What happens when you wake up in a strange land with a hangover, absolutely no memory and you have to solve a murder? Disco, baby! This week we’re talking about a stellar RPG game that we absolutely love and so do all the critics (not that it matters). Solve the case, figure out your identity, do some drugs, read some books, argue with your inner monologue, tackle a whole new world of politics, history and philosophy, find a cryptid, sing some karaoke, lose your mind… do whatever you want in this bizarre, well-written, beautifully made, and totally unique game. This is the “Disco Elysium” pod and we’re super stoked to tell you about this all-around amazing game.
“Disco Elysium” is the debut game from indie developer ZA/UM and novelist Robert Kurvitz. “Disco Elysium” is a non-traditional RPG that features no combat, instead choosing to focus on dialogue and skill checks, set in an awesome “fantastical reality” filled with its own politics, history, culture, high strangeness, and a coterie of wild characters. Based on a variety of influences and tabletop gaming… this is truly a game unlike anything else. “Disco Elysium” is an amazing, complex, and very re-playable gaming experience that had us both hooked from the moment we picked up the controller. This game is super dense so we may have missed a few things but we did our best to cover all the bases.
In this episode, we chat about the game’s innovative dialogue and skill-based gameplay, the incredible voice acting, the creative direction, its unique game design, the “Thought Cabinet” and skill system, the voices in the player’s head, and how everything you do in this game changes your story (for better or for worse). Plus, we touch on the incredible world and lore of “Disco Elysium” (take a drink every time we say “world-building” if you’re feeling brave), the insane side quests and deep multi-faceted narrative, the developer’s focus on “microreactivity” and the consequences of the player's actions, the almost unheard of amount of detail, cryptozoology, philosophy, existentialism, nihilism, doing meth to solve a crime, politics, D&D, its production and reception, indie developers vs. AAA developers, and more.
We’re not going to spoil much else because this game is sort of hard to explain in a short summary. Trust us. “Disco Elysium” rules. Listen to the episode and, if you like what you hear, you should DEFINITELY check it out.
We’ll see you next week!
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STREAM “Ill INTENTIONS” by THE BROTHERS SLIMM:
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