Disco Elysium - Insane Drunken Cop Simulator RPG GotY 2019

[Capsaicin Addict]

played the game
god damn the mc has a mental breakdown every 5 minutes
and your character 41% if morale goes down
no wonder the fan base is 90% trannies and faggots

Never been around someone at the frayed ends of sanity, eh?

 

[PHILLIP BANKS]

Never been around someone at the frayed ends of sanity, eh?

what do you think now days people are, all of them are at the end of their ropes, pushing money in the greedy mouths of therapist.
look at the suicide records, they are sky high atm.

This game just isn't that deep. It was praised by pseuds literally just for having the right politics.

this, his writings are mediocre and just dosen't has any intelligence in it, most of the dialogues are new speak anyway. i see the game as some hyped up modern art. If the game would have been released years back in the golden age of gaming, no one would give a fuck, but i feel that the game does have good voice acting, art and soundtracks

 

[Slightly Apathetic Mario]

>be game thread on KF
>have people discuss the game in a thoughtful matter
>devolves into political sperging
Every fucking time

 

[Slap47]

>be game thread on KF
>have people discuss the game in a thoughtful matter
>devolves into political sperging
Every fucking time

 

[White_N]

I don't understand where the whining about communist propaganda comes from in this game. Of the three representatives of the Communists, one is an old coward who killed a man because he was simping for a slut who didn't even know about his existence, and the other two are theorists (redditors) who just fantasize about creating communism and do nothing.

What I found interesting is the struggle between neoliberals and Social Democrats, in which the former hire war criminal mercenaries and kidnap people and the latter arrange a criminal syndicate with mass drug trafficking, while fascism and communism do not just remain on the periphery as the ideologies of old men and cranks but become weapons of the Social Democrats. Two of their three fascists—a black supremacist and an old monarchist—work for Evrar despite the fact that he is the leader of the social democrats, and a deserter becomes a killer in the service of Evrar, albeit for a limited time, which is quite interesting and, well, realistic considering our reality with BLM and other shady activities clearly being supported by the elite.

Also, this green text of a characters are great.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Deleted my last comment because I realized I just said the exact same thing like a year ago when the political ranting/slap fights were getting ridiculous.

Anyway, here’s this:

 

[Übertroon]

I don't understand where the whining about communist propaganda comes from in this game. Of the three representatives of the Communists, one is an old coward who killed a man because he was simping for a slut who didn't even know about his existence, and the other two are theorists (redditors) who just fantasize about creating communism and do nothing.

What I found interesting is the struggle between neoliberals and Social Democrats, in which the former hire war criminal mercenaries and kidnap people and the latter arrange a criminal syndicate with mass drug trafficking, while fascism and communism do not just remain on the periphery as the ideologies of old men and cranks but become weapons of the Social Democrats. Two of their three fascists—a black supremacist and an old monarchist—work for Evrar despite the fact that he is the leader of the social democrats, and a deserter becomes a killer in the service of Evrar, albeit for a limited time, which is quite interesting and, well, realistic considering our reality with BLM and other shady activities clearly being supported by the elite.

Also, this green text of a characters are great.
View attachment 4174323

I've previously outlined why the game is subversive hogwash

If you're asking if it's propaganda, yes.
It's more subtle than most media, but it's there.
Lefties love sad sack shit protagonists, Harry is this in spades, he basically drank himself into amnesia because he got dumped by his girlfriend who might also have aborted their child.
Basically a woman is so important she caused Harry's psyche to fray when she rejected him.
Technically the game mocks all political alignment, but it's in the "commies are deluded dreamers, fascists are woman hating psychopaths" sort of strawman.
The game also tries to railroad you by giving you a companion that desperately wants you to be a soy man.
If you've played RPGs where all your companions disapprove any behavior other than being a naive boy scout you know how much this influences the choices made by the average player.
The game literally has a moment where it says both white supremacy and black supremacy racism is bad, but that between the two white supremacy is way worse.
It's less infuriatingly stupid, but more insidious

