Support NeoGAF

[Stafford]

I started with this game yesterday and right from the start before any gameplay happens you have this weird conversation between The Reptilian Brain and Limbic system thingy. My first thought after a bit of dialogue of this was "wtf is this, what did I get myself into?"

But then gameplay soon starts and the story about the case is cool, it's understandable so far. I'm only an hour or so in. But there is plenty here that I just don't understand at all. So for example I press X to get the character sheet and then I go all the way to the right where there is this menu called Thought Cabinet. And this stuff, wtf is all this?

So the list begins with Guillaume le Million and so many other stuff. I can press A to Internalize it, but seriously., wtf am I even doing at this point? The game doesn't seem to explain it either. Also I visited a book store and bought one that the character said would be useful to him. I'm just gonna continue with the story and hopefully this stays understandable because.....breh!

Maybe some helpful tips for this game for a newcomer?

 

[reektann]

8 things you wish you knew before starting Disco Elysium ?

 

[amigastar]

Smoke some weed to understand it better.

Spoiler

I'm joking but yeah

 

[Dr.D00p]

It's not a game.

It's a interactive book, pretending to be a game.

 

[Pimpollo818]

it's ok to NOT understand. feel it.

 

[EviLore]

Just roll with it, you're not meant to have everything spoonfed to you.

 

[damidu]

So the list begins with Guillaume le Million and so many other stuff. I can press A to Internalize it, but seriously., wtf am I even doing at this point? The game doesn't seem to explain it either. Also I visited a book store and bought one that the character said would be useful to him. I'm just gonna continue with the story and hopefully this stays understandable because.....breh!

Maybe some helpful tips for this game for a newcomer?

this is the way to play it honestly, and yeah it stays engaging throughout, at least did for me.
dont get ocd about understanding all the system, pretty sure much of them dont make much sense in the end

 

[John Bilbo]

That's what it is like to be indoctrinated into the communist ideal.

But it has the Hades like camera view so it's cool in my books.

 

[Stafford]

Just roll with it, you're not meant to have everything spoonfed to you.

That I can agree with.

this is the way to play it honestly, and yeah it stays engaging throughout, at least did for me.
dont get ocd about understanding all the system, pretty sure much of them dont make much sense in the end

That's good to know. I do tend to always want to fully understand all the systems and what not in a game. For this I'll make an exception.

8 things you wish you knew before starting Disco Elysium ?

Probably wouldn't have been a bad idea before starting with it. But I really wanted to go in fresh with this one.

 

[gaming_again]

I started with this game yesterday and right from the start before any gameplay happens you have this weird conversation between The Reptilian Brain and Limbic system thingy. My first thought after a bit of dialogue of this was "wtf is this, what did I get myself into?"

But then gameplay soon starts and the story about the case is cool, it's understandable so far. I'm only an hour or so in. But there is plenty here that I just don't understand at all. So for example I press X to get the character sheet and then I go all the way to the right where there is this menu called Thought Cabinet. And this stuff, wtf is all this?

So the list begins with Guillaume le Million and so many other stuff. I can press A to Internalize it, but seriously., wtf am I even doing at this point? The game doesn't seem to explain it either. Also I visited a book store and bought one that the character said would be useful to him. I'm just gonna continue with the story and hopefully this stays understandable because.....breh!

Maybe some helpful tips for this game for a newcomer?

Just roll with it. You'll wrap your head around it eventually. And it's worth doing so.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

It's an awesome game, just roll with it and don't try to figure it all out right away. Even after you finish the game you'll likely still be scratching your head. Excellent game!

 

[Stafford]

Thanks folks.

Yeah, it's the explorer I guess, in me that decided to go off the story path and just enter that book store instead of listening to the partner detective. And then checking out the thought cabinet thing. I'm just gonna go with the story for now.

 

[KimDongHwan]

I started with this game yesterday and right from the start before any gameplay happens you have this weird conversation between The Reptilian Brain and Limbic system thingy. My first thought after a bit of dialogue of this was "wtf is this, what did I get myself into?"

