Might be my favorite 2026 release so far. I see a lot of people call Esoteric Ebb the best Disco Elysium-inspired game, and though I haven't played any of them, I gotta imagine it's probably true.
It took me a bit to get into it. Most fantasy works require remembering a lot of names, places, and concepts, and I also thought the Disco Elysium inspiration was maybe a little too distracting during those first few hours. But after a while, the world of Esoteric Ebb became more and more engaging. There's some fantastic writing in this thing. I am not ashamed to admit that I even teared up a little bit at the ending. And, unlike Disco Elysium, this game actually has combat. Sure, it's very simplistic, but I appreciated it anyway.
I think the world Christoffer Bodegård managed to build is really rich. The best compliment I could give it is that, as I uncovered more of it, I kept imagining the potential for so many different stories in this setting. I'm not a D&D guy, but I believe one of the roles of a good DM is to paint a vivid picture of the world that the players are inhabiting. Bodegård certainly succeeded here.
The part where everything really clicked for me was the City Below. That whole section is full of these little events that are absolutely delightful. This game actually made me laugh out loud multiple times. Another thing I appreciated is that Esoteric Ebb doesn't make you feel like you need to save-scum. I think I did it twice in my whole playthrough.
One common criticism I've heard about the game concerns its political plot points. At first, it felt a bit like it was copying Disco Elysium's homework, but ultimately I think Bodegård justified this aspect of the story pretty well, largely because of the strength of the worldbuilding.
So, in conclusion, not only is the worldbuilding solid, but I really liked the story and characters as well. I thought the resolution to the main mystery was pretty satisfying, and there was very little to complain about overall. At the end of the game, Bodegård heavily implies that there will be a sequel of some kind. I most definitely will be there for it.