You can decide that this doesn't personally bother you, but I find it confusing that people are shocked that the game that is a visual novel with a lot of political sperging invites people talking about politics

 

[Slap47]

If you're asking if it's propaganda, yes.
It's more subtle than most media, but it's there.
Lefties love sad sack shit protagonists, Harry is this in spades, he basically drank himself into amnesia because he got dumped by his girlfriend who might also have aborted their child.
Basically a woman is so important she caused Harry's psyche to fray when she rejected him.
Technically the game mocks all political alignment, but it's in the "commies are deluded dreamers, fascists are woman hating psychopaths" sort of strawman.
The game also tries to railroad you by giving you a companion that desperately wants you to be a soy man.
If you've played RPGs where all your companions disapprove any behavior other than being a naive boy scout you know how much this influences the choices made by the average player.
The game literally has a moment where it says both white supremacy and black supremacy racism is bad, but that between the two white supremacy is way worse.
It's less infuriatingly stupid, but more insidious

this, his writings are mediocre and just dosen't has any intelligence in it, most of the dialogues are new speak anyway. i see the game as some hyped up modern art. If the game would have been released years back in the golden age of gaming, no one would give a fuck, but i feel that the game does have good voice acting, art and soundtracks

I don't know, I think humanism/moralism got dunked on pretty hard when it was revealed to be a literal religion with a bureaucrat goddess.

I still can't really understand what the fuck humanism is about, something along the lines "I support the current thing".

I would not say that DE's politics are strawmanning or even all that bias. All of them get shit on extremely hard.

The message of the Communism subplot is that their idealism leads them to believing retarded nonsense. Mazovian Inframaterialism literally means food from communists just grows better and if they believe in communism hard enough they get Saiyan powers. This results in their only communist country being Dragon Ball North Korea. There are references to Lysenkoism, Chollima Movement, New Soviet Man, Great Leap Forward and other crazy communist nonsense. All they get done is help prop up schizo regimes abroad that probably hate them. They do nothing to actually help the Social Democrats that actually do get stuff done. Whether the communist magic is real or not is hard to tell (Communism route give XP but I also think this in of itself is a a jab at communists fancying themselves geniuses), but if it it does not seem to be worth risking a pale apocalypse.

The message of the Fascist/traditionalist subplot is that they are deeply unsatisfied with the present for personal reasons and project that onto politics. They are angry about women, struggle with being gay, blame poverty on foreigners instead of corporations and wish to return to the days when their country was stealing stuff. They are weirdly the best at self improvement, but also can be played in a way that rewards wallowing in misery. Want to get Harry clean as soon as possible? You talk to Measurehead about sobriety after being made a racist. Its not part of the path, but it is a bonus to being racist. Fascists basically never discuss the pale, economics or how to change things in a meaningful way. Game came out years ago - it has history boardgame fans larping as racist monarchists, racists of different races being the best of friends, a based black man embodying racism, and self-help culture being a rightwing grift. Only thing its missing to represent the 2023 alt-right is the crossdressing catboy culture they have. The woman hating really does not come out of left field. Kiwifarms users should know how retarded the far-right can get.

At most I would say the game has a Social Democracy bias, but I struggle to even see that. The SocDems are represented as a mob that ignores the "democratic" aspect of their ideology and actively harms the rest of the community to enrich themselves. Its a mob that gets stuff done for its own people. They are the anti-racist faction, but half of the racists in the game are also on their side. What I can clearly see is that the game wants you to hate the Moralists and Ultraliberals. They are hypocritical, struggle to stay even remotely principled and are lead by technocratic elites that want to transform the entire world into European (western) liberal democracies in a neocolonial fashion. They are both whiggish to the extreme and selfish. I don't think many have an issue with the way the moralintern and capitalist/corporatist factions are represented.

