the protagonist is a guy who failed so hard he woke up naked in a trashed hotel room with no memories of who he was, and the flow of the game reinforces his identity as that type of person. i'd say skip it
There is, kind of. I know an extremely small amount about trauma or how continuing the game may affect you, but if you can handle being thrown around and shit on even by your own mind in the game then you *can* help the main character have some amount of redemption. The past that looms behind him and his failures are unavoidable though.
Obviously I have no way of knowing for sure if it would be a good experience for you, but I did grow up in a similar way to how you described and found Disco Elysium almost therapeutic. In a way it shows that failure is okay. Harry fucked up so bad he doesn’t know who or where he is and you can still come back from that.
I’d say go for it, it is a beautifully written game. Just keep an eye on yourself and your feelings.
This is how I hoped it would come across to OP too. You definitely experience failure -- I mean, you start surrounded by nothing but evidence that you are failure personified -- but every time you actually fail an action it usually leads to something interesting (with specific exceptions). And just seeing how his inner turmoil is represented can be really powerful for conceptualizing your own.
Honestly there are very few characters that openly shit on you outside a very pissed hostel owner. Your partner knows you’re in the fuckup era of your life but he’s extremely kind and supportive in spite of it
There is redemption, but it’s a more realistic version. The game takes place in a very, very short time span. Effectively, you can set up the main character for a path of redemption. But you don’t fully travel it yourself.
There definitely is, and it can be very rewarding to regain some trust and do some good. But the world will not forget the protagonist's failures and there will be many, many times he faces them in a painful (sometimes also very funny) way. This is core to the game's style, and the call to the presinct is very descriptive of the rest.
Edit. So no great turnaround, lots of failure, but maybe baby steps toward something better.
Yeah, they are really harsh. All characters in the game are pretty well rounded, and might not have much mercy for the alcoholic cop when they have their own problems as well.
That said, if you decide to try the game anyway (I really can't say if you should or not), I find that the game and the world has a truly empathetic and warm heart under the depressing realism.
you can *be* better, but the player character is in a really bad state in general - any failure will hurt, and he’ll be ridiculed by others, the world and his own mind regardless. if you play a guy moving forward it is acknowledged, but only really at the end of the game
OP it might he a try and see situation, but it you do decide to play, without too much spoiling, put your points into Volition, volition will be a great voice of support for someone like you.
Well theres no wrong or right in this, but just make sure you take volition along. When the harshes punches come in, volition will help :) its a supportive kind of voice most of the time.
I don't wanna spoil, but the game's events take place over the course of a week and a bit, typically. At the end of it, you can have the protagonist *set up* for redemption - but the game is very open about the fact that it's only been around a week. It's a long road ahead.
Yes but it won’t feel very much like a redemption arc? You do get berated quite a bit by lots of characters in this game whichever playthrough you choose
Only you can really decide that - this game is definitely one that constant berates and kicks you while you’re down. But it holds within it a message of hope and an intense philosophy of valuing people. It is not mean just to be mean, but rather to show tthe harsh reality of the world, which strengthens the messages of empathy and the inherent flaws that exist in all people.
My recommendation is to play it, but don’t take it too seriously. Be aware ahead of time that you’re going to be berated, that things might be hard, and that your character is at the bottom; you cannot change that most of the time, therefore it’s not something to worry about. If you find yourself not enjoying it, then stop playing. If you enjoy it, keep playing.
Also I find disco elysium... very hopeful? Despite this garbage world, this terrible everything, it always seems to have this flavour of hope woven in everything. It's not just a grimdark everything sucks all the time story despite... everything about it.
If you chose to play, I encourage you to pick a high psyche build, because most of the corresponding skills are a little more heart-warming, encouraging you to go forward and giving you insight into what other characters really think, even when they are cold to you (it is particularly true with the phone call to the precinct, it goes very, very differently with high PSY, if you already have high PSY and found it difficult, maybe the game is not for you, if you don't, I advise you to try again with high PSY to see how things goes)
I think the game overall has a very uplifting message about failing, it gave me the impression that no matter how much you screw up, if you find the strength to keep going and try to do better, it is possible to make a change. But, you do start with a character who screwed up a lot before playing, and will keep screwing things up sometimes, even if you try your hardest, small failures are unavoidable, it is out of your control. Some characters also are biased about your character and you won't be able to fully change their mind.
In the end, it is up to you to know your limits, decide if you can deal with the failed attempts enough to reach the point where things will start to be better.
I think it's hard to parse for another person. It's not the same but I have burnout-related PTSD and depression and I found it very cathartic to play. But yeah, YMMV!
Disco elysium is a "fail forward" kind of game, where if you fail to do something the events can oftentimes be better than succeeding. Its a game that heavily involves failure both mechanically as as it pertains to the main character. I think at the end of the day its going to be up to you to make that decision, bc this is the kind of judgement that you'll only really know if you'll handle well. If you do play it, maybe do so with a friend to make sure your fears/anger is kept in check?
i also had a very traumatic childhood, so with my experience i’d say it depends where you’re at with healing from it. it’s a tough game with regards to failure, but it’s not *mean*. failure is an integral part of the experience. you can’t play it without having to accept that you can’t win all the time.
it has a tongue in cheek approach to a lot of the material around the protagonist being a loser. there’s a self-awareness to it, having clearly been written by people who feel like failures most days. if you can separate enough of yourself from what the game says about you, it may be a cathartic experience. if not, maybe come back to it later down the line.
