Disco Elysium
| Disco Elysium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | ZA/UM |
| Publisher(s) | ZA/UM |
| Designer(s) | Robert Kurvitz[1] |
| Artist(s) | Aleksander Rostov |
| Writer(s) | Robert Kurvitz[1] |
| Composer(s) | British Sea Power |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Disco Elysium is a role-playing video game developed and published by ZA/UM.[2] It was released for Microsoft Windows on October 15, 2019.[3] The game is inspired by classic Infinity Engine CRPGs and tabletop role-playing games.[4][5]
Gameplay
Disco Elysium is a role-playing video game that features an open world and dialogue-heavy gameplay mechanics.[4][6] The game is presented in an isometric perspective in which the player controls the character.[5] There is no combat in the game in the traditional sense, instead it is handled through dialogue trees and skill checks.[7] There are four primary abilities in the game: Intellect, Psyche, Physique, and Motorics. Each ability has six distinct secondary skills for a total of 24.[8]
Plot
The game takes places in the fictional city of Revachol, specifically in the Martinaise district which is plagued by poverty and crime.[4] The main protagonist is a detective on a murder case who suffers from alcohol-induced amnesia.[9]
Development
Development of Disco Elysium started in 2016 by Estonian developer ZA/UM with a writing team that consisted of 8 writers.[10] The original title was No Truce With The Furies but was renamed Disco Elysium in 2018.[11] During development, the developer ZA/UM relocated from Estonia to London.[2]
Four of the hosts of the American political podcast Chapo Trap House have voice-acting cameos in the game.[12]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 89/100[13] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 9.6/10[14] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 92/100[4] |
| USgamer | 4.5/5[5] |
Disco Elysium was met with positive reviews upon its release; it is currently listed on Metacritic with a score of 89/100, indicating "Universal acclaim" according to the site.[13]
The game was praised for its memorable characters, depth of choice, writing and open world.[4][15][14] PC Gamer praised the game for its depth, freedom, customization, and storytelling and called it one of the finest RPGs on PC.[4] IGN praised the game's open world and compared it favorably to the The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2 despite being much smaller.[14] The Washington Post said that the game is conspicuously well written.[15]
Eurogamer criticized the game for not offering enough choice in role-playing and for a distinct lack of focus.[16]
References
- ^ a b Taylor, Haydn (31 October 2018). "Chasing oblivion with Disco Elysium and alcohol addiction". Gamesindustry.biz.
- ^ a b "Making games under threat of nuclear war". GamesIndustry.biz.
- ^ Marzano, Anthony (15 October 2019). "Police procedural cRPG Disco Elysium is out today". Destructoid. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Kelly, Andy (15 October 2019). "Disco Elysium Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Williams, Mike (16 October 2019). "Disco Elysium Review: The Voices in Your Head Are Real, and They'll Get You in Trouble". USgamer. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ Cohen, Coberly, (16 October 2019). "Ambitious open-world RPG Disco Elysium lets you take on the role of a mentally unstable detective". Techspot.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "DISCO ELYSIUM: CHARACTER GENERATION, SKILL CHECKS AND GAMEPLAY STRATEGY". Gamecrate.com. 16 October 2019.
- ^ "Disco Elysium skills & character creation: Intellect, Psyche, Physique, Motorics, and the 24 skills explained". rockpapershotgun.com. 14 October 2019.
- ^ Lang, Brad. "Disco Elysium Review – Stayin' Alive". criticalhit.net. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ Price, Edward. "Disco Elysium – Rezzed 2018 Interview". gameanalytics.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ Tarason, Dominic (March 9, 2018). "No Truce With The Furies gets a mad new title and trailer". Rock, Paper, Shotgun.
- ^ "Twitter - Studio ZA/UM". 13 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Disco Elysium". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Cardy, Simon (16 October 2019). "Disco Elysium Review". IGN. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ a b Byrd, Christopher. "'Disco Elysium': Riveting delirium". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
- ^ Hetfeld, Malindy (18 October 2019). "Disco Elysium review - large-scale whodunit with a distinct lack of focus". eurogamer.net. Retrieved 19 October 2019.