Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Review – Still A Superstar

Publisher: ZA/UM

Developer: ZA/UM

Rating: Mature

Reviewed on: PC, PlayStation 5

Also on: PlayStation 4, Switch, Stadia

I wish I could play Disco Elysium for the first time again. This unconventional RPG from developer ZA/UM casts a spell unlike any other game; its surprising narrative, complex world, and flawed characters have the power to transport your mind to dark and delightful places. Though Disco Elysium was exclusive to PC when it originally launched in 2019, The Final Cut brings the experience to consoles, opening this strange world up to a new wave of superstar detectives. And even though it can’t turn back time for those of us who want to relive the first playthrough, The Final Cut’s additions provide a rewarding return trip. 

If you’re new to Revachol, the main thing you need to know is Disco Elysium is a story-driven, combat-free RPG that puts you in the role of a police officer investigating a bizarre murder. But as the game begins, that police officer has traveled a drug-addled road to destruction. Through your actions and dialogue during the investigation, you veer toward redemption or ruination (or somewhere in between) as you contend with the warring voices in your head. The tone can shift from hilarious to poignant to soul-crushing in the span of a single conversation, but the writing has a particular knack for highlighting beauty amid bleakness. I don’t want to say too much and risk spoiling any great moments, but Disco Elysium’s unique approach to melding storytelling and gameplay is really something special. For more of the basics, read my original review.

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Disco Elysium won acclaim from critics and players, but The Final Cut isn’t just a re-release. ZA/UM has made several important adjustments to refine the game, but my favorite is the inclusion of full voice acting. Instead of just getting a few sentences to paint the outline of the characters, you now get a more complete sense of their personalities and mannerisms. I enjoyed all of the performances, but the main narrator (voiced by Lenval Brown, who you can hear in the trailer above) especially stands out; this is a text-heavy game, and Brown delivers a staggering amount of information with a style that fits the atmosphere perfectly.

While most of the core content remains unchanged in The Final Cut, new political vision quests let players choose one of four new tasks tied to different ideologies. These mutually exclusive quests open up based on your detective’s political leanings – like communism and fascism – and you ultimately choose which one you’re going to pursue. After saving/reloading to see what they all offer, I am impressed at how well these new objectives fold into the original experience. They don’t feel tacked-on or extraneous; they are natural extensions of the themes that were already there, acting as satisfying punctuation marks. Some of them introduce new characters and areas, while others let you interact with familiar faces in different contexts. The fascist (a.k.a. racist) thread made me laugh the most, but whichever one you choose, the vision quests are cleverly written and have minor-but-lasting effects on the game once you complete them – like visual changes to the big statue in the roundabout, for example.

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As an isometric RPG, controlling Disco Elysium was previously a mouse-and-keyboard affair. That obviously wouldn’t work for the console versions, so the interface has been adapted for gamepads (and the PC version supports them now, too). However, the controls are the only part of this package that don’t feel improved. The trade-offs aren’t exactly surprising; moving your character directly with the analogue stick is nice, but the map was still originally designed with a point-and-click interface in mind, so certain paths through the world are difficult to see and navigate. I also had several instances where I pressed a button to interact with an object, but nothing happened until I repositioned myself and tried again. On the one hand, that inconsistency is frustrating. On the other hand, Disco Elysium is not a game in which rapid action and response is necessary, so it didn’t interfere much with my overall enjoyment. 

No two run-throughs of Disco Elysium are quite the same. If you’re returning to it, The Final Cut is a great opportunity to try out different choices, pursue different ideologies, and see new branches of the story. Plus, if you already own the game on PC, The Final Cut is available as a free update. For console players who have waited to see what the fuss is about, this version presents the complete picture of why this unique setting and story have earned so much praise. Disco Elysium is a must-play game, and The Final Cut is the best (and only, for many people) way to play it.

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Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is currently available on PS5, PS4, and PC. It will launch on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Switch this summer.

Score: 9

Summary: The Final Cut opens this strange world up to a wave of new superstar detectives on console, and the additions provide a rewarding return trip for the rest of us. 

Concept: Update an award-winning game with new features, then bring it to consoles for the first time

Graphics: The actual character models are unimpressive, but the stunning art direction and an evocative world present plenty of gorgeous visuals

Sound: Full voice acting gives you an even better sense of the characters, with especially great work from the main narrator

Playability: Adapting a traditional mouse-and-keyboard interface to gamepad involves some trade-offs, but it works (and it’s certainly better than not playing at all on console)

Entertainment: Disco Elysium can be thoughtful, funny, sad, and profound. To see how it artfully navigates that spectrum, you simply need to play it for yourself

Replay: Moderately High

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Evil Genius 2 Review – A Foiled Plan

Publisher: Rebellion Developments

Developer: Rebellion Developments

Release: 2020

Reviewed on: PC

Evil Genius 2 sounds zany and clever in concept: You control a maniacal overlord who tries to take over the world by building a sprawling base full of disposable minions and devious traps. Plus, it’s all wrapped in stylish audio and visual riffs on ‘60s spy movies. This was also the same pitch as its predecessor (which released in 2004), but the sequel leverages new features and technology to bring the concept to a modern audience. However, the inelegant systems and unsatisfying progression throw a wrench in the grand plan.

