Disco Elysium - The Final Cut

Disco Elysium is a game I was first made aware of when one of my friends streamed it on Twitch. I decided to finally start playing it when I learned that the Final Cut is the highest-rated PC game on Metacritic.
Since playing it, I’ve also read about the controversies surrounding ZA/UM and its relationship with the developers; however, that ended up being irrelevant in the end.

No, the reason I’ve ultimately come down with a negative verdict on the game is because the actual game itself is - I’m fairly sure - pretty buggy.
The first problem is one that happened as soon as I started playing. The game’s store page says it supports my DualShock 4 controller but, it turns out, it doesn’t. The conversation that begins the game (with Ancient Reptilian Brain) was impossible because the dialogue menu was permanently scrolled to the bottom, so I couldn’t see the choices I had. I thought it was pretty weird but, upon finally getting to the beginning of the game-play, Du Bois wouldn’t stop walking and I realised the controller support was implemented so poorly that it had resulted in a state of constant stick drift. I know it isn’t a problem with any of the settings I’d chosen because a quick forums search revealed that this is a common problem. So there’s that.
But then, even when playing with keyboard and mouse, it didn’t take long for me to realise that there’s a game-breaking bug pretty early on in the story. The task Inspect victim’s body has the objective Equip and complete “Volumetric Shit Compressor” thought; however, after that thought had been processed and I’d equipped it in my thought cabinet... nothing happened. The objective didn’t register as having been completed, even though I’d done everything I was told I needed to do. Again, I know this wasn’t me misunderstanding the game because I did a quick search and... yeah, that’s another common problem.

Now, you might ask why I didn’t just try some other way through the task - after all, there are multiple routes through the story - and, while that’s true, there were so many other things to do that I decided to follow them up and see if maybe that objective would switch from 0 to 1 after enough time had passed. There was Measurehead to get past, Joyce to interview, the secret passage to find, all sorts of things.
So I decided to press on, but the problem was that eventually I reached the end of all those avenues anyway. There came a time when I’d exhausted every possible progress path through the game but hadn’t really advanced in any way and, once that happened, the game started to become boring - especially because, to say the world is, initially, so small, it takes so long to walk from one place to another. Apparently the map has a fast travel function? I looked into it and some players are saying that it has specific requirements that are never made clear or that it’s just another part of the game that doesn’t work. Shame, really.
There’s only so long I can stroll down the same street, past the same landmarks and NPCs, hearing the same music before I want something new to happen. I understand that the pace is determined by my own style of play but if I’ve reached the end of every currently available branch, it’s difficult to find a reason to keep going around and around when the game isn’t presenting something different.

In the end, I stumbled upon an easy-to-acheive ending that’s basically a big “quit” button. I didn’t mean to do it but, when I ended-up back at the main menu with the option of starting a new story or reloading my previous save... I decided to just play a different game entirely.

Not my cup of tea, but it's certainly one of a kind. Very charming, it uses humour on proper occasions, and it has an incredible voice acting, especially for the main protagonist's inner thoughts (he has an actual name, but it's kind of in a spoiler territory).
I haven't played many games in my life since I'm only a casual gamer, mind you. But the writing in this game is definitely one of, if not the best ever. Seriously, if you've seen memes about Disco Elysium such as one that describes the game as some kind of "but it's just a book?" It is accurate. This thing is leagues beyond what video game narratives generally are. Elegant, raw, and chilling at times. I'm glad I tried this game out. Wonderful.

Side note : I tried the game two times in a span of over 6 months, I have two different saves with different "playing styles," but still don't find myself eager to continue whenever I have some free time to game.

incredible game, DO NOT BUY IT, the developers have been kicked out and are not getting any money anymore. there are ways to get this game for free. PLEASE DO

Disco elysium is a game that in my opinion everyone should experience , however the publishers kick the creators out and stole the rights to the game so now the original developers dont get a single dime for every purchase. They said that they dont have any problem if you pirate the game

To those who want to play the game - DO NOT BUY IT HERE, the publisher ZA/UM has been forcefully taken over by people want nothing more than to make money off of the backs the original devs who they kicked out. I cant recommend anyone buy the game on Steam, as none of it will go to the REAL devs (I found out about this too late). Find ways to get it through "other means" that won't give this fake ZA/UM any money,

the single most well-written piece of media i have ever experienced. painfully real and had me ricocheting across the emotional spectrum in the most satisfying way. strongly recommend.

however, important note: the publishers of this game (i think) are pretty evil. so please, if at all possible, find another way to play this game outside of steam.

