Is this game supposed to be fun? What am I missing?

[Adman[WCD]]

Played for about an hour. Died in the middle of a dialogue tree totally randomly. I didn't have a save game, so I get to start all over again. Yay!

Play quickly to that same point (without dying this time). Play for another 45 minutes or so and die again, again totally randomly (as far as I can tell).

Is this game supposed to be fun? What am I missing here?

[Du-Vu]

I mean, if you didn't find that funny, if the writing and music didn't grab you, you're probably not the audience for this game. That's fine. Refund it if you still can, it sounds like you're under the 2 hour mark.

[Hopper-King]

Originally posted by AdmanWCD:

Played for about an hour. Died...
I didn't have a save game, so I get to start all over again.

Play for another 45 minutes or so and die again

it's the old crpg style where part of the game is save management.
game gives you 2 quicksave slots, just figure out your hotkey bindings so you can do everything on your mouse.

[chris.ferrantegerard]

Fun is subjective. Disco Elysium is a narrative focused game, so you if you're not into reading lots of long narrative text then the game might not be for you.

FYI, certain choices can cause your character to take health or morale damage. You can increase your max health / morale by putting additional points into Endurance / Volition and you can use heath / morale restoration items (can be found in random containers or bought at the store) to avoid game over if you run out of either of them. You have a short time period to use one after falling to zero before getting game over.

[Adman[WCD]]

Originally posted by Du-Vu:

I mean, if you didn't find that funny, if the writing and music didn't grab you, you're probably not the audience for this game. That's fine. Refund it if you still can, it sounds like you're under the 2 hour mark.

Thanks. I bought it on deep discount for only a few bucks, so I'll keep it and just shuffle it to the bottom of my pile.

To be fair, though, the writing and music are great. It's the "now you're dead through no fault of your own and you've lost an hour of progress!" that sucks. I went through this with the Sierra "Quest" games back in the day. I don't need this now.

[The Sylvan Learning Center]

through no fault of your own huh

[Hopper-King]

Originally posted by AdmanWCD:

It's the "now you're dead through no fault of your own and you've lost an hour of progress!" that sucks.

i know that feel. happened to me when i started too.
there was a point where i hated even being around the-whirling (start location).
then i started using(/abusing) the quicksaves, and the game eventually became worth the irritating initial learning curve.

[KATAMARAN]

just don't start the game with 1 point in health/mental

[Pacino]

Originally posted by AdmanWCD:

Played for about an hour. Died in the middle of a dialogue tree totally randomly. I didn't have a save game, so I get to start all over again. Yay!

Play quickly to that same point (without dying this time). Play for another 45 minutes or so and die again, again totally randomly (as far as I can tell).

Is this game supposed to be fun? What am I missing here?

You just need to be a bit thoughtful about the options you select. Failing checks can hit morale so don't attempt them if you're going to fail miserably. Likewise selecting physical options that you're unlikely pass will hit your health for the most part. It's not as random as you think it is. You can also heal before dying, should you have the items to do so. That won't be an issue if you're exploring and checking your environment. And none of this is intended as condescention, believe me when I say that this game did NOT click easily for me (I've own it for over a year and only just really got into it). Lastly there's also a quick save function so if in doubt, hit it before doing anything you feel might be risky.

To answer your closing question... I probably wouldn't describe the game as "fun" but I would say it's engaging. The writing is weird and randomly hilarious at times. One tip I'd offer... Somewhat counterintuitively given this game type... Is that you don't need hear everything that everyone has to say. You will absolutely drown in conversation if you try to hear every bit of dialogue. It's better if you try to stick to selecting options that are relevant to your pursuit or personally interesting to you as a person.

Anyway, I hope that helps a little. As the person said above there's no point in trying to suffer through something that isn't for you. But I think if you persist then you can get enough momentum to overcome the initial randomness.

[The HR Department]

There's huge amounts of hilarious goings on in this game, but, it may just not be your sort of thing. I get a lot out of it, but that's due to me engaging with it, and what I find funny and interesting, and emotional.

If you've got the mind for it, there's some really beautiful writing wrapped up in this fubar detective escapade. It also helps if you understand a bit of "rave" culture.

[The HR Department]

Also, find the song by Morrissey - Every Day is Like Sunday. It kind of gets you in the groove.

[Du-Vu]

The old advice still holds true: save often and in different slots. The game gives you a multi-slot quicksave and healing items. There's no reason not to use them.

But this is the kind of game where I wanted to see all the ways I could die and fail checks as much as succeed, because losing was as entertaining as getting the actual solution to a puzzle, and in this case there's enough fall through and reactivity that you'll ultimately get more out of the game if you don't succeed at everything the first time.

But Space Quest was kind of like that too. So yeah, might not be your kind of thing.

[Acrai]

it has taken me 3 tries to finally get into this game, a year and a half, i think only now has it stuck. the game is a bit obtuse with no tutorial, but if you can just know youre going in to enjoy the writing and humor, then you will enjoy it no matter the shape of your gameplay. i dont think you need to go in with the mindset of "stellar gameplay that has me at the edge of my seat" youre more interfacing with a system and involving yourself with it, enjoying it, embracing it.
this may not be the answer you want, but it is a mindset thing. i favor roguelikes, i dont need a particular mindset for those other than "oh boy i get to do it again" but for D.E. id say the mindset is "i do not know what is ahead, and i will enjoy even the harsher parts, because i enjoy feeling in its entirety." and to cope- id like to think my nearly 2 year struggle with wanting but not knowing how to play this game was part of that enjoyment in feeling.
please come back sometime to play it at your own pace, it will be here when you return.

[The Sylvan Learning Center]

Aye I quit halfway through day 1 for like a year due to not enjoying excessive hardship management.

Picked it up again a year later and it just clicked, just roll with the failures. And now it's like one of the best games.

[Bilbo Tha Donk]

As always, ask a legit question - get the attention of the truly abnormal who have managed to mistakenly connect their own egos with the quality of a video game they have nothing to do with.

[Hopper-King]

Originally posted by Bilbo Tha Donk:

...with the quality of a video game they have nothing to do with.

though i don't really care for the gatekeepy way some people are,

not the audience/not for you

i understand for people to hang around here, they have to be pretty passionate about the game.
especially considering what the company did to the creator back then, and what they did about 7 months ago when they severed the last link between disco and the company by sacking argo tuulik.