I reviewed the original Evil Genius for Game Informer, but you don’t need any familiarity with the first game to understand this one. In fact, Evil Genius 2 hits so many similar notes that you’ll probably enjoy it more if you go into it fresh. But regardless of your prior experience, Evil Genius 2 shines brightest during the opening tutorial. It gradually introduces an array of different options for your base, like an inner sanctum with your impressive throne, and the ability to train guards to defend your corridors. This steady unlocking of devices to build and subordinates to train left me excited about my lair’s trajectory and how my operation would eventually expand. Unfortunately, once all the basic room types are available, everything plateaus; you spend most of your time performing slight variations on the same repetitive tasks.  

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The main campaign is a series of missions that take you through the process of conquering the world (each of the four available geniuses has a unique doomsday device, which I like). But instead of hatching schemes within schemes, the limited mechanics of Evil Genius 2 make each mission feel like the one before it. You can only arrange “capture someone, research something, train someone, build something” so many different ways before they start to bleed together.

Certain objectives are also tied to finishing tasks on the world map – an abstraction that tries to make you to feel like you have global control, but only provides frustrating busywork through initiate-and-wait missions that gate your progress toward other tasks. Your interactions on the map consist of clicking on pins and launching missions to earn money; it’s a tedious combination of shallow and necessary, requiring just enough babysitting to be distracting, but not enough depth to be interesting.

When you aren’t pursuing formal objectives, you are usually just trying to get more of something. You need more power for your holding cells. You need more traps to fend off infiltrating agents. You need more broadcast strength to upgrade your criminal networks. This kind of ramp-up may be expected from a strategy game, but the problem is how few of these improvements result in interesting changes to your routine. They just feel like numbers going up with no meaningful effect. And the upgrades that do make a difference (like minions automatically attacking trespassers, or being able to cut through hard stone) aren’t available until many hours past the point you recognize the need for them. They are still nice when you get them, but the pacing of the progression feels weirdly throttled.

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For all of my complaints about the experience, Evil Genius 2 still taps into a simple vein of diabolical entertainment. It features a funny, cartoonish representation of evil. I cackled as agents triggered traps, cheered on my robotic assistant as she interrogated intruders, and steepled my fingers as I activated my doomsday device. The thrill of optimizing your layout and allocating your workforce is enjoyable; it’s often just buried under inconvenience. For that reason, I’d especially recommend starting up a game in sandbox mode after you finish the main tutorial. This mode gives you unlimited resources and unlocks various options that you’d normally have to play for hours to obtain. Though sandbox mode also lacks the clear structure to propel you forward, it at least lets you enjoy the fun of base-building without several of the annoyances that hold the campaign back.

While playing Evil Genius 2, I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie Austin Powers. That probably seems natural at first; in terms of their characters and general aesthetic, both of them lampoon the early era James Bond films. But that wasn’t what I was dwelling on. At one point in Austin Powers, Dr. Evil (who was cryogenically frozen for many years) suggests a paltry ransom of “one million dollars.” His henchman needs to explain to him how times have changed, and such a demand doesn’t really meet villainous standards anymore. Just like Dr. Evil, the Evil Genius name has been on ice a long time, and despite being full of nefarious intent, this sequel’s methods feel outdated on the current world stage

Score: 7

Summary: Inelegant systems and unsatisfying progression throw a wrench in the grand plans of this criminal mastermind.

Concept: Construct a lair, command your henchmen, and take over the world as a criminal mastermind

Graphics: Expressive animations look great when you zoom in close, but you’re usually looking everything from a distance

Sound: The music expertly captures the ‘60s spy-movie aesthetic. It would be the best part of the whole game if there were a wider variety of tracks

Playability: Navigating the menus feels natural with time, but poor minion A.I. and a few unclear requirements makes the simulation feel unresponsive to your commands

Entertainment: Managing your base and bossing people around can be fun, but that simple joy is often obscured by layers of repetition

Replay: Moderate

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Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town Review – Simple Comfort Over Ambition

Publisher: XSEED Games, Marvelous Games

Rating: Everyone

Reviewed on: Switch

No franchise has been in the farming game as long as Story of Seasons, best known as Bokujo Monogatari in Japan (and previously known as Harvest Moon in North America). Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the series created a formula that’s inspired hit games like Stardew Valley. But in recent years, it’s struggled to stay relevant with fresh ideas. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town tries to keep the flame alive by having you develop a town and providing fun features (like a photo mode and museum) to fill with discoveries. The loop is entertaining, but the rewards aren’t satisfying enough for the investment required to get them.