Weirdly enough, I side more with the Moralists despite the game making them the baddies. If the Pale really is fueled by peoples anxieties then perhaps having a schizophrenic low-trust country like Revachol constantly having revolutions is a bad idea. Perhaps a 10000 year plan to make every country into harmoniously stable liberal democracies is a good idea. The Moralintern even made peace with the Samaran commies when they stopped rocking the boat. Its a shame that they fail to understand that democracy is best attained through practicing democracy and accountability is best done at the regional level. We can largely ignore shithole countries like Afghanistan in the real world, but what if we couldn't? What if forever-wars were necessary? It really seems like the developers want you to hate the Moralists, but they also very clearly made Kim a conservative Moralist. He does not identify as such, but he fills the role by being a true believer in the RCM and participating in the traditions.

 

[Übertroon]

They do nothing to actually help the Social Democrats that actually do get stuff done

See this might be a bigger joke than even entertaining the idea that communism improves anything.

Perhaps a 10000 year plan to make every country into harmoniously stable liberal democracies is a good idea

 

[Rich Evans Ayypologist]

Two of their three fascists—a black supremacist and an old monarchist—work for Evrar despite the fact that he is the leader of the social democrats, and a deserter becomes a killer in the service of Evrar, albeit for a limited time, which is quite interesting and, well, realistic considering our reality with BLM and other shady activities clearly being supported by the elite.

Stop that, stop that right fucking now! Stop reading into the metanarrative! Stop! I'm serious; your reddit karma is at risk here, man!

Stop reading into the metanarrative and start taking everything at face value -- stop recognizing that designing relationships between characters and organizations could have broader meaning that isn't directly spelled out in comic sans font! Look, they have (oh yeah, well, had, now, I guess rip lmao) a bust of Lenin! Heterodox thinking is fucking impossible, because why else would I be incapable of it?

Kiwifarms users should know how retarded the far-right can get.

I think the emperor still sees himself as fully clothed when gazing longingly in the mirror.

It really seems like the developers want you to hate the Moralists, but they also very clearly made Kim a conservative Moralist. He does not identify as such, but he fills the role by being a true believer in the RCM and participating in the traditions.

Every political ideology happens to have someone that is ultimately a sympathetic or helpful or likeable character nestled inside - it just so happens that Kim is exceptionally well-written and well-realized. Gary is described by the cryptozoologists as a nice, good, and helpful - if eccentric - guy, and for all the awkwardness of his interactions with Harry regarding the armor suit, he's ultimately helpful and mild-mannered in that quest later on. The social democrats have that hippie guy that hangs out by the gate - who spots Harry some free cash and offers up some basic advice about the town. The ultra-liberals have the woman on the boat (it's been a long while), who ultimately backs down from the increasing escalation because she is concerned about the inevitable loss of human life -- even if she knows it goes against what the corporation would have her choose. When the grouchy old monarchistic guard dies, his decidedly socialist companion genuinely mourns for him.

For me, the takeaway here is that political ideology doesn't supersede the individual. Nor does the individual, even the exceptional example, make the ideology in and of itself more palatable or intelligible. Ultimately, you can complete the game regardless of what path you choose.

 

[jje100010001]

Don't know why anyone would want a sequel to star anyone from the original. People will just get pissed that they aren't 'their character'.

My idea is to have your character be just some person who has a crime happen to them (murder, burglary, whatever) and just make it be that the police are just too busy do deal with it.

You could set the game in Harry/Kim's district and bring Kim back on desk duty. You could call or visit him for tips on the case.

Probably the road forward is having a new character, with perhaps some cameo appearances by other characters. The setting in the timeline can be vague and tangential for all that matters.

IMO, the world of Elysium is rich enough to sustain an entire franchise.

 

[Jeff_the_Thriller]

Only a filthy communist would deny the deep frier a 20 pound bag of ice.

I played this game through twice and never saw that. I must not have had the skill required to talk with the frier.

