Esoteric Ebb – a fantasy crpg inspired by Disco Elysium and Dungeons & Dragons

If you were drawn to the dense, choice-driven storytelling of Disco Elysium but also love the thrill of rolling dice in Dungeons & Dragons, then Esoteric Ebb may be one of the most intriguing upcoming titles to watch.

Esoteric Ebb is an isometric crpg built in a distinctly “Disco-like” style, translating the spirit of tabletop TTRPG sessions into a rich single-player computer experience. The game unfolds in a strange post-arcanepunk world, where mythical creatures sell newspapers on street corners and competing ideologies have replaced the whispers of long-dead gods.

Waking up to chaos on the eve of an election

The story begins just five days before the city’s first election. A tea shop suddenly explodes in the heart of downtown. You are assigned to handle the situation, but events quickly spiral out of control.

The protagonist, The Cleric, wakes up in a morgue with river water soaking their shoes, surrounded by thousands of rotting apples, several corpses, and a zombie. With no official backing, you must investigate a mystery that seemingly no one wants uncovered.

The main setting is the fictional city of Norvik, a sprawling urban landscape of streets, towering structures, and shadowy tunnel systems. Here, players must navigate rival factions, manipulate fragile alliances, and make decisions that could come back to haunt them at any moment.

Rolling the dice to decide your fate

One of Esoteric Ebb’s standout features is its TTRPG-inspired dice-rolling system. From arm-wrestling a dwarf and pickpocketing someone in plain sight to trying not to make a fool of yourself, nearly every action can be determined by a single roll.

The game emphasizes that failure is not necessarily a bad outcome. In true Dungeons & Dragons fashion, a failed roll can open the door to situations that are far more surprising and entertaining than a flawless success.

Everything happens inside your head

Much like Disco Elysium, The Cleric’s stats are more than just numbers. Each Ability Stat has its own perspective, frequently interrupting conversations and arguing with one another. Players must engage in constant internal debates before committing to a choice.

This system creates deeply branching dialogue with a wide range of options and long-lasting consequences. Quests can be completed in multiple ways, from logical and methodical approaches to completely absurd solutions.

Reality-bending magic and turn-based combat

As The Cleric, you can wield magic to directly influence the story. Control minds, uncover hidden secrets in underground tunnels, or even speak with the living and the dead, if only to hear them insult you.

Although violence is presented as a last resort, the game does feature turn-based encounters. When conflict erupts, a single dice roll can determine life or death. Even so, Esoteric Ebb consistently encourages players to seek unconventional solutions instead of charging headfirst into battle.

A unique questing tree

The Questing Tree system functions as a quest log, skill tree, and mind map all at once. Each quest branch can “take root” in the character’s psyche, reshaping your playstyle through new traits and abilities.

With its open-ended quest structure, players can become the savior of Norvik, the one who pushes the city to the brink of ruin, or someone who accidentally rises to the top of the power structure in a way no one saw coming.

A crpg worth watching

Esoteric Ebb is aimed at players who appreciate dialogue-heavy crpgs built around choices and consequences. The blend of dense narrative design, Dungeons & Dragons-inspired dice mechanics, and a distinct post-arcanepunk aesthetic gives the game a strong identity of its own.

With an election fast approaching and a mysterious explosion still unsolved, the most important question the game poses is not only “who is behind it all?” but also: what will you choose to stand for?