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Disco Elysium

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Vorlage:Short description Vorlage:Use dmy dates Vorlage:Infobox video game Disco Elysium is a role-playing video game developed and published by ZA/UM. The game is inspired by Infinity Engine role-playing games, and was designed and written by Estonian novelist Robert Kurvitz. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 15 October 2019, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases planned for 2020. Disco Elysium received universal acclaim from critics, with its narrative and conversation systems receiving the most praise. It was also nominated for and won several awards, including game of the year.

Gameplay

Datei:Disco Elysium interface.jpg
A screenshot of the interface

Disco Elysium is a role-playing video game that features an open world and dialogue-heavy gameplay mechanics.[1][2] The game is presented in an isometric perspective in which the player character is controlled.[3] The player takes the role of a detective on a murder case who suffers from alcohol and drug-induced amnesia.[4]

The gameplay features no combat in the traditional sense; instead, it is handled through dialogue trees and skill checks.[5] There are four primary abilities in the game: Intellect, Psyche, Physique, and Motorics, and each ability has six distinct secondary skills for a total of 24.[6] The player improves these skills through skill points earned from leveling up, and is able to raise a skill temporarily by equipping a piece of clothing.[5] Upgrading these skills help the player character pass skill checks, but could also potentially result in negative effects and character quirks. For instance, a player character with high Drama may be able to detect and fabricate lies effectively, but may also become prone to hysterics and paranoia. Likewise, high Electrochemistry shields the player character from the negative effects of drugs and provides knowledge on them, but may also lead to substance abuse and other self-destructive behaviors.[6]

Disco Elysium features a secondary inventory system, the Thought Cabinet. Thoughts are unlockable through conversations with other characters, as well as through internal dialogues within the mind of the player character himself. The player is then able to "internalize" a thought through a certain amount of in-game hours, which, once completed, grants the player character permanent benefits but also occasionally negative effects.[7]

Setting

The world of Disco Elysium is quite different from reality. The world is made of landmasses known as Isolas that are all separated by the Pale; a mysterious connective tissue in which the laws of reality begin to break down to the point that even numbers stop working. Prolonged exposure to it can cause mental instability and madness. Humanity crosses it via specially built airships. Civilization in Disco Elysium is comparable to late 20th century Earth, both technologically and culturally. Nations and people within Disco Elysium follow different ideologies, including communism, Traditionalism (a mix of fascism and monarchism), Ultraliberalism (a form of libertarianism) and Moralism (a form of centrist capitalist democracy).

Disco Elysium takes place in the fictional city of Revachol in the island chain of Insulinde, specifically in the Martinaise district that is plagued by poverty, crime, and corruption.[1] Revachol is still very much marked by a failed communist revolution that took place five decades before the start of the game. The movement was successful in overthrowing the old monarchy that controlled the city, and even formed a commune afterwards, but was soon toppled itself by an invasion of an alliance of capitalist nations calling themselves "the Coalition", who wanted to bring a stop to the commune. Revachol has since been designated a Special Administrative Region under the Coalition, who holds a strong grip over the city's local economy and keeps its autonomy at a minimum. One of the few governmental functions that Revachol is allowed to handle itself is upholding day to day law and order, which is the task of the Revachol Citizens Militia (RCM). While starting out as a voluntary citizens brigade, the RCM has since grown and evolved into a semi-professional police force.

Plot

Vorlage:Plot The game start with the player character waking up in a trashed cafeteria motel room with a severe hangover and no memory of who they are. The other residents of the cafeteria inform him that he is a detective of the RCM; and he soon meets his assigned partner Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi; who informs him that they are assigned to investigate the death of a hanged man in the cafeteria's backyard. This is in spite of the fact that the player lacks not only his identity, but also his badge and his own gun, all of which he had lost during his apparent drunken bender.

The hanged man's identity is unclear and initial investigation indicates that he was lynched by a group of people. Detailed analysis however implies that he was killed before being hanged in the tree. On the second day, the detectives run into the Hardie Boys; a group of dockworkers led by Titus Hardie who act as a vigilante group to keep the peace around Matinaise in the absence of proper RCM patrols. The Hardie boys claim responsibility for the murder, claiming that the man attempted to rape another guest in the cafeteria. After this explanation is dismissed by the detectives, they grudgingly point out the guest in question: an Oraanje expat by the name of Klaasje. Klaasje however denies the claim of rape, much to Titus' displeasure.