10/10

Kim is the only reason to play this game, and harry is the best written main character of all time.

Best game of all time. Follow what every other comment is telling you to do and PIRATE THE DAMN GAME!!!!

TLDR: As a amnesiac cop, shape your story via multiple choices of dialogue and by choosing how to best solve problems. Wait, you wanna be a rockstar and snort drugs while being a cop? Okay. Oh, you want to beat up everyone?! ... That's okay too! The game will most likely entertain whatever horrible choice of dialogue you fancy. It's a top down point and click with a very small map, but tons and tons of well written dialogue with sprinkled humor. It is slow, but it is also very unique.

Story: Waking from a drunken stupor and having forgotten every single possible thing except how walk, talk and breathe, try to figure out what happened at the scene you've partied a little too much for the last week. To spoil any more would be to ruin the only thing this game as to offer, which is its story. Every plot twist and piece of lore feels fleshed out and well deserved. So strap in because, there's a lot of it, should you choose to get it all.

Gameplay: I'll black out the long, tedious explanation, but should you choose to read it, it's there...
The short version is it is a very, very well written game which is affected by how you pass and fail checks (more on this later). Often, the dialogue will take a turn depending on how your character thinks, and your character will think depending on where you've invested points. It can be tricky, as in the end you may spend several points in several different stats, making many conversations go on all at once, in your head (as each secondary stat is basically a voice in your head). It is very well done, though it was such a new concept to me that it felt a bit foreign at first and I was a bit lost, at first. Now, more on it, but honestly, you can skip it since I'm probably doing it a disservice by explaining it so badly. :D
Now for the long version!
You have 4 different stats, each with 6 affiliated secondary skills (totally 24), which are basically your intrusive thoughts, but in a good way. For instance, if you see a barbell laying around on the floor, maybe your character has high ''physical instrument'' stat and would think of showing off his herculean physique and lift, or perhaps, you made a character intelligent enough and ''logic'' kicks in and helps you to notice that the safety locks are off and lifting it ''might'' be dangerous. Maybe there's a book keep that says there's spooky noises over yonder and ''inland empire'' tells you those must be ghosts while ''rhetoric'' wants you to call her an idiot. In both of those examples you ultimately can still choose what you wish to do, but if you've passed the checks or even just noticed the extra details thanks to your sec. stats, you may choose differently than going in blind.
It is a difficult system for me to explain, but after playing for a while, you fully grasp it and realise that this shapes the conversations in an amazing way. Of course not all those stats will manifest themselves as dialogue options, but rather as voices in your head, fully voiced over.
You gain XP by completing quests, choosing certain dialogue options, by learning of the world around you and lastly by interacting with specific items.
Each lv grants you a point that you may spend in one of your 24 secondary skills, or you can forget a thought you didn't like that got integrated in your character (for instance, if you had to become a racist to get along some racist a$$hat, maybe you want to NOT be racist anymore once you've done what needed to be done). Oh, you can also unlock new slots for your thoughts cabinet.
Base stats will never change once your character is created.
The thoughts cabinet is where you internalise ways of thinking, recall past memories and grasp concepts. Whenever internalising one or multiple of these so called thoughts, they will often have maluses until their completion. And even after their completion, the effects and or buffs aren't always what you want. Nonetheless, it is an important aspect of the game which brings even more depth to the story and its characters.
Your character will often have things to say about the environment that will show up as little bubbles around your character, clicking on them will show them. The bubble's color represents which sec. skill procced it.
I've mentioned checks a lot so, on that, they are basically dice rolls (2D6), except you get the roll + the base stat and the sec. skill stat as a bonus. There are 2 kinds of checks, white and red. You can retry white checks as your stats improve, while red checks are only available once.
So for good measure, here's an example;
Let's say you someone tells you you could open a bunker door if you meddle with these wires and you choose to do so, before turning the lights on, without your flashlight.
It would go something like this: -3 because it's dark, +2 since you know what you're interacting with, +1 because of your equipped gloves, +2 because of your base stat in motor skills and +1 in your interface skill and lastly your 2d6, so let's say you got a 4 and a 1 giving a total of -3+2+1+2+1+4+1= 8. Well you needed 12, maybe think of a smarter route than toying with electricity in the dark?! ''Logic'' stat would have told you that. :) So often, going with how you've built your character is very important. Too bad this was a red check and now the wires a burnt xD
You also have clothes which will buff some sec skills, and you must sometimes equip different tools to get some things done.
Holding TAB will show you all the elements in the world you can interact with, very useful.
It's a slow game... If you cannot stand reading or listening to NPCs all day, then don't get this, it's essentially 90% of the game.

