into various levels of strange magical realism. 

It was well written, with distinctive characters each having their own motivations and quirks. And given how open your choices are I was surprised at how well the entirely voice acted story remained consistent. You would think at some point someone would say something anachronistic, but that didn’t happen. 

It took a little bit to become invested in the story, but once I did I didn’t want to stop playing. A solid 10.

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