But then gameplay soon starts and the story about the case is cool, it's understandable so far. I'm only an hour or so in. But there is plenty here that I just don't understand at all. So for example I press X to get the character sheet and then I go all the way to the right where there is this menu called Thought Cabinet. And this stuff, wtf is all this?

So the list begins with Guillaume le Million and so many other stuff. I can press A to Internalize it, but seriously., wtf am I even doing at this point? The game doesn't seem to explain it either. Also I visited a book store and bought one that the character said would be useful to him. I'm just gonna continue with the story and hopefully this stays understandable because.....breh!

Maybe some helpful tips for this game for a newcomer?

I am on your same side, I could not understand any mechanic at all, and also since english is not my first language it was even more complicated to understand/follow even the regular conversations. I got that it is a highly elaborated story game but could not continue after some point due to your same concerns and then some more.

 

[balls of snow]

The game stick with you for a long time.

 

[Denton]

Haha I played it this march and remember these feelings well. Suffice to say, just keep playing, you will get to understand everything naturally as you play. Internalizing thoughts is what it sounds like. Although game-effect wise, these thoughts just give various bonuses (and/or drawbacks) to your character, you can think of them as perks from other RPGs.

I may loathe the creator's politics, but I have no problem admitting that Disco Elysium is a masterpiece of a game. The melancholic atmosphere and how its characters are so human and well drawn (literally and metaphorically) makes it 100% worth playing.

I am quite excited to replay it in few years with completely different Harry.

 

[Stafford]

Haha I played it this march and remember these feelings well. Suffice to say, just keep playing, you will get to understand everything naturally as you play. Internalizing thoughts is what it sounds like. Although game-effect wise, these thoughts just give various bonuses (and/or drawbacks) to your character, you can think of them as perks from other RPGs.

I may loathe the creator's politics, but I have no problem admitting that Disco Elysium is a masterpiece of a game. The melancholic atmosphere and how its characters are so human and well drawn (literally and metaphorically) makes it 100% worth playing.

I am quite excited to replay it in few years with completely different Harry.

Sounds great!

I really dig the often humorous dialogue choices too. I'm the kind of player that exhausts every single dialogue option there is just to see what the reaction is from the other character.

I now notice I can level up in the character sheet too but holy shit there are so many to choose from. It's a bit overwhelming, lol. And many of these don't make sense yet for me. I'm just gonna wait with this.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Amazing game when it's not virtue signaling.

 

[Stafford]

One thing is for sure...

This game is addictive! I had no idea about the time, and when I checked it was just past midnight.

 

[Hohenheim]

I would prefer this "game" to be a traditional novel in book form. Lots of cool stuff, but the videogame format doesn't do it much good in my opinion.

 

[FireFly]

I started with this game yesterday and right from the start before any gameplay happens you have this weird conversation between The Reptilian Brain and Limbic system thingy. My first thought after a bit of dialogue of this was "wtf is this, what did I get myself into?"

But then gameplay soon starts and the story about the case is cool, it's understandable so far. I'm only an hour or so in. But there is plenty here that I just don't understand at all. So for example I press X to get the character sheet and then I go all the way to the right where there is this menu called Thought Cabinet. And this stuff, wtf is all this?

So the list begins with Guillaume le Million and so many other stuff. I can press A to Internalize it, but seriously., wtf am I even doing at this point? The game doesn't seem to explain it either. Also I visited a book store and bought one that the character said would be useful to him. I'm just gonna continue with the story and hopefully this stays understandable because.....breh!

Maybe some helpful tips for this game for a newcomer?

Thoughts are essentially "perks" that give you stat boosts and some other gameplay effects. You can earn them through specific dialogue/game choices and they take time to apply (internalize). You should be able to see the bonuses listed in the thought cabinet. I don't think books serve much purpose other than advancing time. The story is very straightforward and the game is only "pretending" to be super complex and unapproachable.

Amazing game when it's not virtue signaling.

The game doesn't tell you what to think about any particular topic and I was surprised when I played it how few of the conversations actually center around politics.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

The game doesn't tell you what to think about any particular topic and I was surprised when I played it how few of the conversations actually center around politics.

