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I haven’t posted in a little bit. I’ve been a bit out of it, but I (at least) want to get out some good press about Esoteric Ebb.

Summary: You play an arcana cleric (an amazing D&D class, by the way) who was recently revivified after falling into the sea. Your character is directed to investigate an explosion in a tea shop and gets caught in political and esoteric machinations while investigating.

It is a combination of D&D 5e and Disco Elysium, bearing more similarities to the latter. As a result, it is the closest thing “out there” to a Disco sequel. That alone makes the game worth playing. The entire game has an “arcade fantasy” vibe, with modern elements like jukeboxes and bikes. It felt very contemporary D&D to me—think “Critical Role” and “Dimension 20.” If you are into that style, I think you’ll love this game. But there’s only a family resemblance between those properties and EE, so even if you dislike them, you may still enjoy it.

Although there is an emphasis on being a bad cleric and “breaking the campaign” in the game’s advertising, I found it very natural to follow the story as presented. And while the plot wasn’t earth-shattering, it was interesting, surprising, and thought-provoking enough.

I stuck with a scholar character, which I guess is the norm for me, and thought it was a solid build. Even though my CON stat was miserable, I didn’t encounter many issues. I was able to do, more or less, whatever I wanted. I sided with the socialist party, pursued the friendship path with the major side character, stayed with the cleric class, and played most other things fairly middle-of-the-road. I never felt that I had to make any major moral decisions throughout the playthrough, nor anything especially morally ambiguous. There were some moments that genuinely caught me off guard, though—namely, when the game revealed that the god I worshipped was responsible for a genocide.

I mean, it isn’t Disco Elysium. It felt like a “fun-sized” Disco overall. That being said, it is close enough. Brighter, cleaner, less heavy. No big message worth reflecting on. This isn’t a masterpiece, but it is a damn good game. I highly recommend it.