Exploring the rest of Martinaise, it is apparent that the killing is connected to a week long strike by Martinaise's dockworkers union against the Wild Pines corporation and that tensions have steadily increased. The detectives meet up with the current Union boss Evrart Claire, who denies association with the killing, and offers to help the player find their lost gun. The detectives also meet with the Wild Pines representative Joyce Messier, who cooperates with the detectives once the player finds their badge again. She reveals that the hanged man's name was 'Lely' and that he was a member of a private military corporation known as Krenel, assigned to lead a squad to protect Joyce during negotiations with the Union. However, the death of Lely has driven them to go rogue and enact revenge against whoever killed him. Joyce warns that the mercenaries have committed multiple war crimes in the third world; and unless the detectives find the true culprit soon, they will likely enact bloody retribution across Martinaise.

Aside from investigating the murder, the detectives also explore the rest of the district, talking to various residents, following up on leads to the case, investigating small cases and helping residents with tasks such as helping a group of dancers turn a church into a nightclub and helping a group of cryptid hunters look for the 'Insulidian Phasmid'; a giant stick insect. Throughout the game, the player begins to fill in gaps in the detective's identity, revealing him to be Harrier "Harry" DuBois; a decorated RCM detective with an impressive case record over his career. However, several years ago, an event happened that began a mid-life crisis, eventually culminating in a drunken bender around Martinaise in which he dismissed the rest of his squad, repeatedly joked about committing suicide and crashed his police car into the ocean. It is unclear as to what drove Harry to this state however, but throughout the game he holds a strange fascination with the historical figure Dolores Dei, and grows interested in the idea of 'winning her back'.

Klassje reveals that Lely was shot in the mouth whist in the middle of having sex with her. Unable to figure out where the bullet came from, and fearful of getting the authorities involved, Klaasje got the help of another member of the Hardie Boys by the name of Ruby, who with the rest of the Hardie Boys, attempted to frame Lely's death as a hanging. Ruby then went into hiding across the bay. At this point the player must decide whether to arrest Klaasje or instead issue a notice for her summons instead. The detectives then follow the trail across the shore and eventually find Ruby within an abandoned building, where she incapacitates them with a Pale device. She denies being the one to actually come up with the cover up, claiming that it was all Klaasje's idea and furthermore has no idea who shot Lely. If the player manages to resist the Pale device and tries to arrest her, she threatens that she would rather kill herself than be arrested, which she does if she is unable to escape.

Travelling back to Martinaise, the detectives find themselves in a stand off between the Krenel mercenary squad and the Hardie Boys on the other, with Klaasje having either fled or in custody. The Krenel mercenaries are drunk and bloodthirsty and no matter what happens, the detectives are unable to prevent the fight from breaking out, with the player having to fight the mercenary tribunal along his partner and the Hardie Boys. During the gunfight, the player is shot and badly wounded by the mercenary leader, blacking out and waking up a few days later in the cafeteria hostel room. Depending on how well the player has done, most or all the mercenaries are killed. Kim also has the potential of being hospitalized with Harry is unable to warn him in time, and if this occurs, street urchin Cuno offers to take his place. In the aftermath, the harbor is placed into lockdown, with the Union effectively taking complete control and uncertainty growing over how the Wild Pines will react. The detectives begin chasing down their last leads, ultimately determining that the shot that killed Lely came from an old sea fort just off the shore of Martinaise. the detectives journey there in the hopes of finding the final clues to the mystery.

While resting his wounds in the fort, Harry has a dream in which he meets the Innocence Dolores Dei. No matter what happens, the player in incapable of 'winning her back.' Dolores is ultimately revealed to be a projection of his ex-fiancée Dora Ingerlund, who left Harry out of both dissatisfaction at his low income and his apparent mental instability. She then reveals that this is what drove Harry onto his emotional breakdown; he is plagued by this same dream recurring every couple of days, the moment of her leaving him and him trying and failing to win her back and unable to move on from her. The dream ends with her telling Harry that the dreams will now resume and that she will see him tomorrow.

