You only have to take one look at PC Gamer's Disco Elysium review to realize just what a special PC gaming experience it is. Rated 92%, this detective RPG simply blew our reviewer Andy Kelly away, leaving him to "say with certainty that it's one of the finest RPGs on PC if you value depth, freedom, customization, and storytelling."
It wasn't just Andy who loved Disco Elysium, either, but the entire PC Gamer team, with the game proceeding to win multiple Top 100 first place finishes in a row, including our most recent Top 100 games to play list from last year. Any game winning the Top 100 is a massive achievement, but to do so multiple years on the trot shows how special this is.
Which is why when I saw that Disco Elysium is currently discounted by 75% I felt compelled to bring it to the attention of my fellow PC gamers. If you're looking for a deep and freedom-filled but easy-to-play RPG to get stuck into right now then this is the best choice there is. The details are below.
UPDATE (07:52 AM PST) - The deal has been extended, presumably because it has been selling like hot cakes after PC Gamer surfaced it earlier today. This is good news because now gamers have until '27/05/2024 09:59 EEST' to bag Disco Elysium at the discounted price point, rather than only a few hours.
To understand why Disco Elysium is so special it's worth checking out what members of the PC Gamer team said about the game in last year's Top 100 winner write-up. Jacob Ridley noted that "it's been our top pick for the Top 100 for four years, and I've played it every year for four years." Lauren Morton called it a "seminal RPG experience" and Wes Fenlon adds "the game is frequently hilarious", too.
My take is that this is the perfect time to play Disco Elysium. Coming off the back of the seminal RPG event of last year, Baldur's Gate 3, a game that feels like it will have a darn good chance of finally dethroning Disco Elysium in 2024's Top 100 games list, the RPG experience this game offers is totally different. In pace, tone, gameplay and aesthetic, it's a beautiful (literally, as its painterly graphics art style is just stunning) PC gaming experience that's as cerebral as it is memorable, but one that is totally different to Larian's masterwork.
Lastly, if you're the owner of a Steam Deck or another PC handheld, then Disco Elysium is perfect in my opinion for a portable PC gaming experience. It looks stunning even on a small screen, while its simple interface and gameplay, as well as slower pace make it easy to play while commuting or grabbing a quick 20 minutes of playtime over a lunch break.
For a second take on Disco Elysium from a few years after its original launch, then Fraser Brown's op-ed on how no other game comes close to what it offers, is well worth a look. Meanwhile, to blow our own trumpet here at PC Gamer just a little, it's also worth scoping out this preview piece that former PC Gamer team members Tom Senior and Samuel Roberts wrote in advance of the game coming out, one where we say that 'Disco Elysium is shaping up to be the most original RPG of the year'. How right we were.
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