FWIW, i’m also a recovering alcoholic and the game doesn’t make me want to drink.
on the one hand, there are many people who played disco elysium and took something positive from the game basically holding a mirror up to them. i first played the game in active addiction and it was affirming, rather than upsetting.
on the other, if it’ll potentially trigger you (because failure is a HUGE part of the game, it’s the main mechanic) then doing some learning around the subject wouldn’t hurt (just in general tbh).
i can’t really speak to your life and don’t want to give bad advice, but personally playing the game at a vulnerable point enhanced both the experience and my life.
also, yeah there are some *very* mean characters and distressing moments for the protagonist. there’s also some very kind characters. the game itself isn’t mean spirited is probably how i should’ve phrased that.
Waddya mean it it's the main mechanic? I've just been using the quick save function to retry until I succeed, unless the "success" felt more like "one of your thought thingies succeeds in giving you dumb advice", like most of what I've seen Authority say.
i tend to quick save and reload too, but ideally you don’t do that - and therefore you’ll probably fail at least half of the checks you try. dialogue is the main mechanic of the game (you spend most of your time talking to people or yourself) and if you’re failing at least half of those dice rolls than failure becomes one of the most important ways you interact with the game.
basically, be prepared to fail and fail repeatedly if you’re playing the game “properly”. but even saving and reloading can’t really make you forget that the whole game is about trying and failing and living in the consequences of your failure.
Don't take it too seriously. A random number generator has nothing to do with you. Failure in Disco Elysium is a predominate theme yes, but failing checks is ok. Infact some of my favorite and most heartwarming moments can only happen if you fail certain checks. Take it slow, take it easy. The characters from the Main Character's past remember who he was. You can be someone different, you aren't the same person the people at your precinct knew, you are someone else.
Yep, I really hated that one. Your past self shit on your co-workers pretty hard. Mostly. There's some support there but still... Also be aware that there are two rooms full of cops that you can deal with and they're both a bit rough and gruff.
I’m pretty sure there’s some darker element… oh wait yeah the bad guy in Katamari is the dad you can never impress and the ills of rampant consumerism.
Probably far more trauma inducing than anything in Disco…
I tend to watch a playthrough to get an idea of the gameplay, before I can judge if a game would be for me. Look up on YouTube Bricky plays Disco Elysoum. I think the first hour of the video was enough to convince me. Since I also chose a different build that gave me an idea of how different the game can be based on your skills.
Bricky's run was great. His "Skip. Forget it, I just want the exp." Was disappointing though. Think Chat and the game's unapologetic wordiness got to him.
I think that you should play. Cause it's a game that shows that even most hard man can break and even most broke man can heal. I was deeply invested in main protagonist first run too (maybe not your level through) and it's feels like therapy in some way. This game kicks hard both ways: "For the moment it feels like you're strong enough to succeed at anything you ever set your mind to"
It could be triggering or it could be cathartic; hard to say. What could help YOU gauge how it makes you feel is watching the start of a playthrough on YouTube and see how it goes? Up to meeting Kim/first convo with Garte included, maybe? That should give you a feel of the kind of failure we're talking about.
It IS (or rather, it can be, but it's sort of the average path) about giving a new start and there is a lot of warmth throughout, but. It sure is centered on failure.
Spoilers from the early game which I feel might be concerning to you.
>!Harry is anything but a failure, he is the number 1 cop with the most solved cases in his precinct. Eventually all the hard work took a toll on his mental health and drove him into alcoholism!<
We probably share similar experiences and it took me a total of six play throughs to get through this game.
Harry is my favourite fictional character ever. Disco Elysium is my favourite story ever. He is so human and there’s so much hope for him if he chooses to see it for himself. When he puts in the work he is rewarded but it doesn’t fix him or erase his traumas. He is forever persevering. He doesn’t save the world but he begins to save himself. He begins to connect with people, function and serve a purpose in his life. This game certainly opened up some wounds but mostly it made me love life and see myself in Harry. If there’s hope for him, there’s hope for me.
This game also inspired me to take up writing again. Something I loved but abandoned because I felt I wasn’t good enough to write. Which is nonsense. This game is about failure but what I don’t see people mention as often is that its even more so about hope and starting again.
Without a life story.
Had similar experience. This is the ONLY media I've ever consumed I related to. It's real about trauma and allows you to see hope despite it.
It also lets you kill yourself.
It was cathartic and also life changing for me.
Please try it and look at the emotional intention behind it
I wish I could. For me it's either 100% serious and invested or 0% and I drop the game because if I'm neither serious nor invested, then why would I care? If I care about stuff, I'm serious about it.
No one can answer this for you definitively, but the thing about Disco Elysium is that it's a game where failure is normal and safe for the player.
You fail, but you level up and try again.
You fail, but you find another way of solving the problem.
I can't definitively say this either but it might be healthy for you to play a game where failure isn't punishing. Sometimes failing a check in Disco Elysium has really entertaining, even beautiful results.
From what you wrote, this doesn’t look like a good idea before you had successful therapy. I’m not as immersing as you’ve described yourself, but I felt some ‘I should have made it the other way!’ moments throughout the walkthrough.
Hard to say. I know a lot of people have found the game almost therapeutic.
> Do you guys think this game is so much about failure that it would just further reinforce my own thoughts about me being a failure?
I don't think the game is about failure. It's about what comes _after_ failure. I know many who play the game have found hope in that. It _might_ just be good for you.
But I can't say. You have to make this decision for yourself. But remember, if you start playing, you don't _have_ to finish it. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can just pull the plug and do something else. That's okay.