 

[PHILLIP BANKS]

he said nothing wrong lmao
man this game is funny

 

[Oilspill Battery]

This game just isn't that deep. It was praised by pseuds literally just for having the right politics.

If you chose the communist route the game calls you a loser, reminds you that communism has killed more people than the nazis, and calls communism the ideology of failure.

The communist faction in this game is a bunch of shutin teenagers that think communism gives you psychic powers that make food grow faster.

The main antagonist is a bitter communard incel that kills people because he's angry that he can't get pussy.

The game makes fun of "blue hairs" by saying that kids who die their hair funny colours think they're revolting but they're just serving the system.

At one point there is a discussion about a "gender neutral hair salon" that opened in a working class area and failed with the owners blaming capitalism, and every single one of the main characters laughs and calls the owners morons.

The socialist union boss wants to muscle out impoverished villagers so he can replace their village with a drug smuggling operation.

The most respectable character in the game that everyone (including the socialists) admire is a facist war veteran that fought for the royal family.

The main character has depression because his girlfriend aborted (the game outright says "killed") his baby.

If I had a dime for every time a retard who never played this game called it "woke" I'd be a billionare.

You dipshits are literally just as bad as the "esjaydabliyus" that call everything problematic.

 

[Berrakh]

If you chose the communist route the game calls you a loser, reminds you that communism has killed more people than the nazis, and calls communism the ideology of failure.

The communist faction in this game is a bunch of shutin teenagers that think communism gives you psychic powers that make food grow faster.

The main antagonist is a bitter communard incel that kills people because he's angry that he can't get pussy.

The game makes fun of "blue hairs" by saying that kids who die their hair funny colours think they're revolting but they're just serving the system.

At one point there is a discussion about a "gender neutral hair salon" that opened in a working class area and failed with the owners blaming capitalism, and every single one of the main characters laughs and calls the owners morons.

The socialist union boss wants to muscle out impoverished villagers so he can replace their village with a drug smuggling operation.

The most respectable character in the game that everyone (including the socialists) admire is a facist war veteran that fought for the royal family.

The main character has depression because his girlfriend aborted (the game outright says "killed") his baby.

If I had a dime for every time a retard who never played this game called it "woke" I'd be a billionare.

You dipshits are literally just as bad as the "esjaydabliyus" that call everything problematic.

I never said it was woke.

 

[Übertroon]

If you chose the communist route the game calls you a loser, reminds you that communism has killed more people than the nazis, and calls communism the ideology of failure.

The communist faction in this game is a bunch of shutin teenagers that think communism gives you psychic powers that make food grow faster.

The main antagonist is a bitter communard incel that kills people because he's angry that he can't get pussy.

The game makes fun of "blue hairs" by saying that kids who die their hair funny colours think they're revolting but they're just serving the system.

At one point there is a discussion about a "gender neutral hair salon" that opened in a working class area and failed with the owners blaming capitalism, and every single one of the main characters laughs and calls the owners morons.

The socialist union boss wants to muscle out impoverished villagers so he can replace their village with a drug smuggling operation.

The most respectable character in the game that everyone (including the socialists) admire is a facist war veteran that fought for the royal family.

The main character has depression because his girlfriend aborted (the game outright says "killed") his baby.

If I had a dime for every time a retard who never played this game called it "woke" I'd be a billionare.

You dipshits are literally just as bad as the "esjaydabliyus" that call everything problematic.

None of what you wrote is particularly "deep" though. It's all very surface level. and kinda funny how every character has to be thrown into a certain political category as if we all have to land some particular place on a political compass the same way D&D inspired games hand out political alignments.
But what exactly is the core belief and message of Disco Elysium? What is its actual depth?
Most common interpretation of the story is that it's about the weight and danger of clinging unto the past, coping with nihilism, and the evils of the Coalition of Nations which is imposing free market capitalism upon Revachol and keeping it destitute and rotting.
It's not woke, it's-

Which isn't inherently bad. I've played leftist games before. But what really prevents me from liking Disco Elysium is how much I disliked Harry and Kim. And every time some self hating, substance abusing, hedonist, perpetual adolescent points at Harry and goes "me! he is literally me!" I recoil in disgust.
The politics isn't particularly deep either just because it mocks wannabe revolutionaries with blue hair and loathing for their parents. It's the exact same opinions you could get from any episode of the chapotraphouse podcast or visiting https://www.reddit.com/r/stupidpol/.