Graphics: It's artsy, like colorful oil paintings. While the game has very little to offer in variety, what it does decide to do, it executes well.

Audio: I think there's more dialogue in this game than Witcher 3... That should say something! Everything is fully voiced over and very well executed. I can't say I found the lack of diversity of tracks in the game great... But you don't really notice it after a while, especially since it's all about dialogue.

While it is nearly a masterpiece at what it tries to achieve, what it does achieve isn't a lot. I've also encountered a couple of bugs, mainly not being able to save anymore so I had to quit and boot it up again with minimal progress loss and not being able to interact with the world anymore, so, again, save and reload. Honestly, they're few and far between.

got smashed, woke up, punched a kid in the face, took some amphetamines, played this game. good day

The game is for those who like to read books, because 95 percent of the gameplay is reading dialogues, thoughts, arguments, etc. But it only makes her more beautiful!

Maybe the best game I have ever played. However, I would say don't buy it. The publisher forced many of the creators of this game out of the company and stole their work. Supporting that would go against everything the game stands for.

Thumbs down for the suited parasites ar ZA/UM. But the game is perfect though. Thank you to the writers, developers and voice actors for putting together this masterpiece. I am unfortunately confident I will never find an artistic work that surpasses this.

I think the story takes a little while to get interesting in the beginning, but once you're into it—boy, is it good. The characters are amazing, the dialogue is really well-written, and the humor is fantastic. I love it! The game is rather slow-paced, but if you're okay with that, you're in for a great time

Game is good. But the company that owns it fired all the devs that made it. Don't buy.

game's a masterpiece, but don't give these frauds your money - the game was stolen from the devs and any money you spend on it goes to the thief, so just go download it off archive.org

Leaving this comment with +502 hours of Disco Elysium playtime (on Steam Only. I played the game on other platforms as well :D)
This is not your typical RPG. This is a masterpiece. A truly wonderful oil painting. A fantastically-written book. It continues to baffle me to this day. The creators of this marvelous game set the bar so high. My life is basically ruined now, because nothing is as good as this. Nothing brings me nearly as much joy as this game did.
As a friend once said, "I'll die a happy death if I ever write anything half as good as the writing in Disco Elysium. Not even half. I'll take like 15% as good." And that’s so real.

I gave it a fair shake, 10 plus hours during my first weekend. I tried guys, I really did, but I do not see why this is such a beloved game.

Game looks nice, voice actors are on it, and the music is beautiful. Sadly, I don't see any compelling reason to progress through the story. Literally a step above a point and click game IMO.

Again, I really tried and wanted to enjoy this.

10/10 world building and how they tell it
Also they made pretty unique, innovative system. Your skills talk to you.
As far as I know Disco Elysium is the only game which does this and it's so fun.

Shame on the publisher though

If you buy this game, the money will go to the investors instead of the original creators. The studio also cancelled a sequel after months of development and then decided to go for Tiktok version of Disco Elysium on mobile that's entirely missing the original direction of the game. Very Disco. Love the game, best worldbuilding I've ever experienced.

"The bourgeois are not humans"

could be the best game ever made, unfortunately zaum sucks doo-doo balls

To those who want to play the game - DO NOT BUY IT HERE, the publisher ZA/UM has been forcefully taken over by people want nothing more than to make money off of the backs the original devs who they kicked out. I cant recommend anyone buy the game on Steam, as none of it will go to the REAL devs (I found out about this too late). Find ways to get it through "other means" that won't give this fake ZA/UM any money,
*SPOILER WARNING - do not read further unless you have fully beaten the game.

