We also have conceptualisation, which lets you become this True-Detective-style, philosophical cop who has their own cultural analysis going on. “We have visual calculus, which lets you reconstruct physical motions,” Kurvitz reveals. Gone are combat and charisma-focused skill categories, and in their place stand a variety of options inspired by police fiction. “You have accepted his way of thinking.” It seems even choices confined to your own mind will have far-reaching consequences in Disco Elysium.īeyond the thought cabinet, there are several interesting reinventions of long-standing RPG mechanics. “He will grant you passage for that, but you will never get that thought out of your head,” he says. Referring back to the Semanese guard, Kurvitz explains that one way past him would be to use the results of the thought cabinet to go along with his race theory. While the thought cabinet will allow you to come to several important realisations on your journey, it can have lasting implications. “You go around and do other things and then it pops up ready and gives you the answer.” Akin to the ‘mind palace’ of Sherlock Holmes, your detective has a ‘thought cabinet’, which is “a kind of inventory we have for thoughts,” Kurvitz explains. But this is where one of Disco Elysium’s most fascinating mechanics come into play. And if you internalise his philosophy he may let you in.”Īdopting such radical lines of thought is, as we know from the real world, an incredibly dangerous path to walk. He wouldn’t call himself a racist, he would call himself a race theorist. “He’s basically what we call a Semanese supremacist. “When you finally go talk to him you understand why they’re afraid to go past him – not only is he giant, he’s very black, and has very weird theories about race,” Kurvitz explains. One situation requires you to break into a harbour, but the gates are guarded by a towering figure who has been terrifying the local striking dock workers.
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Elysium is full of characters from all over the political spectrum, and you are free to decide which line you walk. They sound like Louis Theroux documentaries as retold by David Lynch. Kurvitz explains to me some of the scenarios you may face in Disco Elysium. We don’t have that fig leaf and I don’t want that fig leaf either.” They want to explore these issues by covering themselves with the fig leaf of high fantasy – so not talking about black people, talking about elves. “They’re worried about what’s going to happen.
Zaum are very aware that other developers have tried to distance themselves from real-world politics in past. You can maybe even agree with it and become an unsavoury horrible bad person.” “ talking to a weird fascist person who is telling you racist things,” Kurvitz explains. The people you’ll meet in the hardboiled town of Revachol West come from a variety of recognisable, real-word backgrounds and groups.