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Game2026
Esoteric Ebb
Developer Christoffer Bodegård
Esoteric Ebb is a role-playing video game developed by Christoffer Bodegård and published by Raw Fury, released for Windows on March 3, 2026. The game is unofficially based on a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, but played out similar to Disco Elysium where instead of using combat to resolve conflict, the player engages in dialog with non-player characters and makes skill checks against their inner voices, representing… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
390 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 7, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
88
LovedLoved
246 positive · 32 negative
95% range 84–92%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 246 | 32 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
112 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Overwhelmingly Positive
9,352 of 9,831 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 390 · most liked firstI've been really enjoying Esoteric Ebb, a narrative game that crosses Disco Elysium with Dungeons & Dragons by way of Douglas Adams. It's goofy and very entertaining. My favorite gag: the main character gets *really* excited any time it seems like an NPC might have a quest for him. Comes out today!
unlabelledView post →It's not disco, it's disc. While I definitely saw the influences of Disco Elysium and Planescape Torment, I kept feeling another even stronger influence that it took me a while to figure out. I think I finally did. At it's core, this game isn't Disco. It's Disc. As in Discworld. Esoteric Ebb approaches D&D like Terry Pratchett approaches fantasy literature - with pointy sticks, a lot of suspicions and sarcasm, and sometimes, a literal lawyer. Esoteric Ebb's city, Norvik, for example, isn't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Beautiful game. Great art, great soundtrack, great writing. Despite having learned from the genre’s greatest, it’s not derivative but stands on its own legs. For years, the answer to "I finished Disco Elysium, what do I play now?" was to look them straight in the eye and slowly shake your head. Now I can tell them to play Esoteric Ebb.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Many games have tried to be a successor to Planescape Torment. Many games have tried to be a successor to Disco Elysium. This game is a successor to Planescape Torment and Disco Elysium.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disco Elysium left a hole in my heart, but Esoteric Ebb filled a different hole that I forgot was even there.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb tries too hard to be Disco Elysium. It is not Disco Elysium, it will never be Disco Elysium. I saw a journalist call it "chaotic good" and I think that's a good description. Don't get me wrong, the game's genuinely good and was 100% worth my $20, I would even say it ranges into the $40,- value category, though I'm happy the developer chose a more affordable path. It's genuinely chock full of content, and it's clear a lot of effort was put into it - but it only really escapes…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an amazing journey. I thought long and hard about all the stuff I wanted to praise in it but in the end I decided to share one single fact: For the entirety of this game my character half jokingly told everyone that he is going to vote for himself and become the new wizard overlord. He had both intelligence and charisma for it. But in the end, after all the challenges and journeys, after that awesome adventure was over when the game actually gave me a chance to live up to all the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://bckl.gg/sD70]Backloggd Review Score: ★★★★★ Disco Elysium is my Roman empire. To be fair, it isn't entirely trivial to not think about that game on a daily basis considering I have a framed print of the [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/DiscoElysium/comments/mfcanj/does_anybody_know_if_theres_a_highres_version_of/]thought cabinet artwork hanging on my wall that's bigger than my TV. A non-Disco-pilled friend once asked me if I was planning to open a psychotherapy clinic - in retrospect,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Terry Pratchett meets Disco Elysium in a D&D game. I honestly cannot sell it harder than that. World: While it definitely hits the classic D&D notes, it's very much expansive and interesting in its own rights. The silliness does not detract from tragedy--like Discworld, it just makes the hard parts hit harder. Writing: Exactly what it needs to be. I've seen a lot of people arguing over whether or not it meets the quality of the games it gets compared to, but I think that whole discourse…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What an absolute delight. The game is not shy about how much it takes inspiration from Disco Elysium-- not only in its systems, but in some of the basic elements of the plot. You're a cleric (read: cop) in a city-state with a complicated political history, a bumbling mess with a straight man sidekick in a cool jacket whose friendship serves as the emotional scaffolding to a story that is a mix of silly, serious, and surreal. By all accounts, it should feel like a blatant attempt to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It is perhaps inevitable that any discussion of Esoteric Ebb is necessarily also a discussion of Disco Elysium; as a general rule, I dislike over-relying on comparison to a work in analysis but it is unavoidable here, so, that said – firstly, let’s be clear that Ebb makes absolutely zero secret of just how directly inspired by DE it is; it verges on that oft overused refrain of being a ‘spiritual successor’, though I do contend that thankfully Ebb manages to carve out a compelling identity for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has taken over my life recently. I have enjoyed the community, the final demo, and I have over 50 hours in this BEHEMOTH of fun and laughter and joy and all the rest. May Chris receive everything he deserves and more. May this flame, of all the flickering flames of the lingering spirit of Disco Elysium be the one kindling to burn brightest. To carry that flame. To inspire writers everywhere. Sincerely, thank you Christoffer Bodegård.