After over a year of playing on and off (my friends wanted to watch) playing, 52 hours in, I have gotten to the end of Disco Elysium. In my playthrough, I chose Volition as my lead skill, Kim survived the shootout, and joined the 41st, I got evidence of the Insulindian Phasmid, and most importantly, solved the case. As for Harry, He turned out to be a Strong Moralist (didn't complete the quest line), a Partial Fascist and a Partial Superstar Cop. The most important thing to me was that Harry remained sober, and had a close connection with Kim. Disco Elysium is a phenomenal experience that I recommend to anyone who feels that they can handle it's deep, complex narrative. And even if the ending doesn't satisfy you, I can truly say, the journey there will be plenty enough to convince of this game's beauty and power.
Gameplay - it's a dialogue-based RPG, if you're looking for action packed, skill based gameplay, then this is not your game. You click through dialogue options, go through (mostly) luck-based checks, run around Martinaise, completing personal quests along the way of solving the murder. It can be tedious and slow to some, but to someone who expected this from the beginning, it was perfectly fine to me.
Story/Writing - The story of this game is nothing short of perfection. A chilling, mature, and overall amazing story of humanity, looking past the things that bring us down and how our beliefs and choices can really effect us, even in a strange new world. Harry Du Bois is never someone any of us can really look up to, but he is someone who relate to many of us in many ways, or become a monster we can aspire to not be. Most of his struggles are very real struggles many people go through, addiction, loss, breakup, longing, and confusion in his meaning in this world. I connected a lot with Harry, despite not going many of his struggles in real life, and I felt that a lot of decisions reflected who I am as well (not all obviously), which has lead Harry being one of my favorite protagonists in gaming. The world of Disco Elysium so perfectly taps the line of fantasy and realism, it is a combination of both old and modern things, that make the world feel understandable and realistic, while still feeling a bit distant and new, technology has seemed to not progress much since the 1900s yet computers exist. As for what makes this world fantasy like is the whole concept of the Pale. Much like the oceans of our world, the Pale is what separates the masses of land in the world. A dangerous, mysterious mass of anti-matter that consumes the world day by day, very slowly. Some people can connect to the Pale in strange ways, which is what allows it to grow. Harry is hinted at being one, and from external sources apparently have something to do the voices in your head (not sure honestly). This game's character development and dialogue is unmatched to say the least, every character no matter how weird, crazy or cruel are all written that still makes them human, and this games use of harsh language so perfectly captures human responses to Harry's BS and makes characters that much better. Cuno for example, wouldn't be nearly as impactful of a character if he didn't say the f-word in every sentence, if he didn't talk about screwed up things that a 12-year-old should be ok with saying, then those moments where you connect with him feel all the more satisfying. Your perspective on many characters will change over the course of your journey, your main murder suspect will change, cruel characters can change, nice characters can reveal the monsters they really are. Kim, for example, the more you bond with him the more cracks in his "professional cop" persona you see. The last "characters" I want to address, are the voices in your head, which not only guide you through journey but each are given distinct characters and everyone of them bring a certain charm to the story, instead of writing them as bland categorical thoughts in your head, they bring so much charm, depth and even humor to the game. The overall story of the game is amazing, with my only complaint being that it can be a very slow burn until the end. But all the characters and writing keep you engaged the whole way. But the second you step in Ruby's trap, the endgame begins, and all of my complaints are nullified, as the last 8 hours of the game are some of the most gripping, tense and emotional end of any game and truly makes the long journey there worth it in the end.
Art - This game's art style is perfection, the cluttered, painterly style of all the portraits and art perfectly convey this games feeling of distance and longing. Each portrait is expertly designed to fit every character and even provide foreshadowing to future events such as Kim's. My only complaint is that some of the modeling/texture work can be a bit poor at times and I wish they would match the portraits more, but that's a very minor complaint. This game's art is just breathtaking, with every painted picture being a masterpiece.
Music - while I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to the soundtrack outside of the game much, I cannot say that the game's soundtrack doesn't capture the games feel perfectly. Most of the songs give you a feeling of longing, a sense of fatigue that comforts you but at the same time saddens you, one could almost call it psychedelic. You can feel what kind of town Martinaise is the second you hear the trumpet come on the radio. One piece in particular that plays during a very special part of the game, called "La Revacholiere" is beautiful piece that perfect conveys the of wonder and awe at that very moment.
Voicing - I honest can't imagine that there was a time where this game had only little voice acting, not even a Narrator. Speaking of Narrator, Lenval Brown is an absolute beast of a voice actor, taking on hundred of hours worth of dialogue, and making it all come to life perfectly, his deep, raspy, accented voice perfectly conveys the tone of this game and can almost calming at times, while not by much, I can tell that he changes his voice slightly to differentiate the voices head, voices like Volition and Shivers are much more calm and smooth, while Half-Light and Authority are deep and booming. Every other character's VAs perfectly encapsulate what I imagine they would sound like in real life, providing a much needed boost of life to the walls of text on the screen.

