Disco Elysium’s Highest Praise And It’s A Painful Eulogy

No game has shown the lasting impact of great writing like ZU/UM’s Disco Elysium. Ever since lead writers Robert Kurvitz and Helen Hindpere, along with contributors Argo Tuulik, Olga Moskvina, and Cash De Cuir, lent their creative talents to the beloved CRPG, players have been chasing a worthy successor to match its bite.

The quality of writing in Disco Elysium is second to none, and it’s common to see new players making their own personalities months after playing it. The impact of the game is one that Dead Space writer and producer Chuck Beaver is still talking about, as he tells the story of it beautifully in the next episode of the FRVR Podcast. “I arrived late to the party,” said the veteran writer. “I played it four years ago… just that game, I love that game so much.”

He would go on to call Disco Elysium “superior writing,” and say that no other studio is trying to emulate its veil-like approach, saying that most games “will be very conventional writing, where you have very specific things going on.” It’s a glowing praise for the game, but it also serves as a compliment as the talent behind such an exceptional piece of art has gone their separate ways.

Despite ZA/UM continuing work on their next game, Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, the impending drop of Disco Elysium talent leaving the studio in such an explosive fashion has tempered expectations.

For these reasons, it is difficult to buy into any of the hype surrounding the spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, since the failure of its main creators and the studio that once supported them has left little hope that we will see a new effort reach the heights of its previous title.

The talent behind Disco Elysium, and Where Are They Now

The downfall of the creators of Disco Elysium with ZA/UM is well documented, but let’s recap it briefly (if that’s possible). Founders and lead creators, Robert Kurvitz, Aleksander Rostov, and writer Helen Hindpere were all removed or left ZA/UM after a series of scandals, a disputed change of ownership, and claims of misconduct and stock disputes. According to IGN, this departure was described as “involuntary”, although these claims were denied by the ZA/UM leadership.

Kurvitz and Rostov will form a new studio, Red Info, in 2022, and it appears to be based in the UK. The new studio is also believed to be backed by NetEase, and if the trademark filing is anything to go by, they’re already hard at work on a new game. It has been reported that Hindpere is a small part of the new company, but his involvement in any development of the game is not confirmed.

Back at ZA/UM, former writers Argo Tuulik and Dora Klindžić worked on a possible follow-up to Disco Elysium called Locust City for some time before ZA/UM canceled the project. The story of Tuulik and Klindžić will be an important part of the most recent video People Makes Games, which followed many important creators and the race to replace the spirit.

Both Tuulik and Klindžić will describe Locust City as a standalone expansion of Disco Elysium, and will follow Cuno and Cunoesse as they try to leave Revachol following the murder. Details about the game were leaked online last year following the cancellation of the project and the layoff of Tuulik. The leak was so impactful that ZA/UM issued a statement clarifying the contents of the leak and confirmed that it was from a project that was canceled in the pre-production stage.

If you haven’t seen the People Makes Games video, I can’t recommend it enough, but go in for an anxiety-filled journey into the hellish bureaucracy that followed the success of Disco Elysium. Following ZA/UM, Tuulik and Klindžić moved on to work for different studios that were eager to beat their previous studio with a true follow-up to the acclaimed CRPG. However, the duo will detail several creative and legal issues with Longdue/CoGrammer studios, as well as Disco Elysium executive producer Kaur Kender’s studio, Dark Math Games, that led to their departure.

Dark Math Games shared news of its new game, Tangerine Antarctic (adapted from XXX Nightshift), and even released its own webcomic, titled “What Gives UF***”. But as a fan of Disco Elysium and good writing, I can’t recommend it in good conscience (it’s also painful to search the Internet for obvious reasons).

Spiritual Winners of Disco Elysium (Unrelated to the Game)

It’s fair to say that the success of Disco Elysium has continued to inspire a new generation of game developers eager to capture the same magic we all felt playing the beloved CRPG all those years ago.

Given the ongoing legal battles and the departure of nearly everyone involved in the game, it’s unlikely we’ll see new games from the creators anytime soon. Whether the new game can reach the same heights as Disco Elysium is also something I wouldn’t put money on. That being said, there have been a number of games in the same style, some of which were recommended by the developers who worked on Disco Elysium.

First to be mentioned is the Esoteric Ebb, which Tuulik would speak glowingly about on social media, going so far as to call it a worthy spiritual successor. The game was released earlier this year and is another isometric, narrative-driven CRPG that focuses on dialogue instead of combat. You play as a Cleric specialist investigating a tea shop explosion in the Arcanepunk fantasy city of Norvik. Like Disco Elysium, the narrative is driven by your figures guiding you as you play, making for a fun and chaotic interaction.

It’s an amazing game that is sure to appeal to many Disco Elysium fans who are eager for a new story to connect with. Of course, Esoteric Ebb isn’t shy about its camp, so if you’re looking for something oozing melancholy that will make you want to take a long afternoon nap, this won’t be it (but you should still play anyway!).

If you’re in the mood for something sad with a hint of catharsis, The Season: A Book to the Future might be for you. This game sees you travel around the world, talking to strangers and documenting the world as you see it before its inevitable end. It is bittersweet and deeply emotional that will leave a lasting impression on you.

There are also several examples of genre-focused RPGs that read like books if that part of Disco Elysium appeals to you. Planescape: Torment is one of the classic CRPGs, placing a heavy focus on narrative-driven storytelling and philosophy. It also includes a character with amnesia, so you can find out about the setting as you see fit.

Of course, if playing a game from 1999 isn’t your cup of tea, recent examples like Citizen Sleeper or Pentiment share Disco Elysium’s dedication to telling an amazing story that hooks players into its unparalleled world-building atmosphere.

To counter Beaver’s point that no other games want to match Disco Elysium for its narrative power, I would argue that there are plenty of games out there already if you know where to look. If anything, Disco Elysium re-highlighted the need for novel writing in games, and we’re just beginning to see its influence on the industry.

Why We Need to Abandon the Idea of ​​a “Second Disco Elysium”

Having said all this, I think it’s time to give up hope that we’ll ever see a “second Disco Elysium” or a “true” spiritual successor. It’s been seven years since this game was released to the world, and almost all creative people are different in their own way.

That being said, I still want to see games inspired by CRPG courage and excellent world building. It’s been encouraging to see fans incorporate the “Disco-likes” concept, highlighting the games in a story-driven way for players to lose themselves in. Esoteric Ebb is one of the latest examples, and if you’d like to see more, the fan-run subreddit Disco Elysium has a pinned post dedicated to sharing new next steps in the series.

In my opinion, we should be looking to see the legacy of Disco Elysium driven by new games aimed at high-text storytelling, rather than games that seek to emulate its setting and design. This is where I think Tangerine Antarctic may miss the mark. The game is yet to come out, or share a release date. But given its insufferable web jokes and allegedly difficult development issues shared by Klindžić in the Player Makes Games documentary, it’s a topic I personally view with skepticism.

While Beaver is right that not many AAA games reach the same narrative heights as Disco Elysium, I would argue that there are plenty of indie and AA titles built around conflicting philosophies in fully realized worlds filled with complex characters.

So, while I agree with Beaver’s lament that we’ll never get a true follow-up after the infamous ZA/UM split, I’m curious to see the performances inspired by Disco Elysium, and how they’ll try to brand themselves to stay close to the modern classics.

Released

October 15, 2019

The ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Drug Use, Violence

Engine

Oneness