I agree that it mostly does politics well, but a few times I felt like the writer would assume moral superiority. But I know how difficult it can be to do the right thing without coming across as a bit pious.

 

[Stafford]

Thoughts are essentially "perks" that give you stat boosts and some other gameplay effects. You can earn them through specific dialogue/game choices and they take time to apply (internalize). You should be able to see the bonuses listed in the thought cabinet. I don't think books serve much purpose other than advancing time. The story is very straightforward and the game is only "pretending" to be super complex and unapproachable.


The game doesn't tell you what to think about any particular topic and I was surprised when I played it how few of the conversations actually center around politics.

I actually finished the one about the guy with the French name and I can choose to "forget" it, but is there a good reason to do that? Also, advancing time, sleeping etc. Is it just for story purposes or are there also other reasons for the time system?

 

[Denton]

I would prefer this "game" to be a traditional novel in book form. Lots of cool stuff, but the videogame format doesn't do it much good in my opinion.

Insane take. Book could never match the atmosphere of this game (as aided by visuals, music and voice acting) and depth of its storytelling (aided by player agency).

 

[april6e]

To be fair OP, I played the entire game and still do not understand the thought cabinet system. You are right, it is never explained at least in the launch version I played. This game doesn't really explain anything.

Just relax and enjoy the ride. It's not the type of game where you have to build your character a certain way to progress or whatever. I despise it when people online claim that RPGs are better played blind as that is almost never the case. But this game is the exception.

 

[Hohenheim]

Insane take. Book could never match the atmosphere of this game (as aided by visuals, music and voice acting) and depth of its storytelling (aided by player agency).

Well, thats kinda like saying a book can never match a movie. The writing in DE is brilliant, and would - for me - be MUCh more effective as a book.

 

[Denton]

Well, thats kinda like saying a book can never match a movie. The writing in DE is brilliant, and would - for me - be MUCh more effective as a book.

Books have their own added value over movies, but Disco Elysium is effectively already a book, just aided by brilliant audiovisuals and player agency. I get that you are emphasising that this is your opinion, but I still don't see how DE could in any way be better if it was stripped of those aspects.

 

[FireFly]

I actually finished the one about the guy with the French name and I can choose to "forget" it, but is there a good reason to do that? Also, advancing time, sleeping etc. Is it just for story purposes or are there also other reasons for the time system?

Well thoughts can have debuffs (in this case -1 logic) so you may want to get rid of it and replace it with something that suits your play style more.

It takes "time" to internalize thoughts, but that's the only gameplay use for the time system I am aware of. Also you can't fail the game by running out of time.

Well, thats kinda like saying a book can never match a movie. The writing in DE is brilliant, and would - for me - be MUCh more effective as a book.

It would need to be a choose your own adventure book to match the agency you get in Disco Elysium.

 

[Markio128]

I didn’t really know what I was doing on my first play through, but that added to the mystery of it all tbh. I say just roll with it. I’ve finished it twice and it still baffles me.

I’m looking forward to another run at some point.

 

[NoobSmog]

I don't think Disco Elysium would be better as a book because one of the best things about the game is it's ability to go along with whatever decisions you are making without it ever feeling like the "wrong" choice. Even if you are being a complete dumbass or asshole, the game will go along with it and make you feel justified about what you are choosing to do.

 

[DenchDeckard]

SO, the plan is to be kinda confused? I need to get back to this and give it a good go.

 

[tommib]

Just get lost in it. One the best games I’ve played it the last 10 years. There’s almost never a bad decision. The game always reacts and continues with whatever the dice gives you. Until you get a heart attack from too many psychedelic drugs and booze.

 

[Tommi84]

Here are three things I heard when I wanted to play it:
One, stop the habbit of clicking ALL of the conversation options as in any other game. Get in the character you want to play and chose the right ones. If you try clickin everything, you can block stuff for you
Two, get enough money to pay for the rent. Not sure why as Instill haven't played a lot
Three, time advances only when speaking with someone (though I'm not sure it's 100% true as I may be misremembering stuff)

 

[gaming_again]

I would prefer this "game" to be a traditional novel in book form. Lots of cool stuff, but the videogame format doesn't do it much good in my opinion.

