Disco Elysium, developed by ZA/UM and released in 2019, is not your typical role-playing game (RPG). It’s a narrative-driven detective story, set in a gritty, dystopian city where players delve into the complexities of crime, politics, and the human psyche. The game stands out for its unique blend of rich storytelling, psychological depth, and non-linear gameplay. In this article, we’ll explore the various aspects that make Disco Elysium one of the most remarkable and revolutionary RPGs of recent years.
The Story: A Detective’s Journey Through Amnesia and Chaos
Disco Elysium begins with the protagonist, a detective suffering from a severe case of amnesia, waking up in a trashed hotel room in the city of Revachol. Players are tasked with solving a murder mystery while also piecing together the shattered fragments of the detective’s identity. From the outset, the story is personal, dark, and layered with a web of intrigue that pulls players into the bleak world of Revachol.
Revachol: A City Shaped by Its Past
The setting of Disco Elysium—Revachol—is as much a character as any of the people you encounter in the game. The city is steeped in history, having undergone revolutions, wars, and societal collapse. Political ideologies like communism, fascism, and capitalism have all left their marks on Revachol’s crumbling infrastructure and its worn-down citizens. As players explore the city, they encounter individuals from all walks of life, each shaped by their environment.
Through exploration, the game weaves a narrative that touches on themes of power, class struggle, and the effects of history on the present. Players can choose to engage with these themes in various ways, whether by embracing certain political ideologies or dismissing them altogether, which makes Disco Elysium a highly personal experience.
Amnesia as a Narrative Device
One of the most interesting aspects of Disco Elysium is the protagonist’s amnesia, which serves as a clever narrative tool. Unlike other RPGs where the player character might be a blank slate, in Disco Elysium, your character has a defined past that you must uncover. The detective’s lost memories are gradually revealed through interactions, skills, and choices, making each new discovery feel significant.
The interplay between the protagonist’s fractured memory and the world around him adds depth to the narrative. The game constantly challenges players to decide what kind of detective they want their character to be—whether they seek redemption or descend further into chaos.
The Gameplay: A Revolutionary Approach to RPG Mechanics
Disco Elysium breaks from traditional RPG conventions by focusing almost entirely on dialogue and skill checks, rather than combat. The game emphasizes choice, consequence, and character development through interactions with the world and its inhabitants. The result is a deeply immersive experience where every decision shapes the narrative.
The Skill System: A Dialogue-Driven Experience
At the heart of Disco Elysium is its unique skill system, which affects how the protagonist interacts with the world. There are four main skill categories—Intellect, Psyche, Physique, and Motorics—each representing different aspects of the detective’s abilities. These are further broken down into sub-skills, ranging from Logic and Empathy to Shivers and Electrochemistry. Each skill represents a distinct personality trait or cognitive ability.
What sets this system apart from other RPGs is that the skills function as voices in the protagonist’s head. For instance, high Empathy may allow the detective to read others’ emotions, while high Electrochemistry might push him toward self-destructive behaviors. The skills often have their own agenda, offering conflicting advice during critical moments, which adds a fascinating layer of complexity to decision-making.
Dialogue Choices and Skill Checks
Since there is no traditional combat in Disco Elysium, dialogue and skill checks become the primary means of interaction. Players are constantly faced with choices that can have both immediate and long-term effects on the narrative. These choices range from how the detective handles interrogations to the political stances he adopts during conversations with NPCs.
Skill checks play a significant role in shaping these interactions. Some checks are “active,” requiring players to roll dice based on their skill level, while others are “passive,” occurring in the background without player input. The outcome of a skill check can lead to success or failure, but in Disco Elysium, failure can be just as interesting as success, often leading to unexpected narrative twists or humorous situations.
Political Ideologies and Themes: A World of Moral Ambiguity
One of the defining features of Disco Elysium is its exploration of political ideologies and moral ambiguity. The game presents players with a world where no one ideology is clearly right or wrong. Instead, it offers a complex, nuanced portrayal of various political movements, from communism to fascism, and capitalism to anarchism.
