Recent reviews by Aurora

There is not much I have to say. This is easily the best CRPG I've played, ever. The writing, the gameplay, the visuals and sound - all of it hit just the right spots. The best successor the original games could have had.

P.S. Interesting how this game's basic design premise seems to be "what if early 2010s Bioware did the exact opposite of all of their decisions"

P.S.S. Now, all we need is a space opera RPG from Larian to complete the arc

In all my experience with Western RPGs I have never found myself feeling the same way as I was after finishing Disco Elysium. This game has managed to captivate me the most since, perhaps, Arcanum, which I always considered to be the most atmospheric RPG I've played.
Well, Disco Elysium has managed to outdo it. Set in a strange and colorful world, Disco Elysium puts you in the (croc leather!) shoes of a police detective in the city of Revachol. After spending the night drinking his sorry ass off in the middle of a murder investigation, our protagonist wakes up with barely any memory of prior events (and reality). Still, there is no rest for the wicked - our detective must gather himself together and solve the case, no matter what. Thankfully, you're not alone in your quest - you're joined by your partner, detective Kim Kitsuragi and voices in your head - your skills. Sounds interesting? Well, buckle up, since this case is no ordinary murder mystery, and only you can solve this case - the case of the century!

Disco Elysium takes a break from the traditional cRPG gameplay - namely, the gameplay consists entirely of dialogues and skill checks. Speaking of skills - they are your party members! Much like your traditional RPG party, they can interject in conversations, offering you new dialogue options or highlighting their preferred answer. However, they are far from being infallible, and while increasing them nets you obvious benefits of being able to pass various checks, skills with high enough levels may start negatively affecting you, becoming obsessed with their aspect. For example, a high enough Encyclopedia skill (which affects your fact-based knowledge) may provide you useful trivia in some situations, while overloading you with pointless facts and urging you to side with people flattering your intelligence. Meanwhile, Kim Kitsuragi serves as your more "traditional" party member. Kim will constantly participate in various interactions, offering you his insight and support. However, what truly made Kim stand out for me was the writing - his relationship with the protagonist is one of the deepest companion relationships I have ever encountered. Kim is a huge part of the game, as he serves not only as your assistant - he truly is your partner, with his own outlook on the world and the player character. I am going to be honest - Kim Kitsuragi is one of the best cRPG companions I have seen - much like with another video game cop, Garrus Vakarian of Mass Effect series fame, detective Kitsuragi forms a true, believable camaraderie with the protagonist - and a certain emotional bond with the audience (so now I want to see them starring as buddy cop duo).

But Kim isn't the only character who caught my attention. Revachol is full of colorful folks, each with their own unique feel. Be it Cuno and Cunoesse, a pair of foul-mouthed, drug-abusing kids, or a cynical, yet sentimental corporate representative Joyce, or a scheming and ambitious Union leader Evrart, each has their own story, their own set of emotions, with the same being applied to quests. The world of Disco Elysium in general, is one of the most creative settings I have seen presented in a video game. With its' bizarre structure of the universe, which essentially consists of masses of reality, called isolas, surrounded by the pale - a strange, mist-like space of non-existence, where laws of reality cease to function and exposure to which causes humans to lose their mind and, eventually, cease existing, and can only be traversed via special aircraft. No less complicated are this world's politics - after the Centennial Revolution, which was a massive communist revolt, inspired by the teachings of Kras Mazov - this universe's equivalent of Karl Marx - the golden age of civilization, known as Dolorian era, has ended. And despite communists' defeat at the hands of Moralintern - Disco Elysium's version of UN, the struggle continues, with the world's four ideologies - communism (with a Jacobin revolutionary flavor, no less!), moralism (essentialy centrist liberalism, Moralintern's ideology), fascism (a loser ideology) and ultra-liberalism (this world's version of libertarianism with a technocratic bent and a complete disconnect with reality) continuing to wage war over people's hearts and minds - including yours. Indeed, your investigation is going to touch many of the political powers of this world - and Revachol's place in this world is special. Finally, the technology of this world is similarly curious - radio-based computers exist together with motorised carriages, while wars are being waged with airships, helicopters, ballistic missiles, ceramic armor and muzzle-loaded firearms. The world of Disco Elysium is full of contrasts and curiousities, at the same time being incredibly relatable to our own. Disco Elysium's feel reflects its' artstyle - a caleidoscope, a world of colors and emotions, a world which will make you feel for it and think of it. It sure did with me.

Long story short, I am a low-fi socialist trash, and I'm rating this 10/10 or something.