IIRC the creator has written books based in same world.

 

[Toots]

Change "disco elysium" with "life" and im with you OP !

 

[elhav]

The game rewards being attentive to small details in the environment and dialog. Many conversations can lead to wildly different results if you take care to match the level of wit to the character you're interacting with. And indeed you are supposed to be bewildered by everything the same way the main character is.

Unfortunately some skills are far more useful/informative than others, like shivers, encyclopedia and inland empire. But in general you can play the game however you like and it will go on in interesting ways no matter what you choose. But the more you think and notice, usually the more options you'll have

 

[Stafford]

I am slowly but surely starting to understand it a bit. Just now I asked a pawn shop dude about a gun. His answer damaged my morale so badly that it was game over, this game man, hahaha. So I put a point in Volition which brought morale to 2 and now I can handle the conversation. Nice!

I wanted to juggle between this game and the first expansion of Doom Eternal but this game has me in its grasp now.

 

[CatsGamesWhatever]

Extremely enjoyable game. I never played anything quite like it. It's ironic that people call it communist considering the story. Feel free to be a neoliberal wackjob in the game as it's allowed too.
It will stick with you for a long time. Cuno, Mesque Banger, Du bois/kim, finger pistols, the whole way the story transforms depending on how you specialize. Is calling it a book somehow trying to deride it? I would read more books if they were like Disco Elysium.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

I feel like my brain is so selective with these slow burn games. I LOVED Persona 4 but found Persona 5 boring and dull. Disco Elysium I played for 6 hours and just dropped it. It just didnt grab me enough. Maybe it was the way too much reading but one thing I can say they nailed is that the narration is perfectly written. I could literally smell my character with his smoke incensed jaket and cheap beer breath. Thats how good the writing is, everything is detailed. Maybe for me some of these games just arent for the big screen. Maybe I enjoyed P4 so much cuz I played it on my Vita in bed most fo the time. P5 was on PS5 and was not the same feel.

 

[Dr. Suchong]

Make sure you have enough money to pay for your room.
I didn't, and had to start again from an earlier save.
Other than that, let it just wash over you.

 

[Stafford]

Make sure you have enough money to pay for your room.
I didn't, and had to start again from an earlier save.
Other than that, let it just wash over you.

I was just about to ask this. Because I managed to have Kim help me out for the first night. I was wondering if I could just stay outside. I have my answer. 20 real a night, damn.

 

[Dr. Suchong]

I collected bottles and recycled them for cash.
Sold stuff at the pawn shop iirc.
Bit fuzzy, been a while since I played it.
Perhaps other Gaffers with better memories than I can give advice?
Because I remember the game ending if you couldn't afford the bill after the first time Kim bails you out, and it was subject of much contention.
Make multiple saves to be on the safe side.
I'm pretty sure you can do this.

 

[CatsGamesWhatever]

I collected bottles and recycled them for cash.
Sold stuff at the pawn shop iirc.
Bit fuzzy, been a while since I played it.
Perhaps other Gaffers with better memories than I can give advice?
Because I remember the game ending if you couldn't afford the bill after the first time Kim bails you out, and it was subject of much contention.
Make multiple saves to be on the safe side.
I'm pretty sure you can do this.

Spoiler: SPOILER

You can sleep in the trash. You can also start calling yourself hobo cop at that point (lol). You can also go see the union leader or the corpo negotiator to get money to cover rent.

 

[Denton]

Maybe for me some of these games just arent for the big screen. Maybe I enjoyed P4 so much cuz I played it on my Vita in bed most fo the time. P5 was on PS5 and was not the same feel.

Hah. One of the reasons I bought Steam Deck was because I wanted to play games like Disco Elysium on it.

Instead I played only about 5 hours of DE on it when in office and travelling, and 60 hours on 55" panny plasma and was complete absorbed, playing 8 hours a day. Go figure.

 

[Windom Earle]

Hah. One of the reasons I bought Steam Deck was because I wanted to play games like Disco Elysium on it.

