Disco Elysium

A number of games have been touted as a spiritual successor to the much loved _Planescape: Torment_ - one even had the audacity to incorporate "Torment" in its name - but _Disco Elysium_ is the first to capture what made its spiritual predecessor so special. Not only must there be lots of text and not only must the text be well-written but the text must actually be fun to read. If your gameplay loop is largely reading (or listening since the _Final Cut_ is fully voice-acted), that loop has to be enjoyable. Sounds simple when you put it like that but creating an enjoyable RPG when there's almost no combat to pad out the runtime and only a small game world to explore is a task so difficult that only two games in more than twenty years have managed to pull it off.

On the surface _Disco Elysium_ is a buddy cop story (albeit one where you're the loose cannon, rather than the by-the-book straight guy): there has been a murder which turns out to be a lot less open-and-shut than initial appearances might lead you to believe. Your PC is (as you learn early in the game) a brilliant officer with a distinguished career but stress, heartbreak and untreated but self-medicated depression have broken you. You awake from a three-day bender that has left you with severe dissociative amnesia so that your character's first hours are spent making sense of his world (which, conveniently, allows you, the player, to learn about the world at the same time).

And the game's doomed world is not a happy one. The story is set in a town named Martinaise, in a country named Revachol. Martinaise was once a pleasant resort-cum-working-port but 43 years previously, revolution followed by counter-revolution left the town in ruins. Martinaise was ground zero for _Operation Deathblow_, the invasion by a foreign coalition which broke the Commune of Revachol (as one of the characters in the game asks: what kind of people come up with a name like "Operation Deathblow"? Murderers, that's who). That same Coalition of Nations are still nominally in charge and through either accidental neglect or deliberate policy, much of Martinaise remains in a state of ruin and - to a large degree - beyond the writ of law. As a backdrop to the game's events, a militant, unionised workforce are in an industrial dispute with the town's monopoly employer and the murder that you're investigating has the potential to ignite an already smouldering conflict.

If all this sounds like _Trouble At T'Mill: the videogame_, the deftness of the writing lifts it beyond the relentlessly Brechtian. The pathos and sadness is balanced by slapstick humour, politics of left, right and centre are ruthlessly satirised and the cast of supporting characters are drawn with the finest of brushes. The (peerless) writing is matched by the art style which combines modernism, fauvism and cubism with the grotesquerie of Giger and Bosch.

The Walkthroughs

_Disco Elysium_ is a game that supports (and, for trophy hunters, requires) two playthroughs. _Goodest of the Good Cops_ provides an efficient, thorough and coherent path through the game. If you've not played the game before, or if you're not interested in trophies, this is the walkthrough to use.

_Baddest of the Bad Cops_, which guides you towards the Platinum trophy, is a lot more metagamey. Since it provides less context and sometimes directs you to do slightly odd things, I do not recommend this for a first or only playthrough, particularly since it misses out on a crucial part of any murder investigation!

The walkthroughs use the _Final Cut_ release (which is available as a free upgrade for all supported platforms). The principal difference vs. the original release is the addition of the political vision quests. If you only have the original release, simply skip the irrelevant content.

The walkthroughs are bookended by reference sections. The game's character creation system is both innovative and unique and this section is worth reading before you start playing. Finally, there is a reference section for the game's loot and a list of the game's trophies.

Walkthrough:

1. General Tips:
   • Quick save frequently due to random crashes. The game does not corrupt saves.
   • Embrace failure as part of the experience, but be aware that failing certain checks can lock you out of content. The walkthrough indicates checks to 'make' (pass), 'attempt' (success/failure doesn't matter), and those to fail. Save before 'make' checks.
   • Consumables (drugs, alcohol) are used by equipping them in a hand and pressing the corresponding action button (L3/R3).
   • The game operates on a clock, starting at 07:30 and ending at 02:00. Most NPCs are unavailable after 22:00. Time advances only during conversations (approx. 30 seconds per topic). You can explore freely without time pressure. Reading books or sitting on a bench can skip time.
   • The game can be buggy. If something doesn't appear as expected, try quick saving and loading.
   • Fast travel is available on Day 3 after opening the map, allowing travel between Whirling-in-Rags, Fishermen Shacks, and the church. Ensure you have bought the map; if it's buggy, switch to the quest log and back to the map.
   • 'Conceptualization' is a key stat. Look for '_Il Coppo del'Arte_' callouts for a trophy and the 'Actual Art Degree' thought, which grants XP for Conceptualization passive checks. Aim for Logic, Drama, Empathy, Authority, Physical Instrument, Hand/Eye Coordination, Interfacing, and Composure at level 6, and others at level 4.
   • To have your tie talk, start with Inland Empire at level 4 or higher.
   • Dress appropriately for upcoming checks as indicated in the walkthrough.
2. Essential Skill Checks:
   • Some white checks are crucial for the main quest and can theoretically be failed permanently if you've maxed the skill. Having a recent save is the easiest solution.
   • Necessary checks include: Authority (17) to get Titus Hardie to talk, Rhetoric (17) to convince Titus he's being played, Logic (19) to present a convincing theory to Titus, and Shivers (21) to locate the suspect.
   • Attempting and failing a check can unlock bonuses, resetting the check and allowing another try.
3. Trophies:
   • The Platinum trophy requires planning and metagaming. Many trophies involve making deliberately poor dialogue choices.
   • Two playthroughs on Hardcore difficulty are recommended due to mutually exclusive trophies, some of which are determined early in the game.
   • Two walkthroughs are provided: a

Structure:

1. Introduction (including Tips and Copyright/Acknowledgments)
2. Character Creation
3. Goodest of the Good Cops (covering Day 1-5 quests)
4. Baddest of the Bad Cops (covering Monday-Thursday quests)
5. Appendix: Communist and Moralist Vision Quests (Avowed Inframaterialist, Committee of la Responsabilité)
6. Items
7. Trophies (including Jamais Vu Update)

Version: 1.0j

Updated: 11/02/2023

Navigation:

• Previous Section: Introduction
• Next Section: Goodest of the Good Cops