Exploring the rest of the island fortress, the detectives find the shooter: a former Commissar from the old Revachol communist army named Iosef Dros. Iosef's motivations for shooting Lely are revealed to be ultimately unrelated to the strike: born of out a combination of bitterness to the new capitalist system that he represented and to sexual envy for Klaasje. With all of the evidence now found, the detectives arrest him for the murder of Lely. At this point however, the player sees another figure in the reeds of the island, which is revealed to be none other than the Insulidian Phasmid. Depending on the player's skills, it is possible to have a sort of psychic conversation with it. It tells Harry that it finds the notion of his unstable mind to be fearful, but is in awe at his ability to continue existing day after day. The Phasmid comforts Harry, telling him to move on from the wreck of his life and move forward. After the detectives take its picture, the Phasmid moves on.

After returning back to shore, Harry and his partner are confronted by his old squad, whom Harry had abandoned on whim during his bender. They discuss Harry's actions during the game, reflecting on whether he has solved the case and how he handled the mercenaries, as well as being impressed by the news that the Phasmid does exist. Harry's former partner, Jean Vicquemare confirms that Harry's emtional breakdown was indeed the result of Dora leaving him several years ago. If the player has done well, then the squad expresses hope that Harry's state will improve in the future, and invites him and either Kim or Cuno to a special RCM unit, after which, the story ends.

Development and release

Disco Elysium was developed by ZA/UM, a company founded in 2016 by Karelian-Estonian novelist Robert Kurvitz, who served as the game's lead writer and designer.[8][9] Kurvitz had previously created the game's setting for a tabletop RPG, and has also written novels, such as Sacred and Terrible Air (2013), that take place in it.[9] A team consisting of eight writers also assisted Kurvitz.[10][11] The game's original title was No Truce With The Furies, but was renamed in 2018.[12] During development, some of the staff relocated from Estonia to London, with other designers working out of Poland, Romania, and China.[10][13] Majority of the game's funding was provided by Estonian businessman Vorlage:Ill.[13][14] ZA/UM cited a variety of different influences and inspirations for the game, including other games Planescape: Torment and Kentucky Route Zero; television shows The Wire, True Detective and The Shield; the literary works of Dashiell Hammett, China Miéville, the Strugatsky brothers, and Émile Zola; and artists Rembrandt, Ilya Repin, Jenny Saville, Alex Kanevsky, and Wassily Kandinsky.[15]

The game's art, drawn mostly in a watercolor style, was led by Aleksander Rostov, while the game's soundtrack was written by the English indie rock band British Sea Power.[16][17] The voice-acting cast includes progressive metal musicians Mikee Goodman of SikTh and Mark Holcomb of Periphery,[18] Dasha Nekrasova of the American podcast Red Scare[19] and some of the hosts from the podcast Chapo Trap House.[16][20]

Disco Elysium was released for Microsoft Windows on 15 October 2019, with a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release planned for 2020.[21][22]

Reception

Vorlage:Video game reviews Disco Elysium received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic, with it being praised for its narrative and conversational systems.[23][1][24][25] PC Gamer praised the game for its depth, freedom, customization, and storytelling and called it one of the best RPGs on the PC.[1] IGN praised the game's open world and compared it favorably to the The Witcher 3 and Red Dead Redemption 2, despite being much smaller.[25] The Washington Post said that the game is "conspicuously well written".[24] GameSpot awarded it a 10 out of 10, their first perfect score since 2017.[26][27] PCGamesN wrote that the game set new genre standards for exploration and conversation systems.[28] Conversely, Eurogamer criticized the game for not offering enough choice in role-playing and for a distinct lack of focus.[29]

The game was nominated for four awards at The Game Awards 2019 and won all of them, the most at the event.[30] Slant Magazine,[31] USGamer,[32] PC Gamer,[33] and Zero Punctuation[34] chose it as their game of the year, while Time included it as one of their top 10 games of the 2010s.[35]

