Esoteric Ebb Review Summary

High praise for gameplay: Many players expressed enjoyment and satisfaction with the gameplay, describing it as great, delightful, and very good. The gameplay is complemented by an excellent soundtrack and sound design.

Captivating and intricate world: The game's world is described as captivating, beautiful, unique, and intricate. Players appreciate the deep and interesting world-building.

Spiritual successor to Disco Elysium: The game is seen as a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, filling the void left by it and replicating its unique elements while being different.

Exceptional writing quality: The game's writing is highly praised for being exceptionally good, well-written, and intelligent. Players appreciate the competent and engaging writing style.

Lighthearted charm and humor: The game has a lighthearted and goofy charm, with good humor and jokes about the fantasy genre, video games, and tabletop gaming.

Lack of voice acting: Players have expressed disappointment over the lack of voice acting in the game, which affects their immersion and overall experience.

Irritating game mechanics: Players find the dice rolls irritating and the lack of a turn back button frustrating. Additionally, the game forces political themes and has a rushed feeling due to the in-game clock.

Language and translation issues: Non-English speakers face language barriers, and there are calls for Chinese and Portuguese translations. Some translations have small errors.

Gameplay and atmosphere concerns: The game's atmosphere is considered sillier and lighter than Disco Elysium. The lore is dumped much faster, and the detective nature is not as gradually deployed.

Save system issues: The game lacks a save feature and players cannot delete or clean up old saves, which is inconvenient.

Blends Disco Elysium and D&D: The gameplay and mechanics blend elements from Disco Elysium and Dungeons & Dragons.

CRPG with narrative focus: The game is a narrative-driven CRPG with a dark comedy tone, reminiscent of classic CRPGs.

Character interactions and NPCs: Interactions with NPCs and dialogue choices are a significant part of the gameplay.

Character customization and builds: Players can create and customize their characters with different builds and attributes.

Dialogue and choices: Dialogue is a core gameplay mechanic, with choices affecting the narrative and character interactions.

Zero performance issues: Several players have noted that the game runs smoothly without any performance problems.

Loading games gets laggy: Some players have reported that the game experiences lag during the loading process.

Plays great on SteamDeck: Players have found that the game performs well and is enjoyable on the SteamDeck platform.

Great for D&D and CRPG fans: This game is particularly recommended for fans of Dungeons & Dragons and classic role-playing games (CRPGs). It offers good character dynamics and a vibe similar to Disco Elysium.

Recommended for Disco Elysium fans: This game is highly recommended for those who enjoyed Disco Elysium. Players who loved the style and gameplay of Disco Elysium will likely appreciate this game as well.

Try the demo first: Players are advised to try the demo before purchasing the full game. This suggestion indicates that the demo provides a good representation of the full game experience.

Recommended for general enjoyment: The game is recommended for general enjoyment, suggesting that it has broad appeal and is worth trying for a wide audience.

Highly recommended overall: The game comes with a strong general recommendation, indicating that it is well-received and worth playing.

Game completion: 50.0h.

Story completion: 14.0h.

Session length: 8.0h.

Esoteric Ebb is instantly engaging and fun from the beginning, with players enjoying the game's writing and mechanics within the first hour.

D&D Rule Enthusiast: Enjoys turn-based combat and narrative-driven gameplay. Motivation: Exploration and interaction within the D&D universe. Stance: buy.

Narrative-Driven RPG Fan: Enjoys narrative-driven gameplay and character development. Motivation: Engaging storytelling and character dynamics. Stance: buy.

Supports Chinese localization: The game includes Chinese language support, making it accessible to Chinese-speaking players.