“Disco Elysium remains an innovative use of One Trope five years later.”

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Key insights

  • Disco Elysium stands out for its depiction of a character battling amnesia, offering a new take on a commonly used device.
  • The game's exploration of amnesia is closely tied to the narrative and gameplay, allowing players to shape the protagonist's identity in new and unique ways.
  • Although legal obstacles hinder hopes of a sequel, Disco Elysium's innovative take on the amnesiac protagonist remains a great example in gaming.



Disco Elysium celebrates its fifth anniversary today. Developer ZA/UM's interpretation of the CRPG format in a carefully handcrafted setting for its debut title was almost universally praised as a visionary achievement and has since become one of the most popular (and highest rated) video games of all time. Disco ElysiumThe success of the film rested on several aspects. One of them is the fantastic portrayal of a fascinating character struggling with himself and his place in a strange yet familiar world plagued by various natural and man-made disasters.

The story of a hapless detective investigating a gruesome crime, Disco ElysiumThe setup is also superficially very familiar to gamers. Its main character suffers from extreme amnesia brought on by drinking alcohol and drugs to such an extent that his memory and personality are almost wiped out. However, it is so Disco Elysium presents this acute bout of amnesia and incorporates it to make it inextricably linked to its core narrative and mechanics, while at the same time playing with expectations and conventions, which is what sets it apart and remains one of the most fascinating experiences and compelling examples of it in the medium.


Disco Elysium Protagonist Harry

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Disco Elysium: Creating a connection between player and tragic protagonist

The main character of Disco Elysium is a pathetic, drunken loser, but players have much more connection with him than with other, more capable protagonists.

Disco Elysium's use and integration of Amnesia remains incredibly unique even five years later

The Amnesia trope has long been a standard in gaming

Even in the early days of gaming, particularly point-and-click adventure games, but also in other genres, the “Protagonist with Amnesia” framework was widely used. While this provides an ostensibly organic way to introduce players to the world of a particular game, it can also often seem like a shortcut to exposition, avoiding having to convey a well-rounded personality and story to a main character who would likely know them these details already and can just as easily lead to the opposite of immersion.


In many cases, the explanation for a character suffering from amnesia can be quite tenuous, taken as fact and not explained, or no real reason given beyond narrative convenience. Disco Elysiumhowever, turned that standard on its head, expertly combining ubiquitous storytelling with its own design elements in a much more surprising and satisfying way.

How Disco Elysium took up and subverted the cliché of the amnesiac protagonist


Technically, Disco ElysiumThe main character is Detective Harry Du Bois, a highly decorated civil servant whose life has since slipped into crisis. But by amnesizing Harry to the point where he's forgotten everything about himself, and leaving the players just as in the dark as he is, Disco Elysium creates a much more complex yet intuitive approach to the construct. Harry's amnesia is closely tied to the narrative and gameplay in a way that far surpasses most other depictions Disco Elysium's ingenuity in using the device. The mystery surrounding Harry Du Bois' memory is left to fans to actively fill in the gaps and decide from scratch their version of his inner psyche and personality traits, which is then tied into the overall mystery and extensive dialogue options.

Harry's initial loss of self-identity is continually reflected and developed through the various thoughts, abilities and reactions within Harry Disco Elysium that fans can choose. These mechanisms provide fertile ground for developing creative versions and interpretations of him as events unfold. In some cases, players can make him someone completely different by switching to different roles and dreaming up entirely new identities, such as Raphael Ambrosius Costeau or Guillaume le Million. The story then deftly adapts to these options, often leading to the most amusing and outlandish interactions. Disco ElysiumThe ambitious and impressive take on a standard amnesiac protagonist and the way it cleverly twisted him in fun and entertaining ways is now considered one of the greatest examples of this trope in action in gaming.


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