I would like to go over the amazing work of Aleksander Rostov, Kaspar Tamsalu, and Robert Kuritz
Disco Elysium is a top down, isometric style video game with art work that stunned the world. The game’s rich storytelling and expressive art created one of the best role playing games in the current generation.
The art style is heavily based on oil painting. The design team create real life versions of each portrait for the game. Each frame is detailed with dulled palettes, thick brush strokes, and bold highlights.
Every bit of this game is there to be studied. The use of abstract art for a human’s agency is incredible. In this image, we have all of the traits that the main protagonist can level up. The crowned figure is Volition, the main source of moral for the character. As artists, designers, and developers, our task and purpose it to create such an experience for our users. Taking an abstract idea and giving it form is the gleeful challenge for all of us. The only difference is the canvas we choose.
Here we have a portrait of a main antagonist. The use of earth tons gives the viewer a sense that they are sturdy and powerful . If you take a closer look at the eyes, you can see a hint of red and a furled brow. The expression gives off the feelings that this entity will do us harm.
Another aspect of the game is the “Though Cabinet” This is where the player can memorize thoughts to give the protagonist their identity. You can see where the artist conceptualized the mind and gave face to the thoughts of the protagonist. Each memory may seem grotesque in it’s depiction but it is also to teach us that not all thoughts, dreams, and worldviews are attractive.
I spent over 200 hours in this game. I analyzed, laughed, and cried throughout this game. It is a gut wrenching tail of a cop who broke themselves into pieces and put themself back together. We have all experienced a time where we have shattered out identity so we could reforge it, adapt it to help us live our lives. This game taught me a lot of lessons, both artistically and philosophically.