Disco Elysium has legitimately moved me in a way not many games have. There was moments were I laughed my ass off, there were moments where could barely hold back tears, there were moments where all i could do was sit in silence. this game was an unforgettable journey that left me satisfied as the credits rolled. The words "You're the Miracle, Harry" will forever stay in my mind as one of the most powerful lines in the game. Thank you to the REAL devs of this game for making this masterpiece, it's horrible what's happened to them and I hope they can get this property back again in the right hands.

Let's go Harry, we've got a lot of work to do.
Goodbye Disco Elysium

One of the best pieces of character drama written in a video game. VGs rarely have good writing. Most being barely better quality than an airport novel in terms of depth, intrigue, and drama. Seemingly unassuming, the -- at times, silly -- narrative of Disco Elysium punches way above its weight class and fells a Goliath.

Too bad not a dime spent purchasing this game will go to the people who've developed it. Yes, the developers have been forced out due to an investor coup and will not see the money you spend on their game. Please understand my non-recommendation.

They kicked out the devs and writers of this game for financial reasons now no one involved in the creation of it gets a single dime if we purchase it, and they said they don't mind if we pirate it. You know what to do.

Can't believe I wasted almost 30 hours of my life on this pseudophilosophical rubbish. The game's rants and babble probably makes a lot of sense to someone who's high on drugs. My guess is the devs themselves were high as f*ck when they came up with this.

If that' resonates with you, fill your boots. Not for me. Read all the amazing reviews about how this was the most life changing game for some people so I felt compelled to give it a real go. Should've refunded it within the first two hours but by the time I'd looked at the hours played counter I'd hit 3 and I felt compelled to get my money's worth.

In hindsight I think I'd rather go stick my fingers down my throat and throw up the last 30 hours worth, would be better than sitting through this again.

This game is not for everyone, but for the people who like a slowburn story and amazing worldbuilding... this is a 10/10

sat on a slightly uncomfortable chair and killed myself
10/10 game

If you have the patience, this could be the greatest game you could ever play

If you know the outlines about DE'S story, you would consider it a "who did it" or "find the killer" kind of story but it isn't and it doesn't try to be one. Yes you investigate a murder but that's where it ends. It's more about dealing with one's past and all the decisions they took on the way to be where they are today. When I think about the world of this game, I realise how realistic it is. It's just different people in a shit world acknowledging its shitty and still trying to live their best lives and be happy, they are flawed just like us and trying to to find hope and joy. The town this game takes place in doesn't feel like a fictional town filled with fictional npcs.

You meet different people who have different outlook and opinions on things which you can learn more about if you do sidequests which will also teach you more about the history of the world and what the town has went through. To me disco elysium is about introspection about the burden of one's past, accepting your faults and improve for the better. The MC is self destructive and suicidal who uses drugs and alcohol as sources of escapism to cope.

This game also has a reputation of having heavy political themes, which it does have but it doesn't expect you to know about them. Like me, you could have zero knowledge about political ideologies and still love the game. Although I would still recommend to learn a bit about some which imo can enhance ur experience a lot.

The gameplay or lack thereof will turn off many people and which is why it requires A LOT of patience to not skip through very long dialogues. The ending can be a bit disappointing if u expect to play a murder mystery.

Disco Elysium is a character driven game which focuses on the journey rather than the climax. The world building of disco elysium is awesome, most players like me will miss out on certain details of how the world actually works which are tied to certain sidequests, which certainly would require a 2nd playthrough.

