Topic: PUSH SQUARE GAME CLUB | December | The Artful Escape 🎸👩🏻‍🎨🏃

@Thrillho I did lose from running out of morale, but that was mostly just my curiosity getting the better of me. In the heat of the moment, I was eager to see what would happen if I ignored the warning to heal immediately.

I also got a proper loss. That was from confronting someone about something, and choosing bad option choices that got them even more annoyed.

@R1spam @Thrillho

INLAND EMPIRE
[Medium: Success] The game is playing you, Sol. Don’t you know? You are a puppet on the stage of life. Flailing, crumbling, splintering in a sea of mathematical nothingness. Embrace the psychedelic non-existence of the pale.

@Thrillho As far as the question on the case — No, I failed the visual calculus check on the window. So I can only assume what I’ve been told by both Titus and Klaasje is the truth - that his brother (I think it was) replaced the window promptly after it was broken by the gunfire.

And yeah, regarding the ultra liberal pathway, I caught on that I need to go to that drunk guy, Idiot Doom Spiral. One of my voices in my head told me to check with him. So I just need to do that whenever I next play.

@Th3solution It can offer more information towards the case but missing one check or piece or evidence here and there doesn’t seem to make a huge difference overall, as evidenced by the fact I seem to have got a handle on things despite the body remaining untouched 😁

And yeah, that’s the next step for that side project too. I just finished that part off last night and it was quite funny.

As for me, I hit the big late game moment outside the Whirling last night (you’ll know what I mean when you get there)

Onto the home straight for me now.

And the credits rolled for me last night.

Quite happy how things turned out as the case wrapped up nicely. I think I actually preferred the last section of the game in this run though as Kim got shot so I had Cuno come with me to the island and back me up at the end which was way more fun. I recruited him to the force too.

Gutted though as the hardcore trophy didn’t pop. It seems it’s because I started the mode after starting the game rather than from the main menu.

Seems I’ll just have to do it again on my eventual third playthrough then..

I look forward to more of you finishing the game to talk about it

This game is very different from what I am used to but I have so far enjoyed it. I played for only about 1 to 2 hours and did not think I would enjoy it as much as I have. I'm intrigued and seeing how far I'll be able to get into it without making a decision that is at 0% success and I suffer for it.

I was only able to get in a couple hours last week and it’s probably going to be limited this week too, what with the holiday and all.

I was able to make progress with the church section — I was able to convince the computer researcher (Soona) to let the tent music people set up for their dance club. I was also able to progress the search for Ruby. I had gone to the large billboard but have such a low Shivers skill point that I skipped the dialog option until I could come back with more points. Nevertheless I finally just took my chance with a low percentage roll and it still advances the quest, so now I’m chasing a random lead about the children hearing a radio station in their heads. So weird, this game. I also was able to advance my ultra liberal choice set and hire My personal brand strategist.

I’m about 27 hours along, so hopefully getting close to the home stretch. But this game has a way of diverting you on quest lines for hours that don’t seem to have anything to do with the main story. However, sometimes it looks like what you’re doing has nothing to do with the main story and then it surprisingly does. 😅

Day 3 complete. I didn't get much done to advance the main investigation that day, but I did do a bunch of side missions as well as some important steps for the protagonist.

Now that I've got a lot of clothing, I am finding myself switching clothing before important dice rolls. So, putting drama gear on before drama actions, or logic gear for logic actions. It does mean that the dice rolls have been going a lot smoother. However, I did fail the all important check for karaoke at the Whirling-In-Rags, so people disliked his signing despite him putting pouring his emotions into it.

@crimsontadpoles I’ve been doing a lot of the same tactics. I’ve got so much clothing it’s ridiculous. 😅 Harry is literally a walking department store at this point. He always ends up looking like a homeless serial killer with all the random clothing choices and a crowbar in one hand and a plastic bag for picking up tare in the other. I also chose to shave when the opportunity presented itself and he somehow looks even worse now. 😂

For the karaoke I went ahead and save scummed because I wanted to see both options. Both were pretty entertaining, but the failure was quite funny and probably the better outcome in keeping with the pathetic character that Harry is. I’m not sure the karaoke event has any effect on the main storyline outcome, but is one of many side events that just make this game so bizarre and unique.

@SillyBoyJudas Don’t worry about failing checks, sometimes more interesting stuff happens when you do!

@Th3solution You’re very much on point with saying that side missions link to the main story for where you are as completing ones on that side of the map will help with the billboard.

@crimsontadpoles I prefer the failed version of the song And it’s one of those where I don’t think the outcome makes any difference. And yeah, clothing really helps as does some light substance abuse when needed.. Most checks are white ones so you can quit the conversation, gear up and go again. Red ones are one shot and mostly story related so you can either have a go or ignore them.

Alright gang! I hope you are all well? Looks like our time with the disco has been a successful one and personally, I have a new entry in my top 10. Alas, it’s time to make the final vote of the year. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped get this thing back off the ground this year and all your contributions and suggestions, it has been an absolute pleasure to be your host 👍

Here we go, here’s your list. @ me with your preferred 3

Inscryption
Dodgeball Academia
Observer Redux
NEO: The World Ends With You
Outer Wilds
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Artful Escape
Bioshock Infinite
Callisto Protocol

Werewolf The Apocalypse 

My Friend Pedro 

The Messenger 

Yakuza Like A Dragon
Mafia II

One love 👍
@Pizzamorg @Mr_B021 @QualityGeezer @KilloWertz @Th3solution @Ryne-Gaia @crimsontadpoles @RogerRoger @Hallowmoonshadow @R1spam @CaptD @Th3solution @ralphdibny @LobsterJohnson @SillyBoyJudas @kidfried @Fight_Teza_Fight

My gaming time ran aground this week, so I’ve not progressed in DE, and it’s possible my playthrough might bleed over into December as a result. As I mentioned before, I reckon I’m on the latter half of the game and I’m enjoying it, and so I really want to see it through to the end.

@AgentCooper Thanks for being the host, buddy. I know it’s more work than one would assume.

And I love how you always seem to find the right emojis to represent the game. 😅 And on that note, here’s my votes for the next month (only slightly influenced by my desire to see how you’d come up with emojis for them. 😜)

Inscryption
Callisto Protocol
Artful Escape

@AgentCooper bioshock infinite and mafia 2 for me please!

@Th3solution I would like to see the emoji's for NEO: The World Ends With You, but have zero interest in playing the game! 😂

Ratchet and clank for me otherwise I think it will sit in my backlog for ever

@AgentCooper I'd be up for some Bioshock Infinite or Mafia 2.

As for Disco Elysium, I'm probably getting kinda close to the ending now. I've been playing it fairly slowly, but that's just how it is sometimes. It's an interesting game, and I want to see how thing's end.

I had some horrific luck with the dice rolls at a crucial point in the game, with the confrontation between the mercenaries and the hardie boys. Thankfully both the main character and Kim somehow managed to survive, but they're certainly worse for wear. Everything else that could have gone wrong there did go wrong for me.

@crimsontadpoles It’s an amazing section of the game though and so much can happen there (a Reddit thread has every permutation on it https://www.reddit.com/r/DiscoElysium/comments/ed75o2/spoiler... )

And yes, very much on the home straight after that part!

@Thrillho Thanks for the link. It'll be interesting to read about the different ways things could have unfolded. I'll take a look once I'm done with the last stretch.