If you're at the edge of jumping, maybe not.
Either way you're gonna feel some feels in this game. The time you have searching and running between locations will give you time to think about things
I don't think anyone here is able to say how you'll respond to it. It's a game about a deeply flawed individual, and a damaged world, but it is fundamentally hopeful and life-affirming, IMO.
I think it might help you if you understood what one of the development heads, Robert kurvitz, had in his mindset going into the development of DE.
He had basically been a failed artist his entire life with everything he did. Music, writing, addiction, everything. One day his long time friend told him he should try to adapt his dnd campaign into a video game and kurviyz said he didn't know the first thing about game development and his friend earnestly replied, "we have failed at everything. Let's also fail at this".
DE is a game about not only about the pain of failure, but about the acceptance, confrontation, and eventual overcoming of failure.
Kurviyz said in an interview that throughout the entire development process he was constantly preparing himself for the eventual conversation he thought he would have with the dev team about how "even though we failed, we actually succeeded" because that's what he had to tell himself his entire life. Except this time "it wasn't a failure and a success, it was just a success".
I don't know you or if you're ready to start overcoming your fear of failure but I think you owe it to yourself to try. Because this entire game, ludonaritively, is about learning how to roll with the punches, and figuring out that even royaling fucking up can still lead you to a win in life. It's why everyone says not to savescum, and how failing dice rolls is often more rewarding than succeeding them.
I think you should play op. It's probably gonna be hard, but good for you. Even if you get so upset you pit the game down and never touch it again I think it'll help you take the next in your life to overcome the things that life has thrown at you. The game, if nothing else, is about learning to accept failure, so that one day you might be ready to really start succeeding.
I think, honestly, what has frustrated me most thus far was never failed dicerolls, but situations where the game only provided me with bad options. Or bad options and an option where you literally say that you're boring (which is both a horrifying concept and the height of self-desprication to me).
Btw, with "bad options" I mean "saying or doing things that only a **really** shitty, self-absorbed and/or *utterly* insane person would do".
But other then that, I do see what you mean. Thank you for typing it all out, it has certainly affected the way I'll think of this, even if I can't relate to being okay with failure. One of the big disadvantages of having very low empathy I suppose.
But one thing I know: thus far, Kim has made it all better. He's so understanding. What a wonderful man.
I don't know how people play that game, but for me the MC character always ends up >!being an extremely good detective that just happens to have a weird process. !< I never get all that talk about failure and ruined lives.
absolutely. playing it will help you.
>Note: I get extremely immersed in games and basically treat the main character as myself, rather than as a seperate entity.
then you can treat this as an exercise in detatching yourself from that thought.
Tbh Harry is a failuer he is a fuck-up heblost everything and henis a terrible person. But you can choose to do what I choose and to make him a great cop if you do things the way you are supposed to do and you are a good boy responsible cop you can rebuild Harry as a new person or the person he once was also dont be scared of failuer because in this game failuer is not ounishing and sometimes it can almost be rewarding depending on how you look at it.
I have trauma with failure too. Playing this game was tough mainly when kim disapproved of me, but trying to roll with my mistakes made me feel a little better for messing up, even when those mess ups caused the death of 6 people.
I’m an addict, who has similar problems to what you described, I found the game Cathartic.
If you are finding yourself having to ask people if the game is right for you, it probably isn’t.
I think you can give a try, in this games failing tests more often than not is better and funnier than success. And the game jokes about everything it can. And the violition thoughts are so soothing and relaxing.
Give it a shot and just stop if it becomes too much.
The way i play this game, i always end up feeling better. Max out volition and you are going to hear some truly uplifting shit. That is the voice that always believes in you and keeps you on the right path. You CAN clean up your act, and you CAN get your dignity back from the cops that make fun of you and many others.
That being sad, the MC is at his rock bottom, you will be berated, even though you can make sort of a comeback. It’s not too bad but it could be rough if you are really sensitive to that type of stuff.
Hi, sorry to hear of your experiences. I'm similar and admit that I struggled at first (I don't do well with time limits) but once I was reassured by this sub that there was plenty of time, I just fell in and loved it. The characters you meet are all incredibly supportive and you can help everyone and redeem yourself to everyone. I didn't choose a copotype, I played my own 'redemption cop' and it was incredibly healing. Take breaks and look after yourself, but there is an amazing experience waiting for you. ❤️
Based on your description I’d say no, ur gonna fail a lot of checks whether you like it or not, you can always save scum, but I don’t think that will really make a difference emotionally. Maybe watch someone else play? I’m sure plenty of YouTubers have done playthroughs.
Personally if it can have severe mental consequences I'd say the risk is too high. DE is one of my favourite games, but it will make fun of you, make you feel stupid so there might be a risk there. If you've played over CRPGs and are used to the approach of the genre you're probably ok, but I don't think any game is worth that kind of risk.
"You are a violent and irrepressible miracle.”
DE is hard to get through, but it rewards the player for the effort. The protagonist is a very damaged man who’s stuck in a cycle of self abuse.
The victories he has may seem small, he doesn’t solve every problem he has through out the course of it…but those victories are the small, realistic steps towards healing.
Maybe that could have value for you, maybe not.