Disco Elysium is one of the best games I have ever played, it is thought provoking, comedic, engaging, and beautiful, simply a game that everyone needs to play.
But there is one enormous problem.
The studio behind this game is incredibly corrupt, they had fired all the people who created and helped make this game so special, if one was to purchase this game, none of the money they'd spend would go to the people who put all their effort in creating this game, when I found this out, I had already beaten the game. I'm not going to give a link, but there are places on the internet/social media where people had given free access to the game, the developers themselves encourage piracy of this game.
Overall, everyone needs to play this game, however it has a very complicated and messed up situation, if this situation is ever fixed, I would absolutely recommend it, but because it is not at the time of this review, I cannot recommend PURCHASING this video game.

I'd recommend this game, but not exactly sure why. I am 14 hours in and still very confused. So far, the only thing I know for sure are drugs are good, and don't try to turn the light on at the beginning or you'll die.

Just finished Disco Elysium and already mourn not being able to play it for the first time again. Truly one of the most beautiful, thought-provoking pieces of media I have ever come across, and matchlessly unique as an RPG.
However, if you're interested in getting the game, DO NOT buy it here, get it second-hand or borrow it. ZA/UM has screwed its real creators, which is ironic given this game's narrative.

"There is an almost unanimous agreement between the birds and the plants that you are going to destroy us all."
- Insulindian Phasmid

So this game got stolen by the company aka greedy capitalist pigs and fired the people who worked on this game and it was pretty bad involving fraud and other dirty tricks. I only learned about the situation after I bought this game. Do not buy the game and do not give them a single cent.

This is my favorite game. The writing and world building are a cut above the rest. But do not give your money to the people that stole from us the chance for a sequel made by the original developers. Pirate this game.

This game is absolutely phenomenal. One of the best games I have ever played.

It oozes with passion. The art is inspired, the writing is witty and fun, the world building is dense and thoughtful, the music is wonderful, the characters and interactions are interesting and fun and chaotic and empathetic.

The game plays like a big DnD campaign, or a Murder Mystery. The game rewards you for thinking outside of the box. The game will poke fun at you, no matter what kind of ideologies you believe in. The game is simultaneously light-hearted and incredibly thought-provoking and deep. The game has given you a world with a million different possibilities and it wants to to go have fun and make all sorts of fun and outrageous choices.

Before you purchase the game on Steam, I encourage you to first read up about the controversies surrounding it's publishing and who is actually getting the money that the artists and developers deserve. Unfortunately, I only learnt about these things after purchasing.

Regardless, as a stand alone art piece, this game will go down as one of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences I have ever had in a game. 10 / 10.

The best RPG game where you can laugh from the dialogues. The variability of the game is simply off the charts. I never found my gun

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. I purchased Disco Elysium before I knew the full story behind its development. The original creators(the people who poured their souls into this game)had it stolen from them by the studio. If you haven’t bought it yet, I urge you to look into what happened and reconsider supporting the company that took it away from them.

That being said, I can’t pretend Disco Elysium didn’t change something in me. This game is more than just writing or mechanics or the funny pretentious communist game men on the internet will make you think it is; it’s a deeply human, painful, and strangely beautiful experience. It’s about failure, about history weighing down on you, about trying to make sense of a world that has long since stopped making sense.

It’s a philosophical crisis, a political reckoning, and a personal tragedy all at once. It understands self-destruction better than most stories even try to, and yet, buried beneath all of it, there is still something resembling hope but only if you choose to see it.

The game lets you spiral, rebuild, deny, or embrace the truth in a way that feels more real than most games ever do. And it doesn’t give you easy answers. It leaves you wondering whether anything you did mattered, whether change is possible, whether history is something you can ever outrun.

I love Disco Elysium deeply. But I can’t recommend giving money to the people who wronged its creators. Look into the story behind the game. And if you must play it, find another way.

This is such a beautiful and heartfelt game. Unfortunately, the publisher has stolen the IP from the original creators, and as such I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone giving money to ZA/UM.

The game is amazing and I would have recommended it if not for ZA/UM's absolutely despicape treatment to the devs. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY, PLEASE.

Be really messed up if corporate suits stole this game right out of the hardworking dev's noses. Be even more messed up if the only ethical thing to do would be to look this game up on the Internet Archive instead of giving money to corporate bloodsuckers.

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, PIRATE IT INSTEAD! ZA/UM is a bad company who puts the dev into homelessness. Pirate it instead and then donate to the devs. A GoFundMe has been made with the title "Help Disco Elysium Writer Survive the Winter".

