The Ending

[IAmTheClayman]

I know there's another thread here about the story implications of the ending (for what it's worth I'm disappointed that there at least isn't talk of deserters earlier in the game to foreshadow the final confrontation, though I can understand why the designers went with a moral/political motive over a personal one) but I'm more upset by the mechanics at play.

I arrived at the tribunal after completing all of the major side-quests I could find, excluding only four (subscribe to race theory, drink booze, smoke cigarettes, paint a mural on the wall near Cunoesse) and at no point did I find an option to go to the Deserter's island. Is this intentional? I followed the other two leads in that task, but is the best-case scenario really for three mercenaries and three Hardie boys to die? Just feels like that might make future playthroughs feel a bit empty if you can't prevent the bloodshed, though I suppose that could be intentional as part of the game's themes.

I got to the big showdown on Day 4, so as a result Lilianne's dingy was ready on Day 6. Would it have been ready on Day 6 anyway if I had just puttered around allowing me to get to the island before the tribunal, or does the tribunal always happen first?

Ending on a positive note though: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make a Disco Elysium sequel! The writing in the game was top notch, the world design both visually and lore-wise was incredibly engaging and despite its flaws this may very well be my favorite game of the year. And if we do get to play as our Disco Cop in the sequel I hope you can find a way to read in the save data from this game so that our choices carry forward

[tripleh213]

Yea the game is too short and rairoaded. Probably wont play again.

[IAmTheClayman]

Originally posted by tripleh213:

Yea the game is too short and rairoaded. Probably wont play again.

To each their own. I got 20 hours out of it ($2 per hour is not a bad investment) and had some of the most laughs gaming I've had in a long time, so as far as I'm concerned it was worth it but I can get the frustration

[Sisyphus]

It's like a film noir Mexican standoff where bad ♥♥♥♥ inevitably goes down. It's really not a heroic kind of story. Solving the case is the best you can do, and the best that can be reasonably be expected of a washed-up bum.

[Sentient_Toaster]

AFAIK, you cannot go to the island before the Tribunal, and that the casualties you saw are the minimum possible.

[Brids17]

I watched a review that stated it was 45 hours long, he must have stopped to take notes with the game running in the background because I only failed to complete two lasts and have about a 6th grade reading speed but I still beat it in only 28 hours. Besides the massive amount of typos and sometimes confusing lack of direction, I enjoyed it. The end did seem a little off to me and it didn't seem like my choices mattered as much as I thought they would. I'll probably play a second time though.

[jack_of_tears]

Originally posted by Brids17:

The end did seem a little off to me and it didn't seem like my choices mattered as much as I thought they would.

This was a big part of the problem I had with the ending. I played my Harry as the burnout trying to pull himself together and do this case right, despite his urges to give into vice and become a drunken wreck again. I chased down every lead and completed almost every quest I picked up. Yet the end made me feel like I'd been wasting my time chasing down clues and trying to figure out the mystery. Maybe that's the other reason Harry became a drunk, too many of his cases end up that way.

[Sisyphus]

Your playstyle is brought up at the end, little and small, such as whether you took drugs/drank, what kind of beliefs you professed (the contradiction between being a communist and making statements like "I hustle, I grind" was brought up), etc.

[Sentient_Toaster]

Not sure how many distinct endings are possible. From what I gather, it's at least:

* Solve the main mystery, completely (method, motive, opportunity, weapon, suspect), and get accepted by your colleagues, and possibly convince Lt. Kim to join your precinct.
* Die of a heart attack.
* Suffer a nervous breakdown and resign
* Commit suicide
* Thrown out for shootinga kid (judging from screenshots)

Klassje may or may not end up in custody (if in, she is likely murdered).
Ruby, may end up either dead-by-suicide, or fugitive.
Titus, may or may not survive the tribunal.
The various ravers, may remain free or be arrested at your discretion.

I would guess that Lt. Kim might die, if for some reason you *don't* try to warn him at the tribunal.

I don't know off-hand whether you can completely solve the case AND be such a mess that they throw you off the force anyway, but maybe?

[Sisyphus]

Kim doesn't die, but he gets shot and taken away to hospital.

I'm fairly sure that as long as you solve the case, you will be hired back on, I'm not 100 percent on that though.

[Gigachad 47]

Originally posted by tripleh213:

Yea the game is too short and rairoaded. Probably wont play again.

I got just shy of 29 hours in my playthrough by completing all of the side tasks and none of that time was wasted trying to figure out what to do; it was pretty straightforward in that regards. Anyone with less must have rushed through the game or skipped a very large amount of content.