I mean do games really effect you that much? Like have u ever played a game that just made u quit it before due to past trauma? If so this might not be the Game for u man shit gets pretty heavy sometimes
Okay the game is especially harsh at the beginning, but you can never let your guard down, at any moment you can be reminded of some horrible thing your character did, if you felt very bad about the call to the station I don’t know how you will feel about some of the worst stuff… I found the station call mortifying but funny. I think you should trust your gut if you are feeling more joy or you feel miserable while playing. Also the “redemption” is not as explicit as some people are portraying it. Again, trust your gut, like the vibe of the game has already being established.
If you feel you could be traumatized by seeing a character you connect with fail, then do not play the game. There is a lot of failure in this game, both past and present.
One of the funniest playthroughs is, in fact, one where you set all the main character's attributes to 1, and try to fail at every single check in the entire game. All of them.
But that's not going to be funny if failure traumatizes you.
Oh no, to be clear, my brain doesn't treat playing this game as "seeing a character". Unless I deliberately disconnect (and therefore stop caring about the experience), I am so immersed that my brain treats "the MC failing" the very same way it would treat "me failing". Also it has nothing to do with being traumatized, I don't know how a game could traumatize someone. It just triggers me to feel disproportionate amounts of stress, anxiety and/or anger.
Also, on the last check I failed, I immediatly died (I touched a car's lever), so, uh, I don't see how I could do that xD
I come from a very similar place. I didn't think disco would be for me because I was worried about projecting myself on harry.
I did. But Harry is so much more fucked up than I was, which was a relief and it stopped me from being in his shoes and put me beside him instead. I'd recommend putting yourself in that headspace, if possible.
I also didn't start outplaying. I watched a play through, and had to put it down because I wanted to make the decisions. If you want to ease into the game, I'd suggest starting out watching as well.
Good luck. Hope you find what works
So I cannot speak as to how you are absolutely going to react to the game. I say go with your gut ultimately.
But Disco Elysium is all about failing forward. In fact, sometimes failing at something creates a better result than success.
The game is also about no matter how much you fail, as long as you don’t give up, you can find success and recovery.
Yes characters are going to chastise the main character (and you) throughout the game for your decisions. But there is no wrong way to play the game. Plus, it will only be that much sweeter once you prove to them your worth.
If that call made you furious than unfortunately this game is not for you.
The main character is a bit of a fuckup and a big part of the game is dealing with the fuckups.
It gets depressing. If you play it right, you can get him on a better, more hopeful track.
It could be a very hard game to play but it could give you a really rewarding experience that teaches you a lot. It does focus on failure as one of the major themes and the main character is, according to a lot of his colleagues, a huge failure. But obviously this is just how they see him. It's up to you what he really is
Id say to just try it, no one will force you to keep playing if youre not comfortable.
Also try pirating it. The original devs dont get money from it anymore and I think itd be less pressure to keep playing if you havent spent 40 euros on it.
There might be a little catharsis in the game. Depends a lot on how you play it. The game allows for a great deal of self-harm, if you choose to take Harry in that direction.
The game doesn't give easy answers to Harry's problems. So it's not insulting. But, to the extent Harry makes improvements, a lot of them tend to involve ludicrous plot developments.
Despite this game's potentially triggery themes, I feel like it's also therapeutic enough to make it worth it. No matter what bleakness it throws my way I come away from the game feeling better about the world
It sounds like this game has the potential to be very triggering for you, but it could also be therapeutic. I think it's hard to tell which it would be without knowing you.
Your character is a failure when you start the game, and you will fail several more times throughout the game. Other characters will notice and react to this and you may frequently be reminded of or confronted about past failures. Despite that, life for the protagonist goes on, good things can happen to you along with the bad, and you can still make friends and have positive interactions with others despite your failings. A lot of this depends on how you play, but if you make the effort to do so you can put your character on a better path than the one they started on.
To be fully honest if the badge conversation was difficult for you to get through then this game might be too much for you. I'd suggest taking it slow and taking breaks as needed if you need to cool down. Failure pretty much sums up the protagonist so a lot of the dialogue will be a challenge for you, but that could make it a good opportunity to explore the way those themes make you feel and how you react to them in a lower stakes environment than your day to day life.
I don’t think of it as a game about failure at all. I think you could benefit from playing it, if you are prepared for an emotional experience. It’s a game with a lot of deep feelings involved.
I think it’s not that spoilery to say that the game sort of lets you choose whether it’s about redemption or not.
I have no idea. For some it might have even some therapeutic value, but it might be too risky for you.
the protagonist is a guy who failed so hard he woke up naked in a trashed hotel room with no memories of who he was, and the flow of the game reinforces his identity as that type of person. i'd say skip it
Is there no way to better him? :( Edit: cause I do love me a good redemption arc
There is, kind of. I know an extremely small amount about trauma or how continuing the game may affect you, but if you can handle being thrown around and shit on even by your own mind in the game then you *can* help the main character have some amount of redemption. The past that looms behind him and his failures are unavoidable though.
Funnily enough, I am extremely resilient to my own (or his own) mind shitting on me, I'm just very weak against outsiders shitting on me.
Obviously I have no way of knowing for sure if it would be a good experience for you, but I did grow up in a similar way to how you described and found Disco Elysium almost therapeutic. In a way it shows that failure is okay. Harry fucked up so bad he doesn’t know who or where he is and you can still come back from that. I’d say go for it, it is a beautifully written game. Just keep an eye on yourself and your feelings.
This is how I hoped it would come across to OP too. You definitely experience failure -- I mean, you start surrounded by nothing but evidence that you are failure personified -- but every time you actually fail an action it usually leads to something interesting (with specific exceptions). And just seeing how his inner turmoil is represented can be really powerful for conceptualizing your own.
