I don’t say this lightly, and I don’t say it often: Disco Elysium is easily the best game I have ever played. It isn’t just an RPG. It’s profound, hilarious, heartbreaking, and ridiculously intelligent. It sticks with you long after the credits play. If you’re on the fence, get the ♥♥♥♥ off it. Buy this game.

The writing is unmatched.
Most games treat writing as something you get through on the way to the next fight. In Disco Elysium, the writing is the fight. It dives headfirst into politics, philosophy, existential dread, and the humanity with a level of intelligence and nuance that rivals actual literature. One moment you’re laughing out loud, the next you’re just staring at your screen in complete, devastating silence.

As for gameplay, it completely throws out traditional stats like strength or dexterity. Instead, your skills are voices in your head. Inland Empire lets you talk to a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ necktie. Shivers lets you feel the city’s heartbeat. Logic pieces together crime scenes. It all comes together beautifully and makes for so many playthroughs with different skill combos, it all changes the game in a very important way.

This is one of the few games where failing a skill check is often better and funnier than passing it. You’re never punished for failure, the story just takes a weirder, more interesting turn. You play as a complete disaster of a human being, but you’re not alone. You’re accompanied by Kim Kitsuragi, who is, without question, the greatest companion character in gaming history. His patience, dry humour, intelligence, and subtle character growth are the emotional backbone of the entire experience. Earning his respect feels more rewarding than saving the world in any other game.

Visually, the game looks like a living, breathing oil painting. Revachol feels old, cold, and lived in. The soundtrack by British Sea Power is hauntingly beautiful and perfectly captures the feeling of a hangover in a broken city.

FINAL RATING: 11/10.
Disco Elysium respects your intelligence and rewards your curiosity. It’s a miracle of a game that redefines what this industry is capable of. Do yourself a favour and play it. It’s not a game. It’s art.