Disco Elysium Switch Review
The RPG genre has been one of the most defined in the games industry since its inception. Look at even the most annual sports and FPS franchises and there is bound to be an element like the Create-a-Class system, which is effectively a diet RPG mechanic. However, for all their influence, it’s not often that an RPG comes along so rich and engaging that its name is worth shouting from the rooftops. Disco Elysium is one of the few games that got it right, and now it has a new home on the Switch. From the beginning, Disco Elysium has been thinking in the player’s head that this is not a traditional experience. It doesn’t open with a noble hero taking their first steps on an adventure, but instead puts players in the shoes of a washed-up detective with substance abuse issues. The main character has no memory, is horrible, and has already damaged his relationship with the locals by the time the player takes their first steps. Those are the basics of the character, but Disco Elysium finds its footing in how it lets the player evolve from there. Players can choose to be physically imposing, highly intelligent, or a master of esoteric skills. Each archetype has its pros and cons, but they all ultimately serve the purpose of solving the game’s main case: finding out why there’s a body hanging from a tree, and arresting whoever put the them there.
That setup and freedom is what gives Disco Elysium its flavor, and that flavor is completely unlike anything else in the genre, or even the medium. This is not a game that relies heavily on a combat system or realistic graphics. Instead, players perform their actions and capture hyper-stylized visuals. In fact, the gameplay is almost entirely dependent on exploration and the dialogue system. Disco Elysium’s edge is that it has some of the best writing ever featured in a video game. There’s a lot of appeal in how Disco Elysium presents its opponent scenarios. Even for those who try to play a “serious” character, they are often thrown into absurd situations that they begin to break down, such as an early part where players are faced with losing their gun by someone who seems to have an ulterior motive. That, combined with the player’s memory loss, makes for an original, memorable scenario. Such scenes are not alone either. In fact, they are expertly woven together in a way that makes every snippet of Disco Elysium dialogue memorable. There is no memorable setpiece in Disco Elysium, as all its elements are so well done that every moment is sure to have something that sticks. The game doesn’t simply present a book on a table to the player, it presents them with a nearly tattered tome placed haphazardly on a gueridon. It takes what can be barebones descriptions and paints a true picture, no matter how trivial the object or location.
It certainly helps that the game world is as characterful as the NPCs that inhabit it. The Revachol setting of Disco Elysium – a dilapidated city with a mix of cultures – has a long, turbulent history. It has real struggles that reflect the state of the world today, dealing with racism, sexism, and class struggle. And, even better, it allows the player to interact with those issues in a meaningful way, approaching them both seriously and gently depending on the time and place. And though there’s a humorous tone to some sensitive encounters, there’s never a sense of tactlessness. NPCs are only as rich as the city they live in. Some are lovely, others not so much, but almost all of them feel unique and detailed. There’s an interconnectedness to many of them that truly makes the player feel like an outsider in the community, a sense that each player archetype is different, which is where Disco Elysium gets its replayability. Both scenes will play out differently depending on who the player is. All of this is backed up by one of the most impressive soundtracks to be featured in a game in the last decade, or maybe ever. Disco Elysium’s soundtrack is worth listening to outside of gaming, fluctuating between melancholy and upbeat depending on where a player is in the world. This makes for incredible clothing as players move throughout the city, exploring what each location has to offer.
From a mechanical standpoint, Disco Elysium has only a few issues. The only downside is how the game handles its life and morale systems, which are basically health. Depending on a player’s actions and the results of their skill checks, those bars will occasionally deplete, though they can be restored with healing items. as often as it should be. This wouldn’t be an issue if certain conversations couldn’t kill the player almost instantly but that happens occasionally, which can be a huge annoyance. That’s especially true when players pass a check with a low probability of success, only to have that win erased moments later. It’s a frustrating element of the game, and one that can prompt players to put the controller down for a while if a setback feels overwhelming. Outside of the game overs, however, Disco Elysium is a lot of fun. It’s normal to completely negate a conversation or physical action every once in a while, and players are rewarded with a situation that makes them look silly in a funny way. It’s always a setback, but the sense of disappointment is lessened by the charming dialogue. RELATED: AEW Sign Tells ‘Weebs’ to Play Disco Elysium For those who want to play it on its newest platform, Disco Elysium is well suited for the Switch. The game occasionally has some FPS hiccups when pulling back the camera and moving around the world, and the load times are longer than on other platforms, but the game still runs smoothly. Those with other, more powerful systems will likely notice a difference in performance, so keep that in mind, but this is the best way to play the game on the go other than perhaps a gaming laptop. Notably, Disco Elysium is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the Switch’s Bluetooth update, as a decent pair of headphones makes the soundtrack even better, not to mention the other ambient sounds that grace the city of Revachol. Those waiting to try Disco Elysium have no reason to wait any longer. The game is available on almost every platform out there right now, and it’s worth playing. It’s unlike almost anything else, and it begs the question of what developer ZA/UM will do next. Disco Elysium was released on October 12, 2021, for Switch. Today Technology was provided with a code for this review. MORE: What Disco Elysium Does That Other Detective Games Get Wrong