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Essays 20 April 2023, 14:57

Disco Elysium. 15 indie games with the best storylines

Table of Contents

  1. Year of release: 2019
  2. Creators: ZA/UM
  3. Story in a nutshell: An alcoholic cop talks to his own mind and solves a crime mystery

My first playthrough of Disco Elysium, same as for many other players, ended in a flash when I ordered the hero, awakened by a powerful hangover, to reach for his tie hanging from the ceiling fan. I overestimated his abilities and condition, lost a dice roll and he got a hear attack. An embarrassing death that ends the game before it even begins. Way to go!

Welcome to Revachol. A city still licking its wounds after a war from years ago, the effects of which had an irreversible impact on the opinions and ideas of its inhabitants. We play as a policeman suffering from amnesia and alcoholism, who has to solve (or not – depending on how we behave) the mystery of a murder.

Essentially, Disco Elysium should need no introduction. It's the biggest narrative RPG phenomenon of the last decade that you should try if you're a fan of indie games and role-playing. It's an incredibly fresh, unique, and complex game where we build the protagonist's identity through constant discussions and conflicts both with other characters, and with aspects of his own psyche. It depends on us whether we will become a complete failure, a deadly charismatic supercop, or a drunken communist striking against hated capitalism at every turn. The investigation itself is a wacko fest and an ongoing ethical tempest.

The authors make brilliant comments about our society and history using brilliant, invented parallels and equivalents of things we know. It's a satire that combines mature and political ideas with an absurd sense of humor. Do you like well-written games? It doesn't get better than Disco Elysium.

Sebastian Kasparek

Sebastian Kasparek

Feels most comfortable in the editorials section at GRYOnline, and sometimes he also writes reviews. A fan of all kinds of culture, who reaches for works from both the top and the bottom shelf. He likes to immerse himself in niche games and productions that are hard to define unequivocally. Appreciates an analytical and critical approach when dealing with cultural works. Prefers unique, strange, visually crazy games that boldly tackle more interesting narrative issues. Addicted to high-octane productions, fighting games, big robots and arcade. Huge fan of Grasshopper Manufacture studio. He likes to catch up on forgotten "hidden gems" from years ago, especially from Japan. Interested in games and the people behind them. Strongly addicted to cinema. A huge fan of Mads Mikkelsen and Takeshi Kitano. He also loves Inio Asano's manga and Tsutomu Nihei's aesthetics.

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