- Exceptional fan art experience, captures Disco Elysium's essence
- Innovative virtual art museum with stunning artwork
- Meaningful interactions with Kim, rich with Easter eggs
- Multiple playthroughs for collection and hidden content
- Poor gameplay and visuals, game-resetting bug
- Strongly recommended for Disco Elysium fans
Emotions
Players expressed admiration for the game's exceptional artistic quality, design, and emotional depth, often referring to it as a 'work of art' or 'masterpiece'. The creator's skill, dedication, and the game's ability to capture the essence of its source material were frequently highlighted as key causes.
This emotion stemmed from the game's unique and personal experience, particularly as a free fan work with beautiful art. Players appreciated the novel format of viewing fan works, the game's ability to inspire theories, and the production team's effort in creating clever interactive areas and stunning artwork.
Satisfaction arose from the game's emotional impact, its coherent 'Disco Elysium' flavor, and the insightful experience it provided. Players felt satisfied by exceeding expectations, engaging gameplay, beautiful art, and the emotional connection to familiar scenes and characters, especially Kim.
Sadness was primarily caused by themes of loss, separation, and the emotional impact of specific narrative moments, particularly those involving Kim and the unfulfilled promise of a sequel. Real-world issues concerning ZA/UM and the game's connection to 'deceased workers' also contributed to this feeling.
Players felt excitement from the game's high quality, art, and writing, especially when discovering inspirations, easter eggs, and new interactions. The game's clever concept, creativity, and its nature as an 'interactive fan art album' were significant drivers of this emotion.
Verdict
Mostly positive
Summary
Positive 96% · Negative 4%. Score: 4 / 100
Positives:
- Players overwhelmingly praise the game as a high-quality, passionate fan work, often describing it as a 'masterpiece' or 'work of art.' It's seen as a unique and deeply thoughtful creation that successfully evokes strong emotions and provides a rich, immersive experience.
- The game is highly effective at capturing the core essence, emotional depth, and aesthetic style of Disco Elysium. Players feel a strong connection to the original game's world and characters, experiencing similar complex emotions and nostalgia.
- The game's concept as an interactive 'art museum in a game' or 'virtual exhibition hall' is highly praised for its novelty and effectiveness. It offers a unique way to experience and preserve fan creations, making it more engaging than traditional art books.
- The artwork within the game is consistently described as beautiful, impactful, and high-quality. Many players were deeply moved by the illustrations and their accompanying descriptions, with some even brought to tears.
- Interactions and moments with the character Kim are particularly impactful, evoking strong emotions like heartbreak, comfort, and shared experience. The ability to tour the museum with Kim, especially in a second playthrough, is a highlight for many.
Negatives:
- Players found the core gameplay weak, uninteresting, and boring, describing it as more of an interactive visual novel than a game. The pixel art was heavily criticized as low-quality, possibly using stolen assets, which deterred many players.
- A critical bug causes the game to reset all progress, collections, and achievements if a specific capsule or pill is consumed, forcing players to restart. This issue significantly impacts player progression and enjoyment.
- Players expressed significant emotional distress and disappointment over Kim's inability to leave the museum with Harry, viewing it as a bug or a heartbreaking narrative choice. This limitation caused a strong sense of loss and frustration.
- Many players were confused about the game's purpose and found it offered little value, even as a free title. This led to a general rejection of the game, reflected in its low player engagement.
- Players noted several smaller issues, including a lack of footstep sound effects, difficulty viewing discarded art, and missing interactive options. Some also felt the puzzles were too few and struggled to find certain achievements.
Gameplay:
- The game encourages multiple playthroughs to fully experience content, collect all achievements, and complete collections. Achieving full collection and all achievements typically requires at least two or three playthroughs, indicating replayability.
- The game is primarily an interactive visual novel and art exhibition set in a museum, featuring permanent and lost artworks. Players explore the museum, view art, and make associations, often described as a fan exhibition with a pixel art style.
- Kim Kitsuragi is a significant character, appearing in the second playthrough after the initial museum tour. Players can find Kim in specific locations, and replaying the game allows for more dialogue and interactions, including Kim providing opinions on exhibits.
- The game strongly connects to Disco Elysium, featuring its protagonist, locations like the Whirling-in-Rags, and characters like Rostov and Robert. It also touches on narrative elements such as Harry's story and the Pale, serving as an expansion or fan tribute.
- The game includes a 'capsule' or 'blue pill' item that allows players to reset their progress. This mechanic provides a way to restart or re-experience parts of the game.
Performance:
- Players appreciate that the game is accessible on a wide range of PC hardware, making it enjoyable for more users. This broad compatibility is a significant positive for the player base.
Recommendations:
- Players who enjoyed Disco Elysium will find deep appreciation for this game, as it enhances the experience and understanding of the original. It's highly recommended for those familiar with the lore and themes.
- Review scores vary, but the overall sentiment leans towards the game being good and worth playing. Some reviewers gave high scores like 8/10 or 9.3/10, while others were more moderate.
- Players are strongly advised against consuming the in-game capsule unless they have completed the game or have a specific reason, as it can reset save progress. This is a critical warning for player progression.
- A reviewer encourages supporting the creator's related art book, suggesting an appreciation for the artistic elements of the game and a desire to see more content from the developer.
- One reviewer noted that since the game is free, there is nothing to complain about, implying that its value proposition is high given the lack of cost.
Miscellaneous:
- Players experienced significant emotional responses, including crying and deep sadness, particularly from the final dialogue and specific scenes. The game evoked strong feelings and connections to characters.
- The game is recognized as a fan art work stemming from an art game, with some players having seen related fan art prior to playing. There is also anticipation for physical and digital fan-related merchandise.
- Players suggest patience for puzzle-solving and using translation tools like Google Translate for non-Chinese speakers. Guides are also recommended if players get stuck.
- The game strongly reminded players of Disco Elysium, intensifying their 'cyber heartbreak' and evoking memories of its characters and settings. Some even felt a similar sense of loneliness upon leaving the game.
- The game's sounds and soundtrack are considered decent or okay by players.
