Disco Elysium

Reviewers praise how sharp, funny and sad the dialogue is, how every minor character seems to have a life of their own, and how side quests loop back into the main case; 30% of the longer reviews talk about the writing. "The writing is on another level." Several compare it to literature rather than to other games. Some players found it overwritten or pretentious, and a few admit to skimming, either because the voices read slower than they do or because the conversations lost them.

Players love the oil-painting look of the backgrounds and the expressive character portraits, and the skill portraits in the character sheet get their own mentions; 19% bring up the art, portraits or visuals. "Visually it's such a beautiful game, every frame is a piece of art." A few find it drab, and a few note that the 3D character models look rough next to the painted portraits.

16% mention laughing or call the game funny or hilarious. Reviewers laugh at absurd dialogue options and at their own failures, since failed checks produce some of the scenes they retell, and early deaths from a necktie on a ceiling fan or a light switch turn up again and again as jokes. "Failure is often funnier than success," one player writes. A few find the humor too grim to enjoy; one negative reviewer calls it "sticky", the opposite of light and fun.

The narrator, who voices all of the skills in the detective's head, gets the warmest words: "The narrator, voiced expertly by Lenval Brown, is a particular standout." 15% mention the voice acting or the narrator, and reviewers note that this edition is fully voiced. Players who don't usually like text-heavy games say the voices are what got them through: "I could not imagine playing the game without the voice acting." A few disagree, finding some performances grating or the lines delivered slower than they read.

The story stays in one run-down district while hinting at a whole invented history, and players like how lived-in that makes it feel; 15% mention the worldbuilding, lore or setting. "Modern day lord-of-the-rings level of detail in world building" is how one reviewer puts it. Others feel buried early on in names, places and invented terms (see the split on the first hours).

12% mention the music. Reviewers praise the melancholy score and name specific tracks, and some kept listening after the game: "The trumpets live in my head rent-free..." Criticism is rare: one player calls the ambient music sparse while still finding it fitting, and one negative reviewer found the soundtrack repetitive.

"I wanna be 10% as cool as Kim and I'll be accomplished in life." 9% name Kim, the calm lieutenant who partners with the player, and some call him one of their favorite characters. Players write about earning his trust over the case and about the moments he shares with the detective, and several joke that they can't romance him. Cuno and other locals also come up as memorable. Complaints about Kim are rare; one player wishes he worked more like a party member, with his own experience and inventory.

Reviewers write about seeing their own depression, addiction or heartbreak in the detective, and some credit the game with helping them: "I am not being dramatic when I say this game changed my life." In all, 8% talk about crying, being moved, or a story that stayed with them. A few players say the bleak material is exactly why they stopped.

Skill choices change what the detective notices and which conversations open, so players report finding new scenes on second and third runs; 8% talk about replaying or trying different builds. Others say the main plot stays the same whatever you do (see the split on choice and linearity).

Each skill speaks as its own personality and argues with the others, and 8% mention this system or the Thought Cabinet of ideas you can internalize. "The skill checks talking to you is a stroke of genius," writes one player. A smaller group calls the Thought Cabinet's bonuses opaque or not worth the effort.

Some players report it running well on old laptops, Linux and Steam Deck. "It is practically flawless on Steam Deck," says one, who also saw slowdowns after several hours that a restart cleared.