worse at certain things. But as you
play you earn experience points that
let you upgrade any skills you like,
allowing you to sculpt your character
further. You might start out physically
weak, but stick enough points into
the appropriate skills to transform
your detective over time into a
proverbial force of nature.
THOUGHT CRIME
And I haven’t even mentioned
thoughts yet. As you speak to people,
you’ll reveal thoughts that can then
be slotted into your brain and
developed over time, unlocking stat
buffs and fascinating, insightful
nuggets of story. Some of these have a
major impact on your character’s
mental state, while others are more
frivolous, and largely played for
laughs. You’re limited to three
thoughts to begin with, but skill
points can also be used to unlock
more. And the more thoughts you
develop, the more complex your
character becomes.
The result of all this is one of the
most preposterously malleable
characters in RPG history. You can
create a highly empathetic
communist disco music enthusiast, a
self-deprecating artist who punches
first and asks questions later, a
deluded rock-and-roll cop with a
passion for democracy,
or a drug-addicted
feminist psychic. Every
person who plays Disco
Elysium will have a
different experience as
a result of the frankly
audacious depth of its
role-playing.
The game is set in
the fictional city of Revachol;
specifically a dreary, forgotten district
called Martinaise. Plagued by poverty,
crime, corrupt unions and scarred by
a violent revolution, it’s exactly the
kind of place you’d expect to wake up
after a three-day drug binge.
Disco Elysium is a gorgeous game
with a stylish, painterly aesthetic,
expressive characters and detailed
backgrounds. But it’s filthy too, which
is relayed mainly by that gloriously
rich, evocative writing. A vividly
described autopsy made me feel
genuinely queasy.
Many of the people you meet say
disgusting, offensive things, which is
entirely justified by the grotty
bleakness of the setting. Martinaise is
a horrible place filled with horrible
people. But there are flickers of
warmth and humanity too. People
making the most of a bad hand,
struggling against an uncaring world.
It’s a lavishly realized setting with
acres of history and culture to
discover, although occasionally, in
some optional conversations, I felt
like a mountain of rather dull,
long-winded lore had been suddenly
dumped on my head.
The writing is funny, subversive,
and, admittedly, a little self-indulgent
at times. But it’s also incredibly good
with an anarchic literary flair that
makes even the most matter-of-fact
conversation hugely entertaining.
There’s partial voice
acting too, although it
varies wildly in quality.
The sleazy, rasping
delivery of your ancient
reptilian brain, which
regularly emerges to
taunt you, sounds
wonderfully evil. And I
love the soft, calming
voice of Lt Kitsuragi, your partner,
who is a kind of moral center for the
wild and unpredictable protagonist.HEAD CASE
Freedom in Disco Elysium isn’t just
limited to shaping your character.
The structure is also extremely
open-ended, letting you pursue the
murder as doggedly, or not, as you
see fit. A list of tasks is constantly
building up in your notebook, and
you can perform them in any order
you like—including those linked to
the main case. And they’re all
interconnected, meaning doing one
task before another can open up
completely new avenues of
investigation when on the case.
Martinaise is a large, open space
made up of several distinct areas, andthe sheer volume of stuff to interact
with, people to talk to and quests to
pick up is quite overwhelming.
You’ll investigate a dilapidated
apartment block, a frozen coastline, a
crumbling boardwalk, a dockyard,
and other suitably grim locations, all
of which are brought to life by that
beautiful art—not to mention
atmospheric music, lighting, and
ambient sound design. It’s a place
that you can really get lost in.
How you complete tasks and solve
crimes is dependent on your
character. If you’re the physical,
all-action type, you’ll deal with
situations in a more direct, aggressive
way. But if your character is
psychological or empathetic, you
might find a more subtle solution.
Crucially, every kind of player is
catered for. You’ll never hit a brick
wall because of the way you’ve built
your character. This makes Disco
Elysium a supremely satisfying RPG,
because if you want to play a certain
way, the game is primed to
accommodate it.
The thing about Disco Elysium is
that my experience of it is completely
unique to me, such is the variety of
skills, stats, conversation and
thoughts options on offer. You could
play through it five times and still not
see everything. In that sense it defies
a traditional review, because there’s
no one experience to assess. But I can
say that it’s one of the finest RPGs on
PC if you value depth, freedom,
customization, and storytelling.92
An irresponsibly deep
and intricate detective
RPG that lets you be any
kind of cop you want.
Even a bad one.VERDICTEveryone who
plays Disco
Elysium will
have a different
experienceCRIME FIGHTER What kind of detective are you?
THINKER
You can choose a preset character if
you don’t want to make your own.
This guy is educated, insightful, and
creative, but physically unimposing.SENSITIVE
This one has a magnetic personality
and a deep understanding of
people’s psychology, but also suffers
from an unstable mind.PHYSICAL
This chap is dumber than a sack of
rocks, but is extremely physical. He
prefers to punch rather than think
his way out of tricky situations.
5 INT
1 PSY
2 FYS
4 MOT1 INT
5 PSY
4 FYS
2 MOT1 INT
2 PSY
5 FYS
4 MOTREVIEW