It's obvious that a lot of attention has been paid to Disco Elysium: Game Boy Edition This is an oddly perfect remake that transforms 2019's Game of the Year (and #1 on the Top 100) into a spanky, lo-fi handheld console.

The art is reminiscent of Pokémon and a number of 90s Game Boy RPGs, but it also hints at the scenery and characters of Lebachol, breaking these scenes down into their essentials. I recognize these places. Of course, one has to squint a bit, but the essence is all there.

Similarly, the dialogue is condensed, matching the breezy, carefree writing of a family RPG, but the content remains the same as the grim inspiration. Within minutes, you're making rolls over a dead body hanging from a tree, trying not to puke your guts out.

Instead of choosing a specific skill, you first choose an archetype, and a successful roll enhances the skill. The dice element isn't as hidden this time around, and the skill check takes you to a separate screen where you roll two D6s and try to get a number higher than the challenger's. As I confirmed in Baldur's Gate 3, I'm a big fan of RPGs that let me pretend I'm playing a tabletop adventure.

There's very little audio, just a recreation of the beginning of an RPG that takes at least 20 hours to complete, but it's a great tribute; I would have been even more excited to see it ported to the Switch, but at least the Game Boy version is playable on a smartphone. You can even play it on the Game Boy if you're willing to go to your parents' attic, find an old handheld console, and go through the trouble of downloading Disco Elysium as a ROM.

Actually, that sounds pretty tempting.