Instead I played only about 5 hours of DE on it when in office and travelling, and 60 hours on 55" panny plasma and was complete absorbed, playing 8 hours a day. Go figure.

lol that was my plan. Grab a Deck and play this game on it. I've tried it once and it did not 100% click but I feel like it deserves another chance.

 

[Raven117]

Ya know, I’m in the minority here, but it didn’t do much for me.

 

[Mozzarella]

I will probably get a lot of flack for this but while i appreciate this game i dont think highly of it, in all honesty i think its pretty overrated.
As to why i shall explain in short, but if you want me to elaborate feel free to ask.

So the reasons that i dont praise Disco Elysium as high as others is because its not really a good game, by that i mean game design, I played and finished this game and while i had my fun and i think its a worthwhile game, in terms of mechanics i did nothing for 30 hours, all i found myself doing was reading huge walls of text, now you would tell me thats the point and i agree, but its a VIDEO GAME, its not a book nor its a visual novel, this is a RPG.
Its called a detective RPG, but you do nothing of that, you dont do detective work, no investigation, no puzzles, no interaction with the game systems or environment, literally nothing. Imagine how much better it would be if you can find hidden items, interact with them to solve puzzles, find your way around things in different ways, using physics or elementals to progress through an area, having a level so complex and full of multilayered layout that is fun to explore and find lore stuff, or clues for the case or even side quests. BUT NOPE the game spits it out all the time, the player doesnt need to do anything basically just keep clicking on those small dots and read dialogue for 30 hours, even without combat they can include gameplay, the game design in Disco Elysium is so shallow and that makes the interactivity so boring for me.

Now onto the other reason, i honestly found the story to be meh, by story i mean main plot, for a game touted as a masterpiece in writing the plot surely was disappointing, it has an interesting premise but falls apart in the last third with one of the most underwhelming ending i had in RPGs! furthermore while the dialogue is well written at most of the time, at certain times it can come off as cringy and goofy, the political encounters for example seem unbalanced, one ideology gets lots of nuances and depth and exposure while others are simply stereotyped to death by pulling lines straight from the depths of Reddit, this becomes annoying when you start to take it seriously then find out the game is trolling you.
Another reason is the Choice and Consequence system, its a game fully focused on dialogue, ffs this game has less branching paths and choices than Witcher and Mass Effect and its a CRPG build around ONLY dialogue, can you imagine that?! You realize this once you replay the game and find out that most of your choices dont matter, i remember Cyberpunk got shit on for this exact thing but Cyberpunk was a gigantic game with lots of aspects to polish and put resources into, this one was built around one thing and yet still fails to deliver, somehow its the greatest written rpg of all time, go figure.

The last reason is the presentation, now it may seem silly and shallow that i talk about this, but i honestly dont find it impressive even here, like lets take for example the soundtrack, i liked a total of 3 tracks out of 20+ WTF is this? most RPGs have amazing soundtracks, not this one, Skyrim, Witcher, Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Xenogears, Planescape Torment and VTMB are examples of games with music that i like and remember later, Disco Elysium didn't deliver me any of this.

Now its not all doom and gloom as it may seem, I DO appreciate this game, as i said above, so what do i like about it?
First I like that its unique, in a time where games are mostly Triple A generic action adventure, or Indie pixel games, Disco Elysium is a genuine breath of fresh air.
Second i like the art style, it has this oily painting look that keeps it artsy.
Third i like the dialogue and the voice acting, they kept me engaged for all those hours
Fourth i like the thought cabinet system, its a cool and neat idea to present themes and psychological aspect to your character building.
Fifth I think Kim Kitsuragi is a great character.

Thats about it, i recall the side quests being a mixed bag, and the atmosphere being decent.

Its a worthwhile game, good to experience it once, but i dont agree with its widespread praise at all.

 

[Denton]

at certain times it can come off as cringy and goofy, the political encounters for example seem unbalanced, one ideology gets lots of nuances and depth and exposure while others are simply stereotyped to death by pulling lines straight from the depths of Reddit, this becomes annoying when you start to take it seriously then find out the game is trolling you.

This part I agree with, other than that what I was thinking while reading your post is

I wanted orange, and it gave me lemon lime