There’s a part of me that wishes I had never played Disco Elysium. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a phenomenal game that’s groundbreaking in several ways: the character buildout and social choices, the dialogue and off-the-wall decisions, and the incredible replay value that comes from approaching different angles. It’s a shame the developers got completely screwed, but they’re thankfully working on Hopetown now, and it looks like it’ll be a smashing success.

But the gameplay formula of visual novel-esque decisions with isometric movement hasn’t been captured as well by others, particularly the disappointment that was Sunset High. So when there is a successful creation like Esoteric Ebb, I celebrate the win, but also chaff slightly at not experiencing this sort of idea for the first time. Thankfully, Christoffer Bodegård did something exceptionally right: making it just silly enough to stand apart without being a parody.

Customize your own doom, or have a prefab guaranteed to screw up in exciting ways!

Being a cleric is hard. Being a dead cleric is infinitely harder, mostly due to the lack of existence. Thankfully, Ragn, a dead cleric, was able to change his mind and return to the land of the living. But things are hazy, and he have multiple questions. Such as “How did I die?” and  “Was that really necessary?” But Ragn doesn’t have time to figure out if your mortal coil actually required shuffling or not. A very important election is coming up, one that may have necessitated his death in order to move things forward. But Ragn can’t simply let this slight go. He’s got a God to impress, a mystery to solve, and apples to eat. So many apples. Will he go at things alone? Not at all! Ragn has Snell, a very reluctant goblin companion, and the biggest supporter and critic of all: himself.

Bodegård is unabashed and unashamed of the influence of Disco Elysium on Esoteric Ebb, but he was wise enough to retain the important points and craft and elevate those that make his game unique. From your isometric vantage, the player must pilot around The Cleric to different parts of Norvik city, asking questions, investigating leads and trying (and often failing) to do a variety of saving throws. Heavily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, the voices in your head that analyze and narrate your actions are based on the core stats of Strength, Dexterity, Charisma, Wisdom, Intelligence and Constitution. Almost every part of your being is made up of these five sentient attributes, and they’ll make their voices heard long, loud and often. Every step you take is laced with a potential for the dice to start rolling and for the game to let you know exactly how well or poorly you did.

Also, here’s a fun rub from the very beginning: you’re a cleric. You’re supposed to be a holy crusader and have a handle on being a moderately good person. But where would the fun be if you spend all your time with a broom handle up your ass like a paladin of Tyr? Instead, you are constantly presented with being able to make the worst choices, which, on occasion, are either really important or really fun to move the plot forward. That guard might be immovable when it comes to convincing why you need their key, but what if you were able to simply steal it? Yes, you should probably talk to the goblin with dignity and respect, but what if you constantly infantilized them? Sure, your alignment is constantly shifting and you’re actively getting debuffed because you’re conflicting with your class, but aren’t you enjoying yourself, even a little?

All of my inner voices weigh in on how to best not die from this angel.

Your choices for what you say in Esoteric Ebb matter so much for where the game is going to unfold. Being a cleric is one thing, but declaring it to NPCs is actually essential for you to believe your own hype and have more of a clerical mindset. There’s this election going on, and whom your voting for is important as well: keep mentioning the same political party and you may get specific reactions and even quests to open up. While you can usually say or do inane things and have it not matter a moment later, there are a few spots where your big mouth will change things forever, so consider when you want to flap your gums. Anyone who’s enjoyed Planescape: Torment will be aware of the weight that comes from making a split second decision that reshapes the future and any potential endings. Same rules, more apples.

As you barge ahead with the quests and your attempts to solve your own death and discover the conspiracy behind the election, you begin to see more and more engagement within the game that’s right in vein with the high fantasy world. You can learn both spells and cantrips, outfit yourself with bought and foraged equipment, and sculpt a campaign around your own single player adventure that organically becomes more and more what you, the player, would like the Dungeon Master to present. Purposely becoming more aggravating leads to more combat, while the silver tongued player will end up trading verbal barbs far more often than any physical projectiles. Combat isn’t completely unavoidable, but this isn’t a Baldur’s Gate III situation. Get to rolling the die, adjust modifiers, and then constantly keep rolling saving throws because you’re going to get yourself killed or almost killed a silly number of times.

This was a very minor interaction, but also one of the very rare nat 20s I got.

Now, I’m not going to kid you: Esoteric Ebb has a metric ton of game behind it, with over a million words being concocted to account for every interaction in multiple facets, with branches upon branches of exchange that you may never see even if you play the game multiple times. As a result, as a reviewer who is not able to stare into multiple realities at once (in spite of what a roommate in college promised after he came back from the forest), I cannot speak to the full depth and breadth of what game you may experience. I can only say two things for absolute certainty. One, it’s exceedingly well written with tons of weight given to the tone, word choice and directionality of how conversations turn. There isn’t a stitch of wasted verbage to make the game feel bloated or Dickensian (the writer, not the time period).

The second is that this thing is fun. It’s clear that Bodegård sat through many fantastic tabletop sessions with a flexible and excellent DM (or maybe was one himself), because Esoteric Ebb never takes the turn you expect it will, but it always turns in a way that makes sense. The consideration for how your stats influence the effects of not only attempted feats but conversations feel fluid and logical, even if an outside perspective may find it confusing. You need to play to your build consistently or at least be ready to suffer the consequences of going outside of the box. You can make calculated risks on what you can say, which spell you can cast, and you won’t always be happy with the outcomes, but you will be pleased by how they read. For God’s sake, you can literally die of embarrassment if you miss the saving throw.

This does not end well.

This is what really sets Esoteric Ebb apart from the growing number of isometric choice driven RPGs is the firm, strong placement within the pen and paper community. Not everyone is going to have the patience to deal with your nonsense, and the game will constantly set you up if you want to to be an imbecile. Pickpocket strangers and then act confused that your hands are in the wrong pocket. Look upon a literal angel and comment how freaky their eyes are. Attempt to pet a sleeping griffon, twice, because you weren’t sure if the force field that catapulted you across the landscape would happen again. Try to help someone push a magazine in a mail slot, fail the strength check, and then almost die from exhaustion because your dice suck so badly. All these things and more have absolutely happened in a campaign somewhere.

The scope of the game can lead to some minor flaws, however, so players should be ready for it. Navigation through controller or mouse have their own advantages and disadvantages: controls feel more fluid for walking around, mouse is best for true isometric RPG immersion. The map is positively sprawling, so needing to wait between loading times for areas that might only be a screen long and only serve as a waypoint can be frustrating. Also, if you’re more accustomed to traditional RPGs, the glacial pace of EXP accumulation and leveling up will be maddening. You’ll delight in getting a few points here and there for asking the right questions or passing a strength check, but you’ll be dismayed at how far you are before anything can actually change.  I adore apples, but constantly needing to replenish your HP by eating them from being a douche will grow exhausting.

I almost immediately died thanks to my curiosity and terrible throws.

This is all to say that Esoteric Ebb is a fantastically unique game that hits in a way that a lot of titles don’t anymore. While there are plenty of epic RPGs on the market, there’s never been one that has the bones of a campaign with the meat of a moron. You’ve never seen a game hilariously punishing you, in real time, for being a dink, while simultaneously urging you forward with your stupidity. It’s simultaneously serious and satirical, and both are completely genuine. The tonality, the flow and the atmosphere make this a phenomenal marathon game. You could probably rush through it in a weekend, but why waste all this incredible writing? Take your time, explore every interaction, and keep your wits about you.

Esoteric Ebb is available now on Steam.

Reviewed on My PC.

A Copy of Esoteric Ebb was provided by the publisher.