Disco Elysium Review (Mr.Prince)
Important Note
Before I start the review, I feel the need address the issue with ZA/UM. They fired the entire creative team which are behind this game. I was not aware of this until it was brought up in the review section by other players. The game is fun yes however if you are able to, find other means to play this game instead of purchasing it, I will still give it a positive review because of the game itself not because of the publisher.
Introduction
Disco Elysium is one game that I honestly didn't expect would live up to its hype. It seems over hyped and not my kind of game but oh boy did they blend RPG with Mystery elements well. Kudos to the team behind the Disco Elysium project. I picked it up recently when it was on sale and I'm addicted to it. I'm a big sucker for mystery game and combination of mystery and RPG is something that I have been longing for.
Gameplay
For starters, the game is mostly dialogue driven kind of like visual novel but distinctive enough that it is different from visual novel. The game allows you to move around investigate the area of Martinaise and do whatever you like. From time to time there will also be "Red Checks" and "White Checks" which you will need to unlock. You can either level up your stats or equip better clothing/tools to clear the locks on it. The "White Checks" can be redo as many times as you want granted that you didn't progress too far into the story which will sometimes eliminate the checks entirely. To unlock the checks its basically like "gacha" system where you will roll the dice and hope you get equivalent or higher value than the checks. I won't get too deep into its to prevent spoiler but you should get the gits of it, its basically like gambling and its chance based and the higher level of your "stats", the easier it is to clear it. Throughout the story, you will be presented with tons of choices and dialogues which are well written. Some NPCs will even have special remark on your clothing and appearances which is a plus in my opinion which make it a more immersive experience. The game has naturally day and night cycle and some events can only be done on certain time of the day. The game also allows you to tackle the main objective however you like which is investigate the murder that occur there. In my playthrough there's basically minimal to none restriction, you can do whatever you want in any order you want which is a big bonus in my opinion. The side quest of the game is also fun and some of it are even goofy. The wide array of dialogues also makes it interesting to interact with the NPCs. The jokes of the game are not too over, I think it is funny and some choices are just there to throw you off your game. However, if you don't like reading and crave for a lot of action then this is not the game for you. As for the soundtrack, What can I say? The game has HARD CORE! soundtrack and I really like it. The game is overhead perspective type of game which fits the game perfectly accompanying it with great music score. The graphics are wonderful, I really like the art style on this game. The scenery of the game is also something that needs more recognition, It is astonishing and I really like the overall aesthetic they are going for.
Conclusion
In Conclusion I think it is a great game, It might not be everyone's cup of tea but along with its quirky jokes, the scenery and even the music, this is one of my favourite game out there right now but due to what ZA/UM has done. It is really hard to recommend anyone purchasing this game. The only reason it receive positive review was because the creative team behind it did a fantastic job. In my opinion, If you like mystery and don't mind the extensive reading then this game would be suitable for you otherwise I won't recommend this to anyone that is looking for action. The game also have replayable value as I believe each experience will be different from the previous one.