Longdue Games hat erste Gameplay-Eindrücke von Hopetown präsentiert, einem kommenden RPG, das als „spiritueller Nachfolger“ von Disco Elysium gilt. Die beeindruckenden visuellen Darstellungen und die spannende Dialoggestaltung versprechen eine Mischung aus emotionaler Tiefe und philosophischer Komplexität. Trotz einiger kritischer Anmerkungen zur Dialogqualität und Charakterentwicklung wird die Kunst als atemberaubend beschrieben. Fans von Disco Elysium könnten auf eine interessante, wenn auch herausfordernde, Spielerfahrung hoffen.
Exciting Sneak Peek at Hopetown: A Spiritual Successor to Disco Elysium
Longdue Games has unveiled the first glimpse of gameplay from Hopetown, their upcoming RPG that is being touted as the „spiritual successor“ to Disco Elysium, set to launch soon on Kickstarter.
Initially hinted at anonymously last October during the Grand Disco Thrupening and officially revealed last month, Hopetown has been characterized as a fusion of the raw emotional depth and psychological intricacies of Disco Elysium with the philosophical richness and narrative complexity found in Planescape: Torment.
Astonishing Visuals and Intriguing Dialogue
At first, I hoped that the grandiose tone and style were mere marketing fluff. However, judging by the content presented, it seems that my optimism may have been misplaced.
Let’s take a step back, though, because the visuals are breathtaking. They are so striking that I find it hard to believe that this is how the game will actually look rather than a piece of concept art. The vibrant purple and yellow color palette combined with a painterly style, soft yet sharp in detail, is simply stunning.
Upon diving into the dialogue, your character introduces themselves to a sweet old lady feeding pigeons. „I don’t shit in my own drinking water – though I see that’s not a dealbreaker,“ they quip, setting the tone for what’s to come.
In Disco Elysium, your character had the opportunity to find a leather jacket emblazoned with „Fuck The World.“ If you pushed hard enough, you could even convince your partner, Kim, to wear a matching jacket that read „Pissf****t.“ Clearly, someone at Longdue sees value in these jackets as a foundation for character development.
I admit that I view this dialogue through the lens of Longdue’s description of your character as a „chaotic, self-destructive provocateur who sees humanity as inherently selfish and cruel,“ as well as „bluntly cynical and dangerously unpredictable.“ Disco Elysium often treaded the line of self-satisfaction, boasting, and excess smoothness, but it never crossed into the realm of being cringingly obtuse.
The pigeon lady offers your character a piece of bread, prompting three response options, one of which is humorously labeled „Noblesse N’oblige.“ I appreciate the name, but the dialogue itself—“I’d rather lick the trash can [reject the bread from her hands]“—is a childish and oblivious take on why the chaotic cringe-comedy choices in Disco were so entertaining.
Your „Gonzo“ option is: „Yes, feed the masses! So it shall be done. FEAST, HEAVEN RATS! (Take the bread).“ Have you ever encountered a sentence that sounds like the exclamation points were written first and everything else followed? The attempts to convey suppressed philosophy feel equally unconvincing: „You give the dirt on the ground a fighting chance to touch the heavens. That’s commendable.“
I’m not particularly looking for or expecting Hopetown to be a direct copy of Disco Elysium. However, if you are relying on the imagination of individuals whose work has allegedly been appropriated—justified by the singular contribution of a system designer from an outsourced studio (who I’m sure is excellent at their job but likely had no say in the marketing strategy of this „spiritual successor“)—I believe you should strive to create a more compelling homage to the spirit you aim to follow.
Nonetheless, the artwork is breathtakingly beautiful. And yes, I’m clearly selecting lines out of context from a single screenshot. I would be more than happy to apologize for doubting the pigeon scene. If not, there are always two other options to choose from.