Disco Elysium is one of the landmark titles to have come out in the past decade or so. In 2019, developer ZA/UM burst onto the indie gaming scene with its stunning debut title. Disco Elysium has since become recognized as one of the most innovative and cleverly designed entries in the narrative RPG genre. It has gone on to inform game design and set a new bar for narratives in the process, especially in the way that players are presented with a protagonist and a story that are both nearly exclusively driven by choice-based dialogue mechanics and consequences formed around a central mystery.
In the time since its release, a number of games like Disco Elysium have made their way onto the market or have been announced, with some of these even coming from former ZA/UM alumni after a now-famously messy rift between some of its founding members. Now, InEv Games’ upcoming title (and also its first), Livber: Smoke and Mirrors, counts itself among those going for a heavy Disco Elysium vibe. But the most notable difference is that Livber: Smoke and Mirrors is aiming for a much more terrifying plot setup and experience.
Upcoming Narrative-Based RPG Livber: Smoke and Mirrors Looks Like a Horror-Themed Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium Flirted With, But Never Fully Embraced, Horror
Disco Elysium‘s tale of a downtrodden and amnesia-addled detective who has been reluctantly assigned to solve a strange and gruesome murder that occurred in “the bad part of town” has become etched into gaming as one of the best and most engaging stories to date. By the very nature and history of the main character, players can shape his psyche and tendencies, which in turn affect relationships with equally colorful NPCs and the greater investigation into the crime.
Along the way, players could uncover other nefarious and borderline otherworldly happenings throughout Revachol. They could choose to further assist with, prevent, or just completely ignore some of these strange and semi-supernatural threads. By and large, though, Disco Elysium remained mostly grounded in reality. By contrast, Livber: Smoke and Mirrors is diving headfirst into horror.
Livber: Smoke and Mirrors Promises a Disco Elysium-Style Experience of Full-On Horror
On its Steam page, Livber: Smoke and Mirrors promises “a short psychological horror interactive story steeped in love, obsession, and madness.” It further outlines its framework and premise:
Five years after vanishing without a trace, Lilith, the woman you once called your lover and whom you believed dead, has written you a letter from beyond the silence. In it, she states: “I will give birth to our creation. Come, and crown us in the dark. You and I must always be one.”
The description goes on to highlight that in Livber: Smoke and Mirrors, “every decision you make and every step you take will pull you deeper into your own personal insanity as you descend into a fractured mindscape where obsession, memory, and myth intertwine.”
All of this sounds quite in line with Disco Elysium’s overall presentation. It implies players will be dealing with the same types of inner demons and personifications of philosophical perspectives provided by Disco Elysium‘s thought projections that fans could either embrace or reject depending on their own preferences and interpretations. Only in Livber: Smoke and Mirrors, everything appears filtered through a modern Gothic-like horror setting and tale.
Livber: Smoke and Mirrors has a planned release window of September 2025, though no firm date as of now.
Judging from its screenshots and trailer, it’s also immediately apparent that Livber: Smoke and Mirrors is taking clear inspiration from Disco Elysium‘s RPG design and graphical sensibilities. Featuring a similarly dream-like art style and a vertical text UI display, alongside a focus on character interactions and decisions, Livber: Smoke and Mirrors looks set up to be an experience closely aligned with Disco Elysium, albeit one that leans much harder into straight-up horror.
Disco Elysium
9/10
- Released
-
October 15, 2019
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
ZA/UM
- Publisher(s)
-
ZA/UM
- Engine
-
Unity
