Playing Esoteric Ebb is like rolling the dice with a great DM
Esoteric Ebb is a new CRPG from developer Christoffer Bodegård that blends the introspective gameplay of Disco Elysium with fantasy D&D aesthetics. Players take on the role of a cleric investigating a mysterious explosion at a local tea shop in a small town, while managing conflicting voices and character traits that speak to the protagonist in their head.
The game shares Disco Elysium’s visual presentation, using an isometric, top-down perspective, and matches its dialogue-heavy approach. Like its spiritual predecessor, Esoteric Ebb requires significant reading, demands players weigh competing perspectives from their internal character voices, and features dice rolls that determine outcomes—not all of which succeed. This randomness creates unpredictable narrative branches, much like rolling the dice with a skilled Dungeon Master.
According to early impressions, the game has a slow start. During the initial days of play, progression feels gradual and somewhat aimless as players acclimate to the mechanics and world. However, the reviewer’s experience suggests the game finds its rhythm as players invest more time.