The writing is dazzling to me. Using drug-induced amnesia as a vehicle for justifying exposition and the player's almost-certain unfamiliarity with the world
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(which among other things is not round and is a bit more like a disco crown of Pale that is slowly expanding into everything in the material world that is left, ignored by those that know about it because that's how liberals/Ultras/Moralists roll)
I see why so many people are :kitsupogi: about Kitsuragi's characterization. While there's no emojis for Cuno as far as I know, I sort of get why he's a small scale but persistent meme in some parts of the internet. For me, however,
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I've known and even tried to teach kids like that and it hurts at a psychic level seeing that much bluster, rage, and spite masking so much pain and trauma. Even offering to help makes those types more defensive, so at best it's emotionally draining to just buckle down, wait, and hope they'll ease off of at least one level of the bullshit on their own terms.
I can feel the rare and welcome leftist presence in the writing, primarily the fact that it's a more nuanced (bitterly, sometimes fatalistically so) portrayal than fascists can or do present of their own ideology when given a chance (and they're given so many chances). It isn't that nuanced in its portrayal of fascism (or for that matter hustlegrind Ultra mindset or pretentious ironic detachment cynicism for that matter) but in my personal subjective opinion that's fairly accurate because those lines of thinking don't require much thinking to maintain and analysis of those beliefs threatens them fundamentally, so it's rarely done.
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The light-bending billionaire I stumbled upon in a cargo crate was infuriating and surreal, much like the existence of his counterparts in our world.
Incoming rant with some spoilers.
The setting is certainly dark and grim, and so far in my playthrough there seems to be very little that my particular character can do to make lasting changes to it, but that moment to moment scraping by to survive experience doesn't feel grueling; it feels sympathetic. I've been called plenty of names and have been concern-trolled regarding the state of my mental health from Gambo fans and related treat defenders before, but I now feel further reinforced in my position regarding misery-porn entertainment after playing Disco Elysium.
The Hanged Man especially comes to mind.
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The prose descriptions, with some mercifully-limited grotesque visuals, of the decomposing remains of the private contractor mercenary rapist that came to town in fancy armor and pushed the locals too far, were done as perfectly as I can imagine. Unlike GRRM and his associated show producers/directors dubious goals while turning staggering profits, there was no gory torture action spectacle, just the aftermath.
Likewise,
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The rape didn't have to be presented with full frontal spectacle for hogs to jack off to or for defensive fans to make excuses for. It was a police report with witness and suspect testimony.
Likewise,
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the field autopsy was disturbing, even grotesque, but once again, it didn't have to, need to, nor would it have been improved by giving visuals to every prose detail.
I'm not done with the game yet, but so far I'm very, very impressed now that I've played it instead of just absorbed it from those that played it. The hints of mysticism and sci-fi/fantasy elements in its cryptozoology and cosmology alike seem just tantalizingly real enough in the story that I look forward to exploring them, no matter how futile (or scary) they may ultimately become.
10/10 so far. Even when it hurts, it hurts in a good way. :kitsupogi:
No details but
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it's incredibly depressing. Because that's all it could ever really hope to be.However it does genuinely have one of my favorite moments in the entire game.
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You: I know I can get history back on the right track.
René: The "right track"? This is the right track! The only track. (he gets visibly annoyed) This is the world we shaped, a reflection of what we are: cowardly, ugly, and numb. And there are no second chances. We don't deserve them! You just can't go back and restart — that would make everything MEANINGLESS! (a shadow of pain comes over his face)
Empathy: There's something substantial moving in him, trying to get out.
Volition: He would sooner die than let it surface.
You: What is it?
Empathy: Regret.
You: Regret about what?
Pain Threshold: (as the camera zooms in on Gaston) Him.
You: Him?
Pain Threshold: There's tenderness in the carabineer's look. Tenderness that's curdled into pain or something darker.
You: Ex-love, ex-tenderness...
Pain Threshold: Even worse, a love aborted and smothered, stamped beneath his brilliant boot heel.
René: (you catch the old carabineer's gaze slowly leaving his opponent's wrinkled face as his dark eyes meet yours — whatever turmoil raged in him a moment ago is quelled for now)
Conceptualization: Like the last rays of the evening sun gently kissing the day goodbye, before giving way to unfathomable darkness.
Volition: Willed back into the darkest unexplored depths of his mind — never meant to be shared, seen or confronted.
Composure: A true master of his emotions.
Inland Empire: Hopelessly alone behind the unbreakable walls he spent a lifetime erecting. No one will ever know him.