Disco Elysium Review - “Revachol Forever”

• Disco Elysium releases very, very soon for mobile
• What are our pre-release impressions? It's good, very good
• Find out what's changed, and why this may be great for first-time players

If there’s anything that struck me when news arrived that Disco Elysium was getting a mobile port, it was the overwhelmingly negative reaction. People hated the very idea. Which isn't unexpected, considering the self-professed collective nature of developer ZA/UM has been eroded by leadership changes, overpriced merch and a deal with Amazon, of all companies.

Suffice it to say, fans who gelled with the politically conscious nature of Disco Elysium have a reason to be sceptical.

But I'm not here to pass judgment. Well, except on Disco Elysium itself. And being one of the few people who's never played it before (despite it sitting in my Steam library for years), I feel as though I'm in a unique position to give my two cents.

So, all expectations aside, I dove in and got a snapshot of the world of Disco Elysium. Here are my thoughts on whether it's as gripping as the original, and whether it's worth your time (and money).

Welcome to Revachol

You are, well, you don't know. In fact, you don’t know anything. You wake up in a wrecked hotel room with no memory of your name, job, home or even your own face. From this pretty sad beginning, you have to pick up the pieces, solve a murder, and explore the dour city of Revachol to figure out your past.

And the world of Disco Elysium, specifically Revachol and its various districts, is a fascinating place to explore. While not a fantasy or sci-fi setting, Revachol is distinctly unlike our world and feels both alien and familiar all at once.

There’s a bunch of interesting lore tidbits dropped in that flesh out the world around you. The failed world socialist revolution that saw Revachol partitioned into different administrative zones, the fact that serial killers are instead referred to as ‘sequence killers’, the bizarre-looking cars (or motor carriages) and indeed that disco music was still a thing.

How to dance, disco style

The plot, setting and characters of Disco Elysium aren’t just a part of the game, they are the game. Rather than an isometric CRPG like the original, Disco Elysium mobile takes more of a point-and-click approach. You move from level to level, picking apart points of interest, talking to various characters and slowly uncovering more of the plot that starts with a murder but rapidly expands from there.

Miss something? Use Loose Ends to head back and check out leads and events you might’ve missed before you can move on. Skills not up to snuff? Internalise a thought and gain stat bonuses, with different thoughts cropping up from your interactions with the vast cast of characters in Disco Elysium.

Be it interrogating a violent, possibly drug-addicted kid called Cuno who exclusively refers to himself in the third person, a dour cafeteria manager called Garte, or just referring to your generally far more competent (and much less hungover) partner Kim Kitsuragi, Revachol is full of fascinating, well-rounded and sometimes terrifying people to meet.

Fortunately, it’s not just outside forces you’ll need to work with. You have voices in your head, too. And these are very, very real. Be it the gut instinct of Inland Empire, the simple cold Logic, trivial pursuits with Encyclopaedia or Electrochemistry encouraging you to get another drink, your skills aren’t just skills. They’re characters of their own, and a fascinatingly innovative way to show your character’s thought process.

From here, things proceed as you might expect in a point-and-click adventure. Although thankfully, Disco Elysium’s CRPG roots mean you won’t need to spend time poking around for a rubber chicken to use with a pulley. And the constant insights (and interruptions) provided by your skills can be both fun and informative. Ironically, it’s the skill checks themselves that can seem rather arbitrary, being up to a 2d6 (two six-sided dice for you non-tabletop players) roll.

The portrait-style orientation also lends itself well to a simple 360-degree viewpoint that lets you drag your finger across the screen to shift perspective. I can’t vouch for how well it reproduces the 3D scenes of the original, but it makes for a comprehensive (if occasionally vertigo-inducing) way to view a level. You can even toggle gyroscopic controls to have a look around by tilting your phone instead of scrolling.