[Deorman]

I just finished the game, and I must say I found the Tribunal showdown verycool, even if I couldn't avoid the bloodshed despite me being an all manipulator stats It didn't bothered me (the skills still helped me to go through the Tribunals and saves some lifes).
I'm more disapointed with the Island deserter, and even more by the final judgement from my 41 precinct mates.
I was enraged that they didn't show up at the tribunal. Even if they despised me, I know they were around and decide to not take action and I'm suppose to come back and be thankful like I'm the only one who has to be judged.
I expected a second showdown at the end with something about La Puta Madre where I'd have the chance to face them, or at least to deny them the right to judge me.
I'd have prefferred much more to join the 57 precinct with Kim, or join the Hardy boys to stay in Martinaise than recruiting Kim and getting back to the 41.

The ending felt a bit rushed in some areas, they try to hype you about Ruby but you don't get to interact a lot with her, I thought it would've been cool to see her again towards the end (even you already meet her just before the final showdown). I wished we would also had more interraction with the mercenaries from the tribunal, I only met their leader.
The fact that Klaasje just left gave me a feeling of unresolved matter (and to just arrest her would've give me the exact same feeling, even puting aside that I didn't want to arrest her in the first place, I just wanted to have this character arround to interact since she was at the center of the story)

[Cathexis Rex]

I wasn't in love with the mechanics of the endgame, myself, though I didn't mind it narratively. From how the game was constructed I kept *wanting* to go the island but was suspicious the game was preventing me from getting there. Turns out I was correct. The game *always* goes Investigation --> Ruby --> Tribunal --> Island.

Again, from a story perspective I don't really mind, but if you want to construct the story that way, please don't let me constantly be glimpsing the island on the map and at the periphery of my character's view (establishing it as an important location that I can visit), but denying me access for seemingly arbitrary reasons.

That being said, there is a pretty good essay on Medium that makes a good case for its construction. It's also an interesting introduction to the history of Detective Fiction:
https://medium.com/@pjjudge/a-spectre-is-haunting-martinaise-why-i-liked-disco-elysiums-disappointing-ending-5cbb4f335e2c

One reason to play through a second time (even if the 'final ending' is more or less the same) is the stat impacts on your internal monolog. Depending on your stats, you will generally either learn about the world through your own deduction (through INT) or by talking with other people (through PSY) - and these filters can offer divergent views on what's actually going on.

[Me]

Originally posted by Cathexis Rex:

I wasn't in love with the mechanics of the endgame, myself, though I didn't mind it narratively. From how the game was constructed I kept *wanting* to go the island but was suspicious the game was preventing me from getting there. Turns out I was correct. The game *always* goes Investigation --> Ruby --> Tribunal --> Island.

Again, from a story perspective I don't really mind, but if you want to construct the story that way, please don't let me constantly be glimpsing the island on the map and at the periphery of my character's view (establishing it as an important location that I can visit), but denying me access for seemingly arbitrary reasons.

Yeah the linearity didn't really bother me. But I agree. I have played enough RPG's and adventure games, that the moment I saw that island in the corner on the map I knew that's where the game would take me to in the end. I guess if the game would have let me, I would just have gone there right away, so I get why they restrict access to it. It doesn't logically make sense, but gameplay-wise it does.

[Priest of Syrinx]

I really enjoyed the journey but was slightly disappointed by the resolution. I get it, Deserter's traces are found all over the game - bullet in the statue, footsprints in the secret passage, hidden weapons in the basement, cigarette butts - but the detectives never try to follow those leads or even suggest a crime of passion, despite the circumstances of the murder. Deserter himself isn't built up in any way either - would it hurt if someone said that the island is cursed and he'd seen a bloodied zombie? Or someone else mention hearing screams \ cries from there? Or make some urban legend and even some short quest about 'a man in the walls'?

Originally posted by IAmTheClayman:

I know there's another thread here about the story implications of the ending (for what it's worth I'm disappointed that there at least isn't talk of deserters earlier in the game to foreshadow the final confrontation, though I can understand why the designers went with a moral/political motive over a personal one)

I felt it was very personal - main motives being plasmid-caused lust and anger \ disappointment with the world

[Raviel]

Originally posted by Sentient_Toaster:

Not sure how many distinct endings are possible. From what I gather, it's at least:

* Solve the main mystery, completely (method, motive, opportunity, weapon, suspect), and get accepted by your colleagues, and possibly convince Lt. Kim to join your precinct.
* Die of a heart attack.
* Suffer a nervous breakdown and resign
* Commit suicide
* Thrown out for shootinga kid (judging from screenshots)

Klassje may or may not end up in custody (if in, she is likely murdered).
Ruby, may end up either dead-by-suicide, or fugitive.
Titus, may or may not survive the tribunal.
The various ravers, may remain free or be arrested at your discretion.

I would guess that Lt. Kim might die, if for some reason you *don't* try to warn him at the tribunal.

I don't know off-hand whether you can completely solve the case AND be such a mess that they throw you off the force anyway, but maybe?

you can get killed by Ruby too, i was accidentally, but reloaded save :/