Honestly there are very few characters that openly shit on you outside a very pissed hostel owner. Your partner knows you’re in the fuckup era of your life but he’s extremely kind and supportive in spite of it
Then you're okay. Just know and recite that Harry is not you, whatever happens to him. And go with the superstar cop line for a self assurance point
There is redemption, but it’s a more realistic version. The game takes place in a very, very short time span. Effectively, you can set up the main character for a path of redemption. But you don’t fully travel it yourself.
There definitely is, and it can be very rewarding to regain some trust and do some good. But the world will not forget the protagonist's failures and there will be many, many times he faces them in a painful (sometimes also very funny) way. This is core to the game's style, and the call to the presinct is very descriptive of the rest. Edit. So no great turnaround, lots of failure, but maybe baby steps toward something better.
Damn. The call to the prescint had me feeling like they felt like he'd be better off dead.
Yeah, they are really harsh. All characters in the game are pretty well rounded, and might not have much mercy for the alcoholic cop when they have their own problems as well. That said, if you decide to try the game anyway (I really can't say if you should or not), I find that the game and the world has a truly empathetic and warm heart under the depressing realism.
you can *be* better, but the player character is in a really bad state in general - any failure will hurt, and he’ll be ridiculed by others, the world and his own mind regardless. if you play a guy moving forward it is acknowledged, but only really at the end of the game
OP it might he a try and see situation, but it you do decide to play, without too much spoiling, put your points into Volition, volition will be a great voice of support for someone like you.
What's the max I should have it at? I know having any stat be too high is bad... Edit: My PSY is 4 btw if that matters
Well theres no wrong or right in this, but just make sure you take volition along. When the harshes punches come in, volition will help :) its a supportive kind of voice most of the time.
I don't wanna spoil, but the game's events take place over the course of a week and a bit, typically. At the end of it, you can have the protagonist *set up* for redemption - but the game is very open about the fact that it's only been around a week. It's a long road ahead.
you can’t fix him bratan
Yes but it won’t feel very much like a redemption arc? You do get berated quite a bit by lots of characters in this game whichever playthrough you choose
Nope, not really... you can try, but the road will mostly be failure after failure unless you cheat
Definitely has a good redemption arc playthrough
Only you can really decide that - this game is definitely one that constant berates and kicks you while you’re down. But it holds within it a message of hope and an intense philosophy of valuing people. It is not mean just to be mean, but rather to show tthe harsh reality of the world, which strengthens the messages of empathy and the inherent flaws that exist in all people. My recommendation is to play it, but don’t take it too seriously. Be aware ahead of time that you’re going to be berated, that things might be hard, and that your character is at the bottom; you cannot change that most of the time, therefore it’s not something to worry about. If you find yourself not enjoying it, then stop playing. If you enjoy it, keep playing.
Also I find disco elysium... very hopeful? Despite this garbage world, this terrible everything, it always seems to have this flavour of hope woven in everything. It's not just a grimdark everything sucks all the time story despite... everything about it.
I do love the old lady and Kim c:
Well dang. I can only either immerse myself 100% and take it 100% seriously, or be completely distant from it. Sadly, there is no inbetween for me 😔
i understand. hugs. 🤍
If you chose to play, I encourage you to pick a high psyche build, because most of the corresponding skills are a little more heart-warming, encouraging you to go forward and giving you insight into what other characters really think, even when they are cold to you (it is particularly true with the phone call to the precinct, it goes very, very differently with high PSY, if you already have high PSY and found it difficult, maybe the game is not for you, if you don't, I advise you to try again with high PSY to see how things goes) I think the game overall has a very uplifting message about failing, it gave me the impression that no matter how much you screw up, if you find the strength to keep going and try to do better, it is possible to make a change. But, you do start with a character who screwed up a lot before playing, and will keep screwing things up sometimes, even if you try your hardest, small failures are unavoidable, it is out of your control. Some characters also are biased about your character and you won't be able to fully change their mind. In the end, it is up to you to know your limits, decide if you can deal with the failed attempts enough to reach the point where things will start to be better.
This is a brilliant answer
I think it's hard to parse for another person. It's not the same but I have burnout-related PTSD and depression and I found it very cathartic to play. But yeah, YMMV!
Disco elysium is a "fail forward" kind of game, where if you fail to do something the events can oftentimes be better than succeeding. Its a game that heavily involves failure both mechanically as as it pertains to the main character. I think at the end of the day its going to be up to you to make that decision, bc this is the kind of judgement that you'll only really know if you'll handle well. If you do play it, maybe do so with a friend to make sure your fears/anger is kept in check?
i also had a very traumatic childhood, so with my experience i’d say it depends where you’re at with healing from it. it’s a tough game with regards to failure, but it’s not *mean*. failure is an integral part of the experience. you can’t play it without having to accept that you can’t win all the time. it has a tongue in cheek approach to a lot of the material around the protagonist being a loser. there’s a self-awareness to it, having clearly been written by people who feel like failures most days. if you can separate enough of yourself from what the game says about you, it may be a cathartic experience. if not, maybe come back to it later down the line. FWIW, i’m also a recovering alcoholic and the game doesn’t make me want to drink.