Like its predecessors, Pioneers of Olive Town begins with you landing in a small village and starting a new life as a farmer. Olive Town is struggling, and the mayor asks for your help in turning it around. You receive development projects, which require you to gather up the right materials to improve vital elements like roads, benches, and the town hall. Watching the city transform with each upgrade feels worthwhile, since more tourists come to the area and Olive Town begins to look much more attractive. However, don’t expect to have much control over the town’s transformation. You get asked questions as if your opinion and direction matters, but all answers lead to the same place, and going on fetch quest after fetch quest gets tiresome fast.

That being said, the core loop of taking a farm from nothing to a successful operation is still entertaining. I looked forward to every facility upgrade, new animal, or crafting recipe I could unlock. While you’re wandering the wilderness, you can also now tame wild animals and bring them to the farm, meaning you’re not always shelling out cash for new livestock. Money can come easy, but it’s the materials you need for the crafting, townspeople requests, and building improvements that bring on the challenge. I didn’t mind this at first; breaking rocks for ores, cutting down trees for lumber, and cleaning up puddles for clay is simple enough. But these items need to be processed in machines, and each machine has a singular purpose, from converting milk into cheese to turning wool into yarn. The problem? Not only are there far too many of them for each little thing, but inserting the required materials only produces one converted item, so if you need 50 of a specific type of lumber (and you will), it can take a maddening amount of time. You can build more than one of each machine type, but they take up vital space.

 

My journey through Pioneers of Olive Town was full of highs and lows. Things either came too easy, like wooing the townsperson of my choice, or required too much effort, like unlocking some farm facilities. I was impressed with how much there is to do, but it all comes at a cost; I felt like I could never spend time exploring certain aspects, such as creating clothing or getting into cooking, because they require precious time and feel insignificant compared to your other tasks.

Olive Town’s areas seem small at first, but as you build bridges to new areas, meet Earth Sprites that take you to special locales, and search various caves with treasure-filled floors, things expand a great deal. You are constantly improving your skills as you do the basic tasks of tilling the land, cutting down trees, breaking rocks, and this in turns opens up more crafting recipes to get you things like automatic feeds for your livestock or decorative furniture. This provides a satisfying sense of your character progressing and new things to always look forward to.

I also enjoyed the fun little touches like being able to ride a motorcycle or use the various mounts to get around. Festivals are hit-or-miss, with some being more interactive than others. The game also provides a museum similar to Animal Crossing, where you can donate your treasures, fish, and photos you’ve taken of wildlife. Furniture and house upgrades are also aplenty, even though your house feels a little confined to where you can place things. You have this spacious layout, with only a selected, smaller area to really decorate as your own.

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For those interested in the social aspects, you get new scenes at a steady rate by walking around the town and talking to villagers, which made me want to take the time to visit them. I looked forward to these scenes to learn more about the people in Olive Town, but overall, I didn’t find this cast memorable or exciting. No one is outright annoying (except for maybe food critic Lovett), but the villagers simply fill their roles as shop owners and members of the community and offer nothing unique beyond that. The events as you progress in a romance fare much better, as they really do capture the chemistry and growth in your relationship.

I mostly had a pleasant time with Pioneers of Olive Town, but it isn’t the most technically sound game. Patches have continued to improve my experience, but expect some annoying loading times, framerate issues (especially stuttering), and the occasional game freeze. Nothing caused me to stop playing in frustration, but be aware that this is still not the smoothest experience.

Pioneers of Olive Town is a decent Story of Seasons entry, but it’s not more than that. I still got absorbed by the core formula of bettering my farm and loved making new discoveries as I explored. I have plenty of things I enjoy about this game, but encountered just as many that didn’t hit the mark. I also can’t get away from thinking, after all this time, shouldn’t this series be making larger leaps forward and leaving a stronger impression?

For more on Pioneers of Olive Town, you can check out these five fast tips from the director!

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Score: 7.5

Summary: The core farming loop is still entertaining, but the rewards aren’t satisfying enough for the investment required to get them.

Concept: Make a new life as a farmer while developing a struggling town

Graphics: The animal designs are all adorable, but the graphics don’t stand out

Sound: The music varies depending on the events of the day and season, but it’s mostly unremarkable background noise as you work

Playability: This title is approachable for fans and newcomers. Technical issues, like freezes and the framerate, get in the way of a smooth farming experience

Entertainment: Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town provides a new and entertaining farming adventure, but some design decisions hold it back from becoming a must-play entry

Replay: Moderate

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