 

[SteelPlatedHeart]

Started playing through the game again and really enjoying it. Still in day one and haven’t even gone to see the body yet. Definitely gonna save-scum to shoot it down though, I want that Aces High/Aces Low lol.

 

[Oilspill Battery]

None of what you wrote is particularly "deep" though.

That's because the criticism I was responding to is "This game only gets good reviews because its woke/tows the political line."

and kinda funny how every character has to be thrown into a certain political category as if we all have to land some particular place on a political compass the same way D&D inspired games hand out political alignments.

Except every character also has further depth and nuance. Measurehead is a racist facist but he's also genuinely helpful when it comes to self improvement and can help harry stop drinking/quit drugs.

Of the 3 facists in the game, 2 of them are employed by the socialist who claims he works for the people but in reality just wants to sell drugs for profit at the expense of the people. Political alignments stop mattering when it comes to money.

The facist teen in the game is mild mannered, helps an elderly couple, is working to expose the drug ring set up by the socialist mob boss. Because as it turns out, "facism" is a meaningless label and all 3 facists in the game have completely seperate goals. Measurehead wants an ethnostate, Rene wants the monarchy back and Gary (the teen exposing the drug ring) wants to move back to a more traditional society.

Every character in the game has more to them than meets the eye at a surface, they have flaws, they have insights to offer, and they have their own wants and goals with their own ideologies doing fuckall to actually tell you who they are under the surface.

What more do you want from them before you'll consider them "Deep"?

 

[Übertroon]

That's because the criticism I was responding to is "This game only gets good reviews because its woke/tows the political line."


Except every character also has further depth and nuance. Measurehead is a racist facist but he's also genuinely helpful when it comes to self improvement and can help harry stop drinking/quit drugs.

Of the 3 facists in the game, 2 of them are employed by the socialist who claims he works for the people but in reality just wants to sell drugs for profit at the expense of the people. Political alignments stop mattering when it comes to money.

The facist teen in the game is mild mannered, helps an elderly couple, is working to expose the drug ring set up by the socialist mob boss. Because as it turns out, "facism" is a meaningless label and all 3 facists in the game have completely seperate goals. Measurehead wants an ethnostate, Rene wants the monarchy back and Gary (the teen exposing the drug ring) wants to move back to a more traditional society.

Every character in the game has more to them than meets the eye at a surface, they have flaws, they have insights to offer, and they have their own wants and goals with their own ideologies doing fuckall to actually tell you who they are under the surface.

What more do you want from them before you'll consider them "Deep"?

Well why can't a fascist be helpful? Is fascism not an ideology based around improving the community?
Also I didn't say they weren't "nuanced", I said it's funny that they're being placed on a political compass like that. Like why is Measurehead a fascist? Does he belong to a fascist political party? Does he consume fascist literature? It's based on his racial ideology? How is "all racists are fascists" not a bit laughable?
Most characters will have different facets to them, but the characters in Disco never stuck with me unlike the certain characters in say Arcanum, Kotor 2, or Dragon Age. Probably partly because they always have to be shoehorned into a specific ideology even when there's no need, and partly because a lot of these characters have way less time devoted towards them than even side characters in other RPGs.

 

[Pissmaster]

I remember seeing at least three woke journos showing off how you can slug Measurehead in the first hour of the game if you put most of your points into FYS, which is a bad idea for newcomers. Put that alongside retards screaming "SMASH THE FASH", and the people come to a conclusion that'd be 100% on point with just about any other game promoted that way.