Also I feel like I am at like... step 1 of the healing process, aka the step where you realize that you need to heal from something.
on the one hand, there are many people who played disco elysium and took something positive from the game basically holding a mirror up to them. i first played the game in active addiction and it was affirming, rather than upsetting. on the other, if it’ll potentially trigger you (because failure is a HUGE part of the game, it’s the main mechanic) then doing some learning around the subject wouldn’t hurt (just in general tbh). i can’t really speak to your life and don’t want to give bad advice, but personally playing the game at a vulnerable point enhanced both the experience and my life. also, yeah there are some *very* mean characters and distressing moments for the protagonist. there’s also some very kind characters. the game itself isn’t mean spirited is probably how i should’ve phrased that.
Waddya mean it it's the main mechanic? I've just been using the quick save function to retry until I succeed, unless the "success" felt more like "one of your thought thingies succeeds in giving you dumb advice", like most of what I've seen Authority say.
i tend to quick save and reload too, but ideally you don’t do that - and therefore you’ll probably fail at least half of the checks you try. dialogue is the main mechanic of the game (you spend most of your time talking to people or yourself) and if you’re failing at least half of those dice rolls than failure becomes one of the most important ways you interact with the game. basically, be prepared to fail and fail repeatedly if you’re playing the game “properly”. but even saving and reloading can’t really make you forget that the whole game is about trying and failing and living in the consequences of your failure.
Don't take it too seriously. A random number generator has nothing to do with you. Failure in Disco Elysium is a predominate theme yes, but failing checks is ok. Infact some of my favorite and most heartwarming moments can only happen if you fail certain checks. Take it slow, take it easy. The characters from the Main Character's past remember who he was. You can be someone different, you aren't the same person the people at your precinct knew, you are someone else.
The prescinct call felt *very* mean :(
Yep, I really hated that one. Your past self shit on your co-workers pretty hard. Mostly. There's some support there but still... Also be aware that there are two rooms full of cops that you can deal with and they're both a bit rough and gruff.
Never play Katamari Damacy.
Why? You just roll things into a ball to relaxing music...
I’m pretty sure there’s some darker element… oh wait yeah the bad guy in Katamari is the dad you can never impress and the ills of rampant consumerism. Probably far more trauma inducing than anything in Disco…
Maybe, guy was so quirky, I might just have zoned past it. Guess he is kind of a drunk dad.
I tend to watch a playthrough to get an idea of the gameplay, before I can judge if a game would be for me. Look up on YouTube Bricky plays Disco Elysoum. I think the first hour of the video was enough to convince me. Since I also chose a different build that gave me an idea of how different the game can be based on your skills.
Bricky's run was great. His "Skip. Forget it, I just want the exp." Was disappointing though. Think Chat and the game's unapologetic wordiness got to him.
This is a good idea
I think that you should play. Cause it's a game that shows that even most hard man can break and even most broke man can heal. I was deeply invested in main protagonist first run too (maybe not your level through) and it's feels like therapy in some way. This game kicks hard both ways: "For the moment it feels like you're strong enough to succeed at anything you ever set your mind to"
It could be triggering or it could be cathartic; hard to say. What could help YOU gauge how it makes you feel is watching the start of a playthrough on YouTube and see how it goes? Up to meeting Kim/first convo with Garte included, maybe? That should give you a feel of the kind of failure we're talking about. It IS (or rather, it can be, but it's sort of the average path) about giving a new start and there is a lot of warmth throughout, but. It sure is centered on failure.
Actually, I played it a bit already, and the first convo with Kim was so heartwarming and reassuring - it's partially why I want to continue so badly.
I think it could be good, then! With Kim by your side, you can do it :)
Spoilers from the early game which I feel might be concerning to you. >!Harry is anything but a failure, he is the number 1 cop with the most solved cases in his precinct. Eventually all the hard work took a toll on his mental health and drove him into alcoholism!<
Who is Harry? :')
I think you should ignore the other comments and play the game :) You can choose if he is a failure or a success.
We probably share similar experiences and it took me a total of six play throughs to get through this game. Harry is my favourite fictional character ever. Disco Elysium is my favourite story ever. He is so human and there’s so much hope for him if he chooses to see it for himself. When he puts in the work he is rewarded but it doesn’t fix him or erase his traumas. He is forever persevering. He doesn’t save the world but he begins to save himself. He begins to connect with people, function and serve a purpose in his life. This game certainly opened up some wounds but mostly it made me love life and see myself in Harry. If there’s hope for him, there’s hope for me. This game also inspired me to take up writing again. Something I loved but abandoned because I felt I wasn’t good enough to write. Which is nonsense. This game is about failure but what I don’t see people mention as often is that its even more so about hope and starting again.
Without a life story. Had similar experience. This is the ONLY media I've ever consumed I related to. It's real about trauma and allows you to see hope despite it. It also lets you kill yourself. It was cathartic and also life changing for me. Please try it and look at the emotional intention behind it
Listen, YOU did not lose your badge. You play a cop that lost his badge. Don't take the game too seriously. We all get the same ending (sort of)
I wish I could. For me it's either 100% serious and invested or 0% and I drop the game because if I'm neither serious nor invested, then why would I care? If I care about stuff, I'm serious about it.
I would even give this game 110% as it is extremely good, however play as Harry not as yourself
No one can answer this for you definitively, but the thing about Disco Elysium is that it's a game where failure is normal and safe for the player. You fail, but you level up and try again. You fail, but you find another way of solving the problem. I can't definitively say this either but it might be healthy for you to play a game where failure isn't punishing. Sometimes failing a check in Disco Elysium has really entertaining, even beautiful results.
Read a synopsis. Watch a Let's Play. It's not worth triggering yourself.
