Disco Elysium

Some people are slow readers, that is not a charge that could be laid at my doorstep. Admittedly, I am slow when it comes to many things (such as updating this blog, to name one example),  but reading is not one of them. 

I am, however, a slow gamer. It can take me weeks, even months to finish a game that take other people mere days, if that. Part of that is due to the fact that I'm not a terribly good at videogames, the other reason is because of laziness and procrastination. I have several games on GOG and Steam that I installed, played for a bit and then uninstalled thinking: Eh, I'll finish it some other time. It was not that I thought the games in questions were bad, I just wasn't in the mood, at the time. 

However, I recently finished a game and it wasn't one I had played before and that game was Disco Elysium and so, here are my thoughts about this game.

Now, you might be wondering what kind of game Disco Elysium is? Disco Elysium is a RPG created by the Estonian developer ZA/UM. It was originally released in 2019, followed by an updated version called The Final Cut in 2021. It's this version that I played.

Art, featuring the game's main characters: Kim Kitsuragi and Harry Dubois. The Woman in the background is Dolores Dei, one of the world of Elysium's most influential historical figures.

Disco Elysium takes place in the city of Revachol. Once the capital of Elysium, the world of the game, Revachol is now under the control of the Coalition of Nations. You play a man who has just woken up in a hotel room, with a massive hangover and no recollection of who he is. You soon learn that you're Harry Dubois and that you're a member of the Revachol Citizens Militia (that is, you're a cop). A man has been found hanged in a tree and it is up to you to find out whether or not it was suicide or murder. You are not really feeling up to the task, but fortunately you've been assigned a partner from another department: Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi. Will you pull yourself together, solve the case and maybe redeem yourself in the eyes of the world? Or will you continue on the downwards spiral you're currently on? Or will you do something else entirely? Its all up to you, what kind of cop you're going to be. 

Disco Elysium is unique among the RPG that I've played in that it dispenses with traditional combat. I'm sure that this reveal just caused some of the more conservative-minded RPG fans among you to run for the hills (or to the nearest forum/social media platform), but personally I'm all for it. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against combat in an RPG. I expect (and accept) it, just as I expect inventory-based puzzles in a point & click adventure game. However, I see no reason why something should be mandatory, simply because its ubiquitous. 

However, if you assume that the absence of combat mean that you can not die in this game, you'd be mistaken. There are plenty of ways to get a 'game over'  in Disco Elysium, including dying of a heart-attack or 

As is common for the genre, Disco Elysium, gives the player a set of skills, which they can then level up by talking to people and solving quests.This is, of course nothing new; what makes Disco Elysium stand out is that each skill also make up different aspects of Harry's character and is, therefore, equipped with a personality of its own. As such, your skills will frequently interject to comment on something, bicker with each other and so on. 

Throughout the game, the player will come across skill-checks, the outcome of which depends on the points assigned to the skill necessary. Most of these are white skill-checks and can be retried once you've leveled up sufficiently. Red skill-checks, however, does not offer that opinion, so you may want to be absolutely certain before you try to tackle one. 

Disco Elysium does not provide the player with a huge, sprawling world to play around in. This does not mean that the game is small, however. My first play-through took me a total of 40 hours and afterwards I felt as if I hadn't uncovered half of the game's secrets. 

If there's one area where Disco Elysium truly shines, its in the player's interaction with the people of Revachol. Some of the people like aging cryptozoologists Lena and Morell are friendly and open, others, like Klaasje are secretive or downright hostile. Regardless, Disco Elysium presents the player with some of the most fully-realized, well-written characters in all of gaming. 

If there's one character that deserves to be singled out its your partner, Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi. A strong contender for best sidekick in a game, Kim serves as the straight-man your often weird or eccentric behavior. During my play-through, earning the trust and respect of this fictional character became one of my top priorities.

I came into Disco Elysium with high expectations and those expectations were more than met. This is a game that has earned its place among my personal favorites. Revachol is a place I will definitely revisit and I'm interested to see what else ZA/UM has in store for the gaming world. 