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disco Elysium-esque, which is the single best compliment you can give to a game trying to emulate the vibe of such a fantastic game. After 18 plus hours: BUY THIS GAME. IT'S AWESOME AND I WILL GIVE MY LIFE FOR BRRR!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I expected a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, but it is even sillier, stranger, and more unhinged than I expected. It genuinely feels insane! I mean that in the best way.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You are considering purchasing Esoteric Ebb. It has piqued your interest enough that you are checking the reviews. Should you buy it? STRENGTH: You must. It is an insult to your entire being you do not already possess it. DEXTERITY: Yes. Wait, is it on Steam sale? Fools. You would have eagerly paid full price. CONSTITUTION: Your stomach heaves as you attempt to remove the game from your cart. Best purchase it and not tempt fate. INTELLIGENCE: Obviously. How else are you going to prove…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Upon clearing character creation, being let loose on the city, and acquiring a single inkling of the main story I - without a single ounce of hesitation - threw myself down a sewage pipe with my new goblin friend and spent the next full day stuck underneath the city having to deal with multiple threats to my life. Am I a wise Cleric? Absolutely not. But I paid for the entire HP bar, and I'M GONNA USE IT.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you have even the slightest interest in how great games are made, make time for this interview with the creator of Esoteric Ebb -- the year's best RPG (so far). It's rare for a designer to create a masterpiece. It's even rarer for them to explain HOW they did it. Clear, thoughtful, and funny!
unlabelledView post →This game's description directly states that it's inspired by Disco Elysium, so I will not hold back on comparing them. Unfortunately, it's exactly this perspective that makes its inferiority blatantly clear. Very light spoilers for both games ahead, but I'll try to be as vague as possible to not give away anything directly. I will use my personal example of the type of character I enjoy playing in these kinds of games to put in perspective how each game facilitates this. It's the role of a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disco Elysium is a tremendous RPG. The total package, fantastic voice acting and music, beautiful prose, amazing art, a unique concept and a great story and setting. I like Esoteric Ebb more. Like, way more.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb is fantastic and very, very warm. Yes, many will compare it to Disco Elysium. Some will compare it to Planescape Torment. But apart from some tricks and moves, Esoteric Ebb is its own, beautiful thing. It is also something I wanted for a long time. A hand-crafted dnd session with very talented DM. The one I can experience in full. In its entirety. Over and over again if I so please. TTRPGs games are great. But they're a bit stuck in the genre. They often focus on…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It must've been some strange esoteric event that made me buy this game. Esoteric Ebb has been one of the most enjoyable games I've played all year. The story, the characters, the emotions everything about this game just had me hooked from the start. It had me audibly laughing, sitting in stunned silence then questioning my own reality all in the space of a couple hours I can't recommend this game enough but make sure you know who you're voting for
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR: If you liked Disco Elysium just for the writing and weren't a CRPG fan going in, this game is probably not what you were hoping for. The strong reception likely reflects the enthusiasm of CRPG fans as opposed to the crossover literary appeal only Disco had. I loved DE despite zero experience with or interest in CRPGs generally. It's the one and only video game that I thought was well-written at the level of literary fiction, so I was eager to try Esoteric Ebb as the first "disco-like"…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb: Welp, I am addicted to this game. Because of the quests. I fucking love quests. I don’t even play D&D, just D&D inspired computer games for some reason.
unlabelledView post →Discworld DnD. Planescape Elysium. Political satire. Goofy humor. Serious dialogues. Ebbzzness. D20 rolls match this provocatively genious absurdity on a perfect level.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Something felt missing. Clearly so much work has been put in to get this amount of writing, the sheer breadth of lore, trait reactions, etc, and kudos for that. For me, though, by about day 3, it was just a tiringly massive wall after wall of text. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what made it just so frequently uninteresting. It could be that DnD is just so full of tropes that have been done so many times. Or that the premade boxes of political positions and class+ability choices became so…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb, the game I've been doing illustrations for, has now been released! Great work @chrisbodegard.bsky.social and the rest of the team!! youtu.be/xayOde6o8J0?...
unlabelledView post →I genuinely can’t remember the last time a game made me laugh this much. Esoteric Ebb is basically what happens if someone mixed an old-school RPG, a fever dream, and a group of unhