You're not alone, it's a complaint I've heard plenty of times before. I don't personally agree with it, I actually think the ending of the game is pretty perfect. But it's why I tend to say that Disco Elysium claiming to be a "detective game RPG" on its store page is straight up misleading. This was never a whodunnit. And whether you enjoy the ending or not depends on how well that has become clear to you during the cause of the investigation.
Or, in a sense it kind of is a whodunnit, but the case is actually Harry, not the murder. The game is in large part his story, and using that to deal with larger themes of loss, being stuck in the past and finding hope in the midst of nihilism and doom. These themes permeate the whole game... Hell, the Pale is a case of the past quite literally consuming the present. It's why I think the communist vision quest is the most appropriate, but I won't spoil it further in case you opted for another one.
The whole arc on the island was incredibly beautiful and well laid out, at least I found it that way. First you have the Final Dream. Perhaps the single most impactful moment I've had in gaming. It's written and acted to perfection, and it's where the whole game kind of clicks into place. Harry is laid bare, you realize that literally everything he's done has been from the lens of winning Dora back, you learn of his neuroses and his way of speaking in trees. You hear the "death blow" of the aborted child. It still blows my mind how Kurvitz managed to distill the whole pathos of the game into three little words to close out the dream. "See you tomorrow".
And then, the killer. For me, it was again a perfect choice. Remember, this was not a whodunnit, this was never about the murder mystery. This is a story about Harry, and the killer is the Ghost of Christmas Future. After having gone through the dream, you're faced with the logical conclusion of Harry: The Deserter. A man so utterly consumed by his past, by his failures and his losses that nothing remains but pure unadulterated bitterness. Unable to let go and move forward he is a black void of contempt.
And then, at the darkest hour, as you're faced with a grotesque mirror image of what's to come - a light. After all the trials and tribulations, after all the doubt and the resignation to the mundanity of it all a miracle unfolds out of the reeds. A proof that even on this depressing, perishing world, even in the face of all that nihilism there is unknown wonder hiding just out of sight.
Pyro only isn't really possible without glitches or summons since Queelag is fire immune. But Sorcery+Pyro "spells only" should be fine. Enemies tend to be resistant to damage types, not general "magic", so if you can switch it up you're all good. Dukes archives shouldn't be a problem if using Pyromancy.
The depressed cynic in me says the billionaires will just find new tax havens and other embezzling ways around it. But it's a good initiative and I pray it actually leads to something tangible.
Samantha Béart (who plays Karlach in the game), Theo Solomon (Wyll) and Dave Jones (Halsin) were asked how the success of the game had changed their lives and careers.
Okay listen I don't want to sound rude, but I'm not that surprised. Maybe Karlach deserves a bit more recognition but while both Wyll and Halsin were both fine and perfectly adequate, I can't say that either was the kind of memorable performance that gets you tons of new roles. Though it's also in part due to the script and direction of course.
You're not alone, it's a complaint I've heard plenty of times before. I don't personally agree with it, I actually think the ending of the game is pretty perfect. But it's why I tend to say that Disco Elysium claiming to be a "detective game RPG" on its store page is straight up misleading. This was never a whodunnit. And whether you enjoy the ending or not depends on how well that has become clear to you during the cause of the investigation.
Or, in a sense it kind of is a whodunnit, but the case is actually Harry, not the murder. The game is in large part his story, and using that to deal with larger themes of loss, being stuck in the past and finding hope in the midst of nihilism and doom. These themes permeate the whole game... Hell, the Pale is a case of the past quite literally consuming the present. It's why I think the communist vision quest is the most appropriate, but I won't spoil it further in case you opted for another one.
The whole arc on the island was incredibly beautiful and well laid out, at least I found it that way. First you have the Final Dream. Perhaps the single most impactful moment I've had in gaming. It's written and acted to perfection, and it's where the whole game kind of clicks into place. Harry is laid bare, you realize that literally everything he's done has been from the lens of winning Dora back, you learn of his neuroses and his way of speaking in trees. You hear the "death blow" of the aborted child. It still blows my mind how Kurvitz managed to distill the whole pathos of the game into three little words to close out the dream. "See you tomorrow".
And then, the killer. For me, it was again a perfect choice. Remember, this was not a whodunnit, this was never about the murder mystery. This is a story about Harry, and the killer is the Ghost of Christmas Future. After having gone through the dream, you're faced with the logical conclusion of Harry: The Deserter. A man so utterly consumed by his past, by his failures and his losses that nothing remains but pure unadulterated bitterness. Unable to let go and move forward he is a black void of contempt.
And then, at the darkest hour, as you're faced with a grotesque mirror image of what's to come - a light. After all the trials and tribulations, after all the doubt and the resignation to the mundanity of it all a miracle unfolds out of the reeds. A proof that even on this depressing, perishing world, even in the face of all that nihilism there is unknown wonder hiding just out of sight.
There is hope.