Disco Elysium

Submission 21,091

About

Disco Elysium is a role-playing video game developed and published by ZA/UM, and written by Estonian novelist Robert Kurvitz. The game was released on October 15th, 2019 on Microsoft Windows, with Playstation 4 and Xbox One release dates planned for 2020.

The setting of Disco Elysium revolves around the story of a police detective suffering from alcohol-induced amnesia, finding himself in the land of "Revachol" where he was supposed to investigate a crime, all of which he has no recollection of. The game is considered a departure from usual RPGs, as it includes no fighting mechanics, is mostly text-based, and gives the player direct interaction through conversation with the character's skills, which appear as traits of his personality, defined by the player at the beginning of the game.

History

Development on Disco Elysium began in 2016.^[1] The game is soundtracked by the English band British Sea Power and features voice acting roles for the hosts of Chapo Trap House, Red Scare, and heavy metal musicians.^[2] The first trailer was released on March 12th, 2018 (shown below). The game released on October 15th, 2019.

Reception

Shortly after its release, Disco Elysium received critical acclaim from the press and players, prompting the game to be nominated for several categories at the Game Awards. The game has a score of 90/100 on Metacritic, with critics praising its world-building, mechanics, and existential themes.^[2] The game was also praised by online critics Jim Sterling (shown below, left) and Yahtzee (shown below, right).

TV Series Adaptation

In June 2020, a TV series set in the game's universe was announced to be produced by dj2 Entertainment, who also produced the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog film.^[5]

Online Presence

On October 14th, 2015, the official ZA/UM Facebook^[4] page was created. Within four years, the page accumulated more than 3,100 likes. On March 19th, 2018, the /r/DiscoElysium^[3] subreddit was launched, which gathered upwards of 4,300 subscribers over the next two years.

Following the game's release, a fandom emerged on social media, with several pieces of fan art being posted on Twitter. Pieces include works by user @yiimins (shown below, left) and @Arvydas_B, who paired the game with Untitled Goose Game (shown below, right).