Easily one of the best games ever made, BUT DON'T BUY IT, ZA/UM LITERALLY STOLEN THE GAME FROM ITS ORIGINAL CREATORS.

These thieves don't deserve your money.

This is probably one of the best rpg games you'll every play, a combination of amazing music, worldbuilding, and characters that make up the city Revachol.

But fuck ZA/UM for stealing the game from the original creators. Don't give them your money.

Review after 42 hours play (In-game Day 4)
I'm cool with text-heavy games, but Disco Elysium is on another level. Right from the start, you build your character, not just through stats but through the very way they think. The Thought Cabinet is a genius system, letting you internalise ideas that shape your detective’s personality, opening up new dialogue and unexpected consequences.
The dialogue is insane, with so much depth that every conversation feels unique. Skill checks don’t just determine success or failure; they change how you see the world, bringing your detective’s inner voices to life. Every stat has its own personality, chiming in with observations, arguments, or absurd tangents. Upgrading a skill isn’t just about numbers, it shifts your interactions, making you more persuasive, perceptive, or completely unhinged.
It’s like Monkey Island with way more depth and replayability. The RPG elements really set it apart from traditional point-and-click adventures. The way you can build your character differently each time and get entirely new dialogue, skill interactions, and even ways to solve the case?? A true role-playing experience, rather than just a linear adventure.
I’m playing as deep as I can, soaking in every moment. The soundtrack is fantastic, the voice acting in the Final Cut brings every character to life, and the world feels alive in a way few games ever achieve. It’s like a great book, the kind you don’t want to end. And yet, I’m already planning my next build, exploring different choices and personalities. After that, maybe a speed run, just to see how fast I can crack the case.
Huge, huge, huge credit to the team behind this game. This level of quality doesn’t come around every five minutes. It feels like a once-in-a-generation experience, the kind of game people will still be talking about years from now!

If I had to compare it, it’s like Monkey Island meets GTA, a point-and-click adventure fused with gritty, open-world storytelling. If you love deep roleplaying, unforgettable writing, and a game that truly lets you shape your character, this is unmissable.

This is one of my favorite games of all time, but please pirate it. The company that owns this game was bought over through fraud and they're stealing money from the actual developers.

I think about this game often, with no exaggeration in that statement. Disco Elysium is one of the best written videogames I have ever had the joy of playing. I very much doubt there will be anything that comes close to what it does. It is thought provoking, overtly political and nihilistic but does not shed its humanity. It's a story that I think becomes harder and harder to tell the way it is told outside the medium of videogames. I can wax poetic about this game all day, sometimes unprompted, but I'm only really here to give it a glowing recommendation and urge everyone to play it at least once.

However, DO NOT BUY IT, as the original creators have all split from ZA/UM thanks to publisher meddling. Borrow it and enjoy what I consider one of the best pieces of speculative fiction ever created. And be nice to Kim.

In a typical KOTOR conversation, you are presented with three options. The first, implausibly stoic and obviously belonging to the light side. The second, a boring neutral answer. The third, a comically evil action.

Disco Elysium throws that storytelling mold out the window. There is still a comically evil choice, but the others never sound perfect. It's an impactful change, one which challenges the player at every step.

The other striking aspect is the sheer size of the game. After completing the story once, I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what Disco Elysium has to offer.

Disco Elysium is a beautifully written, heartfelt, world-bending game with art so capturing that my boyfriend and I have separately purchased the vinyl. It is one of the best of its genre. I generally don't fall for mystery games, but I'm always weak to compelling characters and story-rich environments. This game has both of those things, while offering a brutal philosophy on its world and ours.

So why the negative review? Because you shouldn't bother purchasing it. The original crew's stake in the game were ruined by some scum investor Tõnis Haavel. While you may feel neutral about where your money goes, sending it directly to a fraud is another.

incredibly expressive and interesting game but sadly yet another ripoff in the industry by publishers
Long story short the original staff who made the game great are no more, they are no longer supported by your purchase of the game

Great game but DO NOT BUY this game even if it is in sale. A group of investors (parasites) screwed the minds behind this game, so what you pay for this game is not gonna go to their rightfull owners.

As many have said before. DO NOT BUY this game even if they sell it for a dime. A group of investors(parasites) screwed the minds behind this game, so what you pay for this game is not gonna go to their rightfull owners.