Grim Fandango Revisited

"Ever cheated on your husband?"

"Mr. Calavera, there's no ring on my finger."

"There's no skin on it either."

-In-game dialogue between Manny and Meche.

Originally released in 1998, Grim Fandango was the penultimate adventure game made by the kings of the genre: LucasArts (sorry, Sierra), as well as their last truly great game (no offense to any Escape From Monkey Island fans out there).

I originally played Grim Fandango in the early years of the 2000s and, at the time, it immediately earned a spot among my all-time favorite games. With lots of water having passed under the bridges, since I last played it , I decided that it was high time for me to revisit Grim Fandango, in order to see if my feelings for it had changed since last time.

This time, I chose to experience the game in its remastered version, which was released by Double Fine back in 2015. This version comes with updated graphics and the option to play with the mouse (originally, Grim was only playable via keyboard), but besides that remains the same game as it was back in the late 90's.

For those of you new to the game, Grim Fandango takes place in The Land of the Dead; a dimension inspired by equal parts classic film noir and Mexican culture, particularly the Day of the Dead (it was actually via Grim Fandango that I first became aware of this holiday).

The Player assumes the role of Manuel Calavera a.k.a. Manny, a travel agent at the Department of Death, whose job it is to sell travelling packages to the recently deceased. Exactly what package you qualify for is based entirely on what kind  life you used to lead prior to your death: If you were an exceptionally good person, then you receive a ticket to the Number Nine; a state-of-the-art express train that will take you straight to the Land of Eternal Rest. However, if you've royally screwed up your life or been a real piece of shit, then you are stuck doing the job Manny does now, until you've paid off your karmic debt.

Things used to go well for Manny; he had a large office and was the top salesman on his floor. That's all in the past when the game begins though. Now, Manny's office is in what used to be the supply closet and his smarmy rival Domino gets all the good clients, leaving Manny stuck with no-good bums who, at best, only qualify for the Excelsior Line (i.e. a walking stick). Desperate, Manny decides to steal one of Domino's clients, the saintly Mercedes 'Meche' Colomar.
Unsuprisingly, Manny's plan backfires, causing Meche to lose her spot on the Number Nine and condemning her to wander the Land of the Dead on foot for four years, like any lowly sinner. Having been fired from his job, Manny, accompanied by his driver; the demon Glottis, embarks on a journey to find Meche and make things right. In doing so, Manny finds himself mixed up in a conflict between his former employer and the Lost Souls Alliance; a secret organization bent on uncovering the corruption within the Department of Death.

Out of all the classic adventures made by LucasArts, Grim Fandango has, by far, the best writing: Marrying the great comedy seen in games like Day of the Tentacle, with a genuinely gripping plot; one whose twists and turns keep the player engaged from the moment when Manny makes his first appearance on screen, to when the credits begin to roll.Personally, I'd say that the game reaches its heights during the second year, Rubacava is one of my favorite settings found in any game and as always, I found myself almost reluctant to leave it.

Great as the story may be, the game's greatest asset is its cast. Perhaps more than any other developer in the genre, LucasArts was known to populate their games with strong characters and Grim Fandango is no exception to that rule: Each and every character in the game, from the major players like Manny and Glottis, to the tiniest bit-parts, all have distinct, memorable personalities and are brought to life (or after-life) perfectly by their voice-actors. Some characters I love, others (like Domino), I love to hate, but there's not a single character in this game that has not left an impression on me, one way or the other.

Gameplay-wise (the most important aspect of any game), Grim Fandango comports itself well. In the past, I never had much trouble with the game's original keyboard controls, but I can't deny that being able to play the game with the mouse is a boon indeed. Puzzles are usually good as well; being challenging, but rarely a source of frustration. Although I've never been a fan of some of the more time-based puzzles, such as the one involving the player having to control a forklift in an elevator.

As you have probably guessed, my feelings toward this game remain unchanged. Grim Fandango will always have a place among my favorites, everyone who has an  interest in adventure games (or games in general) should travel the afterlife in the company of Manny Calavera at least once before they have to enter it for real.

Gallery