Summary
Disco Elysiumcelebrates its fifth anniversary today. Developer ZA/UM’s take on the CRPG format in a meticulously handcrafted setting for its debut title was nearly universally praised as a visionary achievement and has since become one of the most beloved (and highest-rated) video games of all time.Disco Elysium’s success was predicated on a number of facets, one of which is its fantastic depiction of a fascinating character struggling with themselves and their place in a strange yet still familiar world ravaged by various disasters both natural and man-made.
As the tale of a down-on-his-luckdetective investigating a gruesome crime,Disco Elysium’s setup is one that is also very familiar to gamers on the surface. Its main character suffers from an extreme case of amnesia, brought on by an indulgence of alcohol and drug use to such a degree that it has all but obliterated his memory and personality. However, it’s the manner thatDisco Elysiumpresents this acute bout of amnesia and incorporates it to be intrinsically connected to its core narrative and mechanics, while playing with expectations and conventions, that sets it apart and remains one of the most intriguing experiences and engaging examples of it in the medium.
Though fans hoped for a sequel,ZA/UM and its former lead staff later became embroiled in a messy lawsuitthat makes this outcome unlikely, at least as the situation currently stands.
Disco Elysium’s Use and Integration of Amnesia Remains Incredibly Unique, 5 Years Later
The Amnesia Trope Has Long Been a Standard in Gaming
Even in the early days of gaming, particularlypoint-and-click adventure games, although in other genres as well, the “protagonist with amnesia” framework was widely utilized. While this can provide an ostensibly organic way to introduce players to a given game’s world, it can also often come across as a shortcut for doling out exposition, and an avoidance of having to impart a rounded personality and history to a main character who would likely already know these details, and can just as easily result in the opposite of immersion.
In many cases, the explanation for acharacter having amnesiacan be quite flimsy, taken as a matter of fact and not elaborated on or given a real reason for it beyond the narrative convenience factor.Disco Elysium, though, turned this standard on its head and, in the process, expertly married the ubiquitous storytelling staple to its own design elements in a much more surprising and satisfying way.
How Disco Elysium Embraced and Subverted the Amnesiac Protagonist Cliche
Technically,Disco Elysium’s main character is Detective Harry Du Bois, a decorated officer who has since seen his life slip into a slump. But by giving Harry amnesia to the extent that he has forgotten everything about himself, and keeping players just as much in the dark as he is,Disco Elysiumcreates a much more complex yet still intuitive approach to the construct. Harry’s amnesia is intimately related to the narrative and gameplay in a way that rises well above most other portrayals, highlightingDisco Elysium’s ingenuity in using the device. The conundrum of Harry Du Bois’s memory is left for fans to actively fill in the blanks, and decide their version of his inner psyche and personality traits from the ground up, which then ties into the overall mystery and extensive dialogue options.
Harry’s initial loss of self-identity is continually reflected and evolved through the various thoughts, skills, andresponses inDisco Elysiumthat fans can choose. These mechanics provide fertile ground to form creative versions and interpretations of him in the course of events. In some instances, players can have him become someone else entirely, shifting to different personas and conceiving new identities altogether, like Raphael Ambrosius Costeau or Guillaume le Million. The story then deftly adjusts to account for these options, often producing some of the most amusing and outlandish interactions.Disco Elysium’s ambitious and impressive take on a standard amnesiac protagonist, and how it cleverly twisted it in a fun and entertaining way holds up today as one of gaming’s greatest examples of the trope in action.
