PAX East 2018 had a strong Strategy and Isometric RPG showing this year! With Divinity Original Sin II bringing the console version, Pillars of Eternity II, and Banner Saga 3 it was a treat for fans of the genre. Amongst all of these established heavy hitters, there was a Disco Ball shaped gem that stood out from everything I saw on the show floor, Disco Elysium by Zaum Studios. “Disco Elysium A Detective RPG” orginally caught my interest with its trailer. Showcasing a dirty painterly art style, a groovy mash up of steampunk, grungy 70’s cop stories, and Noir, and mystery. It looked fascinating, it looked different, not only in visuals but in the way it played as well. I booked an appointment to play immediately.
PAX is a busy, bustling place. Things constantly on the move, meaning time with games is somewhat limited. With Disco Elysium something groovy happened, I forgot about the con, it disappeared it was me and the game. I was told to play for about twenty minutes and then they would be happy to answer any questions I may have. I played for over forty minutes.
After experiencing darkness and a hilariously and cleverly written introduction where you argue with your brain, the main character wakes up, not knowing who he is, where he is or why he is there. He doesn’t even particularly know where all of his clothes are. Right on, already a mystery to solve! Through clues, I discover most of my clothes, that one shoe is missing seemingly out the broken window, and fail a check to figure out how to get my necktie off the ceiling fan. While walking around various things will trigger different parts of the brain, clueing you into what’s happening. This also sometimes triggers amusing conversations with that part of the brain. Your brain will also harshly criticize your behavior as you go around trying to not only piece together who you are, but also the mystery behind the dead body hanging in the tree behind the hotel you are housed in.
Overall my experience is hard to put into words, but it was entrancing. I was engrossed in the world presented to me. The art style, inspired by oil paintings, pulls all the various elements together into a world where of course bell-bottomed pants and steam driven carriages exist together! The writing is well written and extremely clever, more than once causing me to laugh with its subtle Dr. Who and Pink Floyd references. The voice acting drives the writing even further, and I could easily see having a fun time being a voice actor on this project. The focus on investigating the environment, social encounters, and gathering information and away from combat (though there is still some combat, it just isn’t a focus gameplay element) is a fresh take on the genre that I personally look forward to experiencing in full. The fact that Disco Elysium caused me to forget I was at PAX East 2018 for close to an hour is the reason I granted it a Writer’s Choice Award and a nomination for Best Indie Game of the show! That and the fact that “Bell-Bottomed Pants” is a character attribute. Keep an eye out for Disco Elysium, it’s far out, man.
