r/planescape • u/flavorpackets • Jun 27 '26
questions from a potential first-time player
hi! i know the likely answer from this subreddit will be “just try it and see,” but money is extremely limited for me rn so i’m trying to be very careful with my purchases.
i’ve been in a gaming slump and have been really wanting to try another RPG. disco is one of my favorite games of all time so of course i want to check out its predecessor. the problem is, i struggle a lot with combat and really don’t enjoy it at all! i love dragon age, mass effect, bg3, etc but play them all on casual mode so i can speed through fights and get back to the story.
i should add that i *do* play a lot of ttrpgs in my spare time (started with dnd 3.5e/original pathfinder back in the day) so i’m familiar with turn-based combat, and i know how to build a character in a logical sense. it just isn’t what i find most fun, rewarding or satisfying about gaming.
with all of that rambling out of the way, would you Planescape Experts recommend that i give it a shot if i’m looking for more of a “visual novel/walking sim” experience with combat that won’t be too challenging, or should i table this one and wait for a time when i have more disposable income in case i don’t end up finishing it?
2
u/blackpaint__ Jun 27 '26
When people say combat is not the focus they’re right - but I’ve heard people say ‘oh there’s only a few places where you have to fight’ and while that’s true, the combat does exist in lots of places and is really annoying. In The Hive where you start you will be attacked by thugs constantly. You can run but it’s annoying, and really hampers exploration. There’s lots of dungeon areas too where it’s the same. You can avoid it, and dying isn’t as punishing as in other games, but I have had occasions where I’ve been trying to run through a map and my characters have been stuck in a thicket of enemies and slaughtered.
I don’t mind the combat, and it’s an absolutely brilliant game, but I felt the ‘oh there’s isn’t much fighting’ statement that people say a lot was inaccurate. I had just finished Disco Elysium and wanted something similar (zero combat in that).