The look of Disco Elysium on mobile

As much as I wanted to go into Disco Elysium Mobile blind, I have already seen quite a bit of the original floating around. Which means we need to address the elephant in the room. As stated above, this is not an isometric, full-fledged CRPG but more of a point-and-click adventure. That means you navigate purely 2D scenes and tap on characters and points of interest to interact with them.

Honestly, I feel this doesn’t at all subtract from the experience. In fact, I’d argue it enhances it (again, worth noting this is my first time experiencing Disco Elysium). It appears Alexander Rostov, the art director, and his style are maintained here, especially in the much larger portraits that take advantage of the new perspective.

Yes, while the references to TikTok when the mobile version was announced were met with some disgust, to say the least, it appears to be a bit of an odd way to say ‘easily digestible on mobile.’ And the portrait perspective functions well in that regard.

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I can see the new art being divisive, but it’s very immersive, having the characters front and centre. And the occasional interruptions by your skills as they interject literally over the screen further immerse you in the hangover-ridden fugue state your character’s constantly in.

The sound of (Disco) music

The soundscape of Disco Elysium is definitely presented well, and the recommendation to use headphones or earbuds is appropriate. Be it the muffled music playing from another room, the wind and snow or just the rustle of people going about their business, Disco Elysium sets the scene very well for the city of Revachol.

The soundtrack itself is moody and perfectly sets the scene for the world you’re exploring. And considering the scenes themselves are static, the sound is definitely a big plus for immersing you into the world, as if you were staring at a painting with an accompanying bit of audio.

What I liked about Disco Elysium

While I wouldn’t go as far as to lavish uncritical praise on Disco Elysium Mobile, I can happily confirm that most people’s worst fears are unfounded. You can take issue with the business direction ZA/UM as a company has taken, but Disco Elysium is pretty much intact, if not brushed up and polished for its debut on this new platform.

Having not played Disco Elysium before, I was able to enjoy immersing myself in the world of Revachol very easily. And the mixture of dense soundscapes, painterly backgrounds and evocative character portraits that inform you very quickly of who these people are makes it enjoyable to look and listen to. Disco Elysium's world is at once gritty and depressing, but packed with some exceptionally bleak humour.

What I didn’t jive with in Disco Elysium

There are some oddities that I think might grate with fans and newcomers alike. The occasional minigame to wipe away detritus (used a grand total of twice in what I played) feels somewhat tacked on. And the fact that you can’t move freely between scenes without completing certain tasks makes it feel like you’re being led by the nose. Although those of you who get anxious about missing stuff (like me) will be glad of all the ways to go back and see what might have passed you by.

Otherwise, there is the occasional hiccup technical-wise. I noticed that when the first full 360 scene was loaded, the performance became a bit jittery. Not too much of a detriment, but considering I’m using an older S20, that may be something to take note of.

Fortunately, this list is quite short. It’s easy to dig into Disco Elysium mobile and find all the points of appeal that made it a hit on PC and beyond. And virtually all of the changes are either for the better, considering the platform or minor enough to be brushed over. 

So, is Disco Elysium worth your time?

I often find myself disagreeing with many of my peers when discussing Disco Elysium and ZA/UM. Considering how the socialist leanings of both the plot and the former lead team, the pivot to more business-oriented decision makers has almost certainly put off many fans. And it’s hard to win them back when TikTok is your go-to comparison for your flagship release’s upcoming mobile port.

At the same time, I’m glad Disco Elysium Mobile proved to be the push I needed to try it out. And yes, there may be some comparisons to the original I’m missing without having that context. But equally, taken on its own, Disco Elysium for mobile stands shoulder-to-shoulder with top releases on the platform (if not a little higher) thanks to its dark, irreverent and engaging story.

So, for $9.99 (with the first four levels free to try before you buy), is Disco Elysium worth a purchase? If you have the original (and you’re a staunch proponent of Mazovianism), then maybe not, but if you’re a mobile-only player who’s been desperate to give it a go, I’d say that this is well worth your time if you want to dive into the world of Revachol and Martinaise.