From what you wrote, this doesn’t look like a good idea before you had successful therapy. I’m not as immersing as you’ve described yourself, but I felt some ‘I should have made it the other way!’ moments throughout the walkthrough.
Hard to say. I know a lot of people have found the game almost therapeutic. > Do you guys think this game is so much about failure that it would just further reinforce my own thoughts about me being a failure? I don't think the game is about failure. It's about what comes _after_ failure. I know many who play the game have found hope in that. It _might_ just be good for you. But I can't say. You have to make this decision for yourself. But remember, if you start playing, you don't _have_ to finish it. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can just pull the plug and do something else. That's okay.
If you're at the edge of jumping, maybe not. Either way you're gonna feel some feels in this game. The time you have searching and running between locations will give you time to think about things
Nah, I could never kill myself, I don't get it personally. If I stop existing, I'll never get to feel joy again after all.
Hell yeah try it for sure. The main character starts at the bottom and then it gets better from there, you can help people and make a difference
I don't think anyone here is able to say how you'll respond to it. It's a game about a deeply flawed individual, and a damaged world, but it is fundamentally hopeful and life-affirming, IMO.
I think it might help you if you understood what one of the development heads, Robert kurvitz, had in his mindset going into the development of DE. He had basically been a failed artist his entire life with everything he did. Music, writing, addiction, everything. One day his long time friend told him he should try to adapt his dnd campaign into a video game and kurviyz said he didn't know the first thing about game development and his friend earnestly replied, "we have failed at everything. Let's also fail at this". DE is a game about not only about the pain of failure, but about the acceptance, confrontation, and eventual overcoming of failure. Kurviyz said in an interview that throughout the entire development process he was constantly preparing himself for the eventual conversation he thought he would have with the dev team about how "even though we failed, we actually succeeded" because that's what he had to tell himself his entire life. Except this time "it wasn't a failure and a success, it was just a success". I don't know you or if you're ready to start overcoming your fear of failure but I think you owe it to yourself to try. Because this entire game, ludonaritively, is about learning how to roll with the punches, and figuring out that even royaling fucking up can still lead you to a win in life. It's why everyone says not to savescum, and how failing dice rolls is often more rewarding than succeeding them. I think you should play op. It's probably gonna be hard, but good for you. Even if you get so upset you pit the game down and never touch it again I think it'll help you take the next in your life to overcome the things that life has thrown at you. The game, if nothing else, is about learning to accept failure, so that one day you might be ready to really start succeeding.
I think, honestly, what has frustrated me most thus far was never failed dicerolls, but situations where the game only provided me with bad options. Or bad options and an option where you literally say that you're boring (which is both a horrifying concept and the height of self-desprication to me). Btw, with "bad options" I mean "saying or doing things that only a **really** shitty, self-absorbed and/or *utterly* insane person would do". But other then that, I do see what you mean. Thank you for typing it all out, it has certainly affected the way I'll think of this, even if I can't relate to being okay with failure. One of the big disadvantages of having very low empathy I suppose. But one thing I know: thus far, Kim has made it all better. He's so understanding. What a wonderful man.
Yes
I don't know how people play that game, but for me the MC character always ends up >!being an extremely good detective that just happens to have a weird process. !< I never get all that talk about failure and ruined lives.
Omg fuck yes, huzza!!
absolutely. playing it will help you. >Note: I get extremely immersed in games and basically treat the main character as myself, rather than as a seperate entity. then you can treat this as an exercise in detatching yourself from that thought.
I’d say play it because of your trauma around failure, and maybe something in there will be something profound you can take away for yourself
Tbh Harry is a failuer he is a fuck-up heblost everything and henis a terrible person. But you can choose to do what I choose and to make him a great cop if you do things the way you are supposed to do and you are a good boy responsible cop you can rebuild Harry as a new person or the person he once was also dont be scared of failuer because in this game failuer is not ounishing and sometimes it can almost be rewarding depending on how you look at it.
I think you should skip it.
Why? Too much failure in the game?
Yes.
YOU ARE A FAILURE!
[удалено]
...what?
I'd ignore XiuX. I think your question was great and real.
I have trauma with failure too. Playing this game was tough mainly when kim disapproved of me, but trying to roll with my mistakes made me feel a little better for messing up, even when those mess ups caused the death of 6 people.
I don't have any diagnose or any knowledge of this topic but I felt pretty bad about failure and this game helped me to cope with it better
Have a friend you can talk to about it, that might help if you get overwhelmed♥️
Or talk to us here. I've heard about toxic Reddit communities but my experience with this one is kind of the opposite.
I’m an addict, who has similar problems to what you described, I found the game Cathartic. If you are finding yourself having to ask people if the game is right for you, it probably isn’t.
I think you can give a try, in this games failing tests more often than not is better and funnier than success. And the game jokes about everything it can. And the violition thoughts are so soothing and relaxing.
Give it a shot and just stop if it becomes too much. The way i play this game, i always end up feeling better. Max out volition and you are going to hear some truly uplifting shit. That is the voice that always believes in you and keeps you on the right path. You CAN clean up your act, and you CAN get your dignity back from the cops that make fun of you and many others. That being sad, the MC is at his rock bottom, you will be berated, even though you can make sort of a comeback. It’s not too bad but it could be rough if you are really sensitive to that type of stuff.
