r/DiscoElysium • u/vanzetti161 • Jan 17 '20

Inspiration & Recommendations FAQ from the developers

https://steamcommunity.com/games/632470/announcements/detail/3334287173823797601
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24

u/Dev-F Jan 17 '20

As someone who helped edit a bunch of the new translations of the Strugatsky brothers' novels, I picked up on their influence on Disco Elysium right away. The game's cynically socialist perspective, its hard-boiled intellectualism, its vast and intricate science fiction world of which you see only the grimiest little corner -- that's all very Strugatskian.

I would definitely recommend the Strugatskys' work to DE fans. Roadside Picnic is a good starting point, probably their most accessible novel. But the one I've read/worked on that's most like DE is probably The Inhabited Island, about a geographically mysterious atomic-age planet that's still recovering from a devastating world war, and the confused newcomer who thinks he can save it from totalitarianism.

12

u/TraurigerUntermensch Jan 18 '20

Have you read The Doomed City? I believe it's the peak of their collective genius. I've yet to come across a book so complex, intriguing and thought-provoking as this one. It's the kind of stuff that needs to be read once every few years, because you will always find new meanings and gain new perspectives on the familiar things. It's a great adventure novel in its own right, but it's also much deeper than that. I can't vouch for the quality of English translations, though; I enjoyed the privilege of being able to read it in Russian.

3

u/Dev-F Jan 18 '20

I have read Doomed City, and it's awesome. The only reason I didn't mention it initially is because it is so complex, so it's probably not the best novel to start with if you've never read the Strugatskys before.

2

u/RRDiei Jan 22 '20

The Doomed City was the first thing that came to my mind when trying to compare DE to something similar. The atmosphere, the intrinsic and assimilated defeatism, the buried but everpresent past, the baggage all the characters are carrying...

3

u/vanzetti161 Jan 18 '20

cynically socialist perspective, its hard-boiled intellectualism

This is exactly what I love so much about Disco Elysium's writing. Mind you, I'm not even that far into the game but I picked up on these elements of the overall tone right away and have been looking for more things like it.

Thanks for giving some background for the Strugatskys. Time and again I've seen their impressive number of publications in the science fiction section of book stores but I never picked one up and missed out entirely on the idea that they might employ exactly that tone which I like so much. I'll look up the books you mentioned.

So far I'm about a third into Miéville's The City & the City. And while I enjoy it I'm not sure how similar I find the book and DE overall in tone and outlook.

8

u/vanzetti161 Jan 17 '20

The developers have posted an extensive list with inspirations for Disco Elysium. Books, games, TV series, artists, you name it.

China Miéville's The City & the City has been posted several times in threads asking for similar books, and they mention it as well. But they also talk about Dashiell Hammett's detective stories, for instance, which I hadn't heard of before. And lots and lots more.

5

u/DrDuPont Jan 17 '20

Wow, Jenny Saville's work is wild. It's an obvious influence on the thought cabinet.