Disco Elysium is a smart game, but not in the way that's all like "ooooh look at me, look at how clever I am. I know I'm a video game!!". Disco Elysium doesn't know it's a video game. It might even think it's a book, sometimes.
So the main idea of the game is that you're a cop. What kind of cop you are is up to you - you can be an art cop, or a sorry cop, or a sad cop. You can be a fascist too but I think that's sort of prewritten into your being a cop. At it's core, Disco Elysium is a game about Politics. It explores the nature of what it means to be a cop, what it means to have a police force in general. It also talks about communism and stuff but that's not as important as the cop thing. Throughout the game you constantly abuse your cop powers and never once face a repercussion for you actions. You walked up to a random stranger and told her that her husband was dead because the voices in your head told you so? Not an issue, you're a cop. You can trust cops.
The game is funny. What can I say? The writing made me laugh. I don't usually like "funny" things. Like the Office isn't that great. Someone once told me to listen to a podcast called "Grandma's Virginity Podcast" because they thought it was funny. Well, I didn't think it was funny. But Disco Elysium is funny.
I guess there's gameplay? Like you go around and click on things. It's cool that there's no real combat system, but you can still die. Which also doesn't mean a whole lot, like you can just reload your save. Maybe the game would've been better if you couldn't die? But some of the moments where I died, I really enjoyed them.
I think that's the big secret of Disco Elysium. The big picture of the game isn't that great. Like the Main Story was ok, it was fine. It meant a lot and it said things. But the parts that I really remember are the smaller moments. Debating if I should sympathize with a race realist because he's blocking my way, dammit, and I'm not strong enough to beat him in a fist fight, and the voices in my head are telling me "hey maybe this guy has a point" (he doesn't). Or the bit where I shot my gun at a child because like, no one talks to me that way. I'm a cop, and an unhinged one at that.
That seems like a strange place to end the review.
So the main idea of the game is that you're a cop. What kind of cop you are is up to you - you can be an art cop, or a sorry cop, or a sad cop. You can be a fascist too but I think that's sort of prewritten into your being a cop. At it's core, Disco Elysium is a game about Politics. It explores the nature of what it means to be a cop, what it means to have a police force in general. It also talks about communism and stuff but that's not as important as the cop thing. Throughout the game you constantly abuse your cop powers and never once face a repercussion for you actions. You walked up to a random stranger and told her that her husband was dead because the voices in your head told you so? Not an issue, you're a cop. You can trust cops.
The game is funny. What can I say? The writing made me laugh. I don't usually like "funny" things. Like the Office isn't that great. Someone once told me to listen to a podcast called "Grandma's Virginity Podcast" because they thought it was funny. Well, I didn't think it was funny. But Disco Elysium is funny.
I guess there's gameplay? Like you go around and click on things. It's cool that there's no real combat system, but you can still die. Which also doesn't mean a whole lot, like you can just reload your save. Maybe the game would've been better if you couldn't die? But some of the moments where I died, I really enjoyed them.
I think that's the big secret of Disco Elysium. The big picture of the game isn't that great. Like the Main Story was ok, it was fine. It meant a lot and it said things. But the parts that I really remember are the smaller moments. Debating if I should sympathize with a race realist because he's blocking my way, dammit, and I'm not strong enough to beat him in a fist fight, and the voices in my head are telling me "hey maybe this guy has a point" (he doesn't). Or the bit where I shot my gun at a child because like, no one talks to me that way. I'm a cop, and an unhinged one at that.
That seems like a strange place to end the review.
PierreMenard
3 years ago