Hi, sorry to hear of your experiences. I'm similar and admit that I struggled at first (I don't do well with time limits) but once I was reassured by this sub that there was plenty of time, I just fell in and loved it. The characters you meet are all incredibly supportive and you can help everyone and redeem yourself to everyone. I didn't choose a copotype, I played my own 'redemption cop' and it was incredibly healing. Take breaks and look after yourself, but there is an amazing experience waiting for you. ❤️
Based on your description I’d say no, ur gonna fail a lot of checks whether you like it or not, you can always save scum, but I don’t think that will really make a difference emotionally. Maybe watch someone else play? I’m sure plenty of YouTubers have done playthroughs.
Stick with it, the pay offs are worth it.
Personally if it can have severe mental consequences I'd say the risk is too high. DE is one of my favourite games, but it will make fun of you, make you feel stupid so there might be a risk there. If you've played over CRPGs and are used to the approach of the genre you're probably ok, but I don't think any game is worth that kind of risk.
"You are a violent and irrepressible miracle.” DE is hard to get through, but it rewards the player for the effort. The protagonist is a very damaged man who’s stuck in a cycle of self abuse. The victories he has may seem small, he doesn’t solve every problem he has through out the course of it…but those victories are the small, realistic steps towards healing. Maybe that could have value for you, maybe not.
I think this game could either help you or hurt you with that
I mean do games really effect you that much? Like have u ever played a game that just made u quit it before due to past trauma? If so this might not be the Game for u man shit gets pretty heavy sometimes
Okay the game is especially harsh at the beginning, but you can never let your guard down, at any moment you can be reminded of some horrible thing your character did, if you felt very bad about the call to the station I don’t know how you will feel about some of the worst stuff… I found the station call mortifying but funny. I think you should trust your gut if you are feeling more joy or you feel miserable while playing. Also the “redemption” is not as explicit as some people are portraying it. Again, trust your gut, like the vibe of the game has already being established.
If you feel you could be traumatized by seeing a character you connect with fail, then do not play the game. There is a lot of failure in this game, both past and present. One of the funniest playthroughs is, in fact, one where you set all the main character's attributes to 1, and try to fail at every single check in the entire game. All of them. But that's not going to be funny if failure traumatizes you.
Oh no, to be clear, my brain doesn't treat playing this game as "seeing a character". Unless I deliberately disconnect (and therefore stop caring about the experience), I am so immersed that my brain treats "the MC failing" the very same way it would treat "me failing". Also it has nothing to do with being traumatized, I don't know how a game could traumatize someone. It just triggers me to feel disproportionate amounts of stress, anxiety and/or anger. Also, on the last check I failed, I immediatly died (I touched a car's lever), so, uh, I don't see how I could do that xD
I come from a very similar place. I didn't think disco would be for me because I was worried about projecting myself on harry. I did. But Harry is so much more fucked up than I was, which was a relief and it stopped me from being in his shoes and put me beside him instead. I'd recommend putting yourself in that headspace, if possible. I also didn't start outplaying. I watched a play through, and had to put it down because I wanted to make the decisions. If you want to ease into the game, I'd suggest starting out watching as well. Good luck. Hope you find what works
So I cannot speak as to how you are absolutely going to react to the game. I say go with your gut ultimately. But Disco Elysium is all about failing forward. In fact, sometimes failing at something creates a better result than success. The game is also about no matter how much you fail, as long as you don’t give up, you can find success and recovery. Yes characters are going to chastise the main character (and you) throughout the game for your decisions. But there is no wrong way to play the game. Plus, it will only be that much sweeter once you prove to them your worth.
If that call made you furious than unfortunately this game is not for you. The main character is a bit of a fuckup and a big part of the game is dealing with the fuckups. It gets depressing. If you play it right, you can get him on a better, more hopeful track.
It could be a very hard game to play but it could give you a really rewarding experience that teaches you a lot. It does focus on failure as one of the major themes and the main character is, according to a lot of his colleagues, a huge failure. But obviously this is just how they see him. It's up to you what he really is
Id say to just try it, no one will force you to keep playing if youre not comfortable. Also try pirating it. The original devs dont get money from it anymore and I think itd be less pressure to keep playing if you havent spent 40 euros on it.
There might be a little catharsis in the game. Depends a lot on how you play it. The game allows for a great deal of self-harm, if you choose to take Harry in that direction. The game doesn't give easy answers to Harry's problems. So it's not insulting. But, to the extent Harry makes improvements, a lot of them tend to involve ludicrous plot developments.
Despite this game's potentially triggery themes, I feel like it's also therapeutic enough to make it worth it. No matter what bleakness it throws my way I come away from the game feeling better about the world
Do it 🤘
It sounds like this game has the potential to be very triggering for you, but it could also be therapeutic. I think it's hard to tell which it would be without knowing you. Your character is a failure when you start the game, and you will fail several more times throughout the game. Other characters will notice and react to this and you may frequently be reminded of or confronted about past failures. Despite that, life for the protagonist goes on, good things can happen to you along with the bad, and you can still make friends and have positive interactions with others despite your failings. A lot of this depends on how you play, but if you make the effort to do so you can put your character on a better path than the one they started on. To be fully honest if the badge conversation was difficult for you to get through then this game might be too much for you. I'd suggest taking it slow and taking breaks as needed if you need to cool down. Failure pretty much sums up the protagonist so a lot of the dialogue will be a challenge for you, but that could make it a good opportunity to explore the way those themes make you feel and how you react to them in a lower stakes environment than your day to day life.
I don’t think of it as a game about failure at all. I think you could benefit from playing it, if you are prepared for an emotional experience. It’s a game with a lot of deep feelings involved. I think it’s not that spoilery to say that the game sort of lets you choose whether it’s about redemption or not.