A strange side effect of Disco Elysium being as popular as it is is that I’ll occasionally see internet personalities I follow talking about it the same way you would talk about like…the new Pokemon game (graphics, mechanics, the story, it was pretty good, 9/10, I recommend it etc.) and I’m just…mystified.
Did we play the same game?!? HOW are you talking about it like that. Unless you’re trying to spare people from spoilers I don’t understand how that is your takeaway.
Disco Elysium is not an experience that you can rate out of ten at the end like you’re grading a fucking dog show!!! It’s a game that is constantly pulling you apart and ripping out your insides and telling you to decide what you think of them.
I feel like ‘the writing was good; it made me laugh a lot’ is not accurately reflecting the experience here!
Disco Elysium doesn’t let you play it without getting your hands dirty unless you’re failing to pay attention to the things being said or intentionally ignoring them. The game is constantly challenging you with the consequences of your actions and beliefs. Even staying neutral is a position that the game criticises you for taking, challenging what you consider to be ‘neutral’. Why even in a confined pretend world you feel the need to not take a stance.
And you just played that and were like…yeah pretty good. I liked the story. It was funny when x thing happened. No reflection, no examination of why x thing happened, no discussion of how your identity played into how you saw the game and the choices you made, no thoughts on the central ideas of the story in a game that’s basically ALL story and personal introspection? No. Okay. Cool, whatever.
