Disco Elysium, one of the most well-written and thought-provoking RPGs ever made is coming to mobile, but it's not a direct port. Instead, this on-the-go version aims to "captivate the TikTok user with quick hits of compelling story," and I now fear video games as an art form may be dead.
During my playthrough of Disco Elysium, I questioned how one could ever hope to change a broken system that they themselves hold up, thought long and hard about my own battles with addiction, and talked with friends about how to meaningfully organize politically. This "total re-imagination" doesn't sound like it will inspire those same ideas.
Denis Havel, the head of what remains of ZA/UM, says in a press release: "We intend to captivate the TikTok user with quick hits of compelling story, art, and audio, ultimately creating an all new, deeply engaging form of entertainment." That's one of the most depressing things I've ever read in my entire life, and I studied '30s Russian film theory.
The trailer for the mobile port shows the game is nothing like the original, which isn't inherently a bad thing. I like the idea of the game now having "360-degree scenes built exclusively to place the mobile user right in the middle of Revachol," but I'm less convinced by it being "structured to fit the way people play on mobile, making it effortless to enjoy in short bursts," and the claim "It's what audiobooks wish they were." Every word is honestly worse than the last.
I don't understand the idea that mobile gamers specifically want short games. When I play Balatro on my couch, I can sit there for a good hour trying to beat a high stake with a new deck. If I open a game, it's because I want to play, not kill five minutes.
The press release does state a lot of work went into "preserving Disco Elysium’s soul and treating it with the care it deserves," but given the aim is to entice TikTok scrollers with short bursts of communism, I don't think the studio understands the game at all.
I've heard the complaint that everything is trying to be TikTok, even Twitch has changed its UI so you can scroll through streams, but I can't believe even video games are trying to be TikTok. Maybe one of the many Disco Elysium successor studios could use this as inspiration.
If you're interested in checking this game out for yourself, pre-registration for Android is currently live, you can sign up right here. It's coming out sometime in summer, and the first two chapters will be free. After that, you have to pay to unlock the full thing, and that will ensure "uninterrupted, ad-free gameplay." That's a silver-lining at least.
If you want something a bit happier, check out our list of the best games of all time and remind yourself there is some hope in this medium.