Choosing Your Ideological Path
Throughout the game, players are given the opportunity to align the detective with certain political beliefs, but these choices are never simple. For example, embracing communism might lead to solidarity with Revachol’s working class, but it also means accepting the harsh realities and failures of that system. On the other hand, leaning into capitalism might offer personal gain but at the cost of moral compromise.
The game’s approach to politics reflects the real-world complexities of ideology. Rather than prescribing one view as the “correct” path, Disco Elysium forces players to grapple with the consequences of their choices, making every decision feel weighty and significant.
The Inner Dialogue and Thought Cabinet
One of the game’s most innovative mechanics is the Thought Cabinet, a system that allows players to internalize certain ideas and beliefs over time. As the detective encounters new situations, he can “ponder” various thoughts, ranging from philosophical questions to personal insecurities. These thoughts often relate to the game’s broader themes, such as politics, identity, and purpose.
The process of internalizing a thought takes time, but once completed, it provides unique bonuses (or penalties) that affect the protagonist’s skills and interactions. The Thought Cabinet is a testament to the game’s commitment to exploring the human condition—our beliefs, biases, and uncertainties—and how these shape our worldview.
The Characters: A World Filled with Memorable Personalities
Disco Elysium is populated by a cast of fascinating, well-developed characters, each with their own motivations, secrets, and backstories. These characters play a crucial role in the detective’s investigation, as well as in shaping the game’s tone and themes.
Kim Kitsuragi: The Steadfast Companion
One of the most beloved characters in Disco Elysium is Kim Kitsuragi, the detective’s stoic partner. Kim serves as a grounding force for the protagonist, offering rational advice and steady support. His no-nonsense attitude contrasts with the protagonist’s erratic behavior, creating an interesting dynamic between the two.
Kim is not just a sidekick; his character is deeply fleshed out, with his own personal values and moral code. His presence provides a sense of stability in a world that often feels chaotic and unpredictable. The relationship between the protagonist and Kim evolves over the course of the game, depending on the player’s choices, and their bond (or lack thereof) adds emotional depth to the narrative.
Other Key Figures
Beyond Kim, players will meet a wide array of characters, from the cynical union boss Evrart Claire to the mysterious cryptozoologist Lena. Each character has their own agenda, and the detective’s interactions with them can shape the course of the investigation. The game excels at making every NPC feel important, with their own stories and roles to play in the larger mystery of the murder.
Visuals and Sound: Crafting an Atmospheric Experience
Disco Elysium isn’t just a narrative masterpiece; it’s also a visual and auditory feast. The game’s art style is a stunning mix of hand-painted backgrounds and detailed character designs, creating a sense of grit and decay that perfectly complements the tone of the story.
The Art Style: A Painting in Motion
The visuals in Disco Elysium are distinctive, with a painterly style that feels both surreal and grounded. Revachol is a city of faded grandeur, and the art design reflects this, with its crumbling buildings, foggy streets, and desolate landscapes. The visual style enhances the game’s atmosphere of melancholy and decay, drawing players deeper into the world.
Soundtrack and Voice Acting
The game’s soundtrack, composed by the British band Sea Power (formerly British Sea Power), is haunting and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the mood of Revachol. The music is subtle, often fading into the background but emerging at key moments to heighten tension or underscore emotional scenes.
In addition to the soundtrack, the voice acting in Disco Elysium is superb. The protagonist’s inner voices, in particular, are brought to life with a range of personalities and tones that make them feel like distinct characters in their own right.
Conclusion: A Revolutionary RPG That Redefines the Genre
In conclusion, Disco Elysium is a groundbreaking RPG that defies genre conventions and sets a new standard for narrative-driven games. Its deep exploration of politics, morality, and identity, combined with its innovative skill system and dialogue-based gameplay, makes it a truly unique experience. The game’s world is rich with history, its characters are multifaceted, and its story is both personal and profound.
Whether you’re drawn in by the complex mystery at the heart of Revachol or the philosophical questions the game poses, Disco Elysium offers an experience that lingers long after the credits roll. It’s a
game that challenges players to think deeply about their choices, the nature of humanity, and the world around them—qualities that cement its place as one of the most important RPGs of our time.
