Independent developers are some of the most creative producers in the video game industry, which is why no matter how small a studio is, if a game is imaginative enough then players will come. ZA/UM studios and Humble Bundle have set out to achieve the creation of a new kind of genre when it comes to games. Their upcoming title, Disco Elysium, attempts to combine RPG elements with urban fantasy and the tone of a rough cop show.
Disco Elysium will place players in the shoes of a troubled police detective in the town Revachol West. This shore area has been littered with corruption, unruly kids, and unsolved murders as of late. With all of this crime building up, the detective decides to take matters into their own hands by kicking in doors first and asking questions later. Players will get the chance to venture through the city with a host of secrets while they find persons of interest to interrogate. Check out the original title trailer:
Another unique feature of Disco Elysium is the original skill system that the London studio has developed for the game. This system will utilize emotions, doubts, flashbacks, and other elements of conversations throughout investigations. Players will be leveling their “rational faculties,” wits, and other police instincts that will determine what kind of cop they become. Instead of a typical bag or vault of items, the detective will have an inventory of thoughts as a tool for connecting and storing clues. The overarching, “open-ended case” can be solved in any way that players choose, whether that’s head-on combat in disco apparel or meticulous planning through seduction, this investigation will only evolve in a setting “where bell-bottoms meet muzzle-loaders.”
Disco Elysium was rumored to be launching sometime this year, however, the devs have listed the release date as “TBA” on their website and as “To be announced” on Steam so PC players will have to be patient.