First Look at Hopetown: The Spiritual Successor to Disco Elysium

Hopetown, a nonlinear RPG from Longdue Games, offers a captivating new approach to narrative-driven gameplay. Established by former employees of industry giants ZA/UM, Rockstar Games, and Bungie, the studio has unveiled a first glimpse into the game's mechanics, hinting at a spiritual successor to the acclaimed Disco Elysium. The game plunges players into the shoes of a journalist who awakens in a remote mining town, nursing a brutal hangover. The mystery begins: players must unravel the events of the previous night and navigate escalating local tensions, facing crucial choices that determine whether to quell the conflict or stoke the flames.

Early screenshots reveal a dialogue-rich experience where player choices profoundly shape the narrative. Multiple character archetypes are available, each providing unique dialogue options and approaches to conversations. For instance, interacting with an elderly woman feeding pigeons allows players to select different conversational tones, leading to varied outcomes.

Longdue Games is gearing up for a Kickstarter campaign to fund Hopetown's development, with a dedicated page already live on the platform. While a concrete release date remains unannounced, anticipation is steadily growing amongst fans of narrative-focused RPGs.

Interestingly, Hopetown isn't the only game drawing inspiration from Disco Elysium. Dark Math Games and Summer Eternal are also developing their own psychological RPGs, creating a burgeoning subgenre within the RPG landscape.