Disco Elysium – A Look at Kim Kitsuragi

Lieutenant Kim Kitsuragi, your trusty partner and the voice of reason in ZA/UM Studio’s detective RPG Disco Elysium seems to be pretty much universally liked, which is a fairly rare feat for any RPG companion. And if you’d like to learn what makes him tick, you should check out this recent PC Gamer article featuring a good number of quotes from ZA/UM’s lead writer Robert Kurvitz. For example:

“Honestly, we’re surprised people like him so much,” says lead writer Robert Kurvitz. “Of course, we always adored him. All these years playing the game, testing it, writing it. We got to spend a lot of time with Kim. And we always felt he’s a real person and our friend.”

All of Disco Elysium’s characters feel like real people. Each one has a history and memories that, unlike NPCs of other RPGs, aren’t keen to spill their guts at the protagonist’s feet upon first meeting. As the detective’s partner, Kim has multiple threads to his backstory waiting to be unraveled. “We wanted Kim to open up through the scenes and situations you get into,” Kurvitz explains. “Not by clicking on him and cleaning out his tree.”

Because of that philosophy, the player is unlikely to uncover everything there is to know about Kim in just one playthrough. With certain combinations of skills or experiences, the detective can have interactions with Kim that couldn’t be achieved by playing with a different build.