Awards

Year Award Category Result Ref
2019 Golden Joystick Awards Ultimate Game of the Year Vorlage:Nom [36]
Titanium Awards Best RPG Vorlage:Nom [37]
Indie Game of the Year Vorlage:Nom
The Game Awards 2019 Best Narrative Vorlage:Won [30]
Best Independent Game Vorlage:Won
Best Role-Playing Game Vorlage:Won
Fresh Indie Game (ZA/UM) Vorlage:Won
2020 New York Game Awards Best Game of the Year Vorlage:Nom [38]
Best Indie Game Vorlage:Won
Best Writing Vorlage:Won
23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Game of the Year Vorlage:Nom [39]
Outstanding Achievement in Story Vorlage:Won
Role-Playing Game of the Year Vorlage:Nom
Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Vorlage:Nom
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design Vorlage:Nom
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Vorlage:Nom
NAVGTR Awards Game of the Year Vorlage:Nom [40]
Art Direction, Contemporary Vorlage:Nom
Gameplay Design, New IP Vorlage:Nom
Game, Original Role Playing Vorlage:Nom
Writing in a Drama Vorlage:Nom
20th Game Developers Choice Awards Best Narrative Vorlage:Won [41][42]
Best Visual Art Vorlage:Nom
Best Debut (ZA/UM) Vorlage:Won
Innovation Award Vorlage:Nom
SXSW Gaming Awards Video Game of the Year Vorlage:Nom [43][44]
Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award Vorlage:Won
Excellence in Art Vorlage:Nom
Excellence in Design Vorlage:Nom
Excellence in Musical Score Vorlage:Nom
Excellence in Narrative Vorlage:Won
16th British Academy Games Awards Best Game Vorlage:Pending [45]
Artistic Achievement Vorlage:Pending
Debut Game Vorlage:Pending
Game Design Vorlage:Pending
Music Vorlage:Pending
Narrative Vorlage:Pending
Original Property Vorlage:Pending
Nebula Awards Game Writing Vorlage:Pending [46]

Vorlage:Clear

References

Vorlage:Reflist

  1. ↑ a b c d Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen PCGUS.
  2. ↑ Coberly Cohen: Ambitious open-world RPG Disco Elysium lets you take on the role of a mentally unstable detective. Techspot, 16. Oktober 2019;.
  3. ↑ Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen USgamer.
  4. ↑ Brad Lang: Disco Elysium Review – Stayin' Alive. In: criticalhit.net. Abgerufen am 18. Oktober 2019.
  5. ↑ a b DISCO ELYSIUM: CHARACTER GENERATION, SKILL CHECKS AND GAMEPLAY STRATEGY. In: Gamecrate.com. 16. Oktober 2019;.
  6. ↑ a b Disco Elysium skills & character creation: Intellect, Psyche, Physique, Motorics, and the 24 skills explained. In: rockpapershotgun.com. 14. Oktober 2019;.
  7. ↑ Disco Elysium Thought Cabinet: the Thoughts system explained. In: rockpapershotgun.com. 15. Oktober 2019;.
  8. ↑ Haydn Taylor: Chasing oblivion with Disco Elysium and alcohol addiction. In: Gamesindustry.biz. 31. Oktober 2018;.
  9. ↑ a b Jody Macgregor: Disco Elysium's lead designer wants to make an expansion and sequel, has already written a novel. In: PC Gamer. Abgerufen am 13. November 2019.
  10. ↑ a b Making games under threat of nuclear war. In: GamesIndustry.biz.
  11. ↑ Edward Price: Disco Elysium – Rezzed 2018 Interview. In: gameanalytics.com. Abgerufen am 19. Oktober 2019.
  12. ↑ Dominic Tarason: No Truce With The Furies gets a mad new title and trailer. Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 9. März 2018;.
  13. ↑ a b Magnus Altküla: Kaur Kender on new computer game: It’s like 'Truth and Justice', Postimees, 22 October 2019. Abgerufen im 29 December 2019 
  14. ↑ Deisi Helemäe: Kaur Kenderi uus videomänguäri on neelanud juba 700 000 eurot investorite raha. Geenius.ee, 5. September 2018, abgerufen am 30. Dezember 2019 (estnisch).
  15. ↑ Steam :: Disco Elysium :: Disco Elysium - FAQ - Inspiration & Recommendations. In: steamcommunity.com. 17. Januar 2020, abgerufen am 20. Januar 2020 (englisch).
  16. ↑ a b Vorlage:Cite video game
  17. ↑ Daniel Lipscombe: Disco Elysium comes to life once the talking stops: ZA/UM details its approach to creating a truly expressive RPG. In: GamesRadar+. Abgerufen am 9. Dezember 2019.
  18. ↑ Scott Munro2019-10-22T15:50:20Z: Sikth and Periphery members star in hit video game Disco Elysium. In: Metal Hammer Magazine.
  19. ↑ Disco Elysium: Good ear! 16. Oktober 2019;.
  20. ↑ Chapo Trap House Podcast Episode 378, "The Story of Coach O (12/23/19)", time index 31:54
  21. ↑ Anthony Marzano: Police procedural cRPG Disco Elysium is out today. Destructoid, 15. Oktober 2019, abgerufen am 16. Oktober 2019.
  22. ↑ Caty McCarthy: Disco Elysium Coming to Consoles Next Year, Devs Confirm. In: usgamer.net. 31. Oktober 2019, abgerufen am 1. November 2019.
  23. ↑ Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen MC.
  24. ↑ a b Christopher Byrd: 'Disco Elysium': Riveting delirium In: The Washington Post, 17 October 2019. Abgerufen im 18 October 2019 
  25. ↑ a b Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen IGN.
  26. ↑ Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen GSpot.
  27. ↑ GameSpot Staff: GameSpot's Full List Of 10/10 Reviews And How Those Scores Are Decided. In: GameSpot. 4. November 2019, abgerufen am 13. November 2019.
  28. ↑ Referenzfehler: Ungültiges <ref>-Tag; kein Text angegeben für Einzelnachweis mit dem Namen PCGN.
  29. ↑ Malinda Hetfeld: Disco Elysium review - large-scale whodunit with a distinct lack of focus. In: Eurogamer. 18. Oktober 2019, abgerufen am 19. Oktober 2019.
  30. ↑ a b Eddie Makuch: The Game Awards 2019 Winners: Sekiro Takes Game Of The Year. In: GameSpot. 13. Dezember 2019, abgerufen am 13. Dezember 2019.
  31. ↑ Staff editors: The 25 Best Video Games of 2019. In: Slant. Abgerufen am 15. Dezember 2019.
  32. ↑ Caty McCarthy: USG Game of The Year 2019: Disco Elysium Let Us Be Human, No Matter the Cost. In: USGamer. Abgerufen am 20. Dezember 2019.
  33. ↑ PC Gamer staff: Game of the Year 2019: Disco Elysium. In: PC Gamer. Abgerufen am 31. Dezember 2019.
  34. ↑ Yahtzee Croshaw: 2019 Best, Worst, and Blandest – Zero Punctuation. In: The Escapist. Zero Punctuation, 1. Januar 2020, abgerufen am 1. Januar 2020.
  35. ↑ Matthew Gault: The 10 Best Video Games of the 2010s. In: Time. 19. Dezember 2019, abgerufen am 20. Dezember 2019.
  36. ↑ GamesRadar staff: Vote now for your Ultimate Game of the Year in the Golden Joystick Awards 2019. In: GamesRadar+. 25. Oktober 2019, abgerufen am 21. November 2019.
  37. ↑ Titanium Awards 2019. In: Fun & Serious Game Festival. Abgerufen am 22. November 2019.
  38. ↑ Ryan Meitzler: The New York Video Game Awards 2020 Winners Revealed; The Outer Worlds Takes Game of the Year. In: DualShockers. 22. Januar 2020, abgerufen am 22. Januar 2020.
  39. ↑ Eric Van Allen: Untitled Goose Game Wins Top Bill at the 2020 D.I.C.E. Awards. In: USgamer. 14. Februar 2020, abgerufen am 14. Februar 2020.
  40. ↑ 2019 Nominees. In: National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. 13. Januar 2020, abgerufen am 21. Januar 2020.
  41. ↑ Patrick Shanley: 'Death Stranding' Leads Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees. In: The Hollywood Reporter. 8. Januar 2020, abgerufen am 8. Januar 2020.
  42. ↑ Eddie Makuch: Untitled Goose Game Wins Another Game Of The Year Award. In: GameSpot. 18. März 2020, abgerufen am 19. März 2020.
  43. ↑ Grayshadow: 2020 SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees Revealed. In: NoobFeed. 17. Februar 2020, abgerufen am 18. Februar 2020.
  44. ↑ Grayshadow: SXSW 2020 Gaming Award Winners Revealed. In: Noobfeed. 25. März 2020, abgerufen am 28. März 2020.
  45. ↑ Keith Stuart: Death Stranding and Control dominate Bafta games awards nominations In: The Guardian, 3 March 2020. Abgerufen im 4 March 2020 
  46. ↑ 2019 Nebula Award Finalists Announced. In: Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. 20. Februar 2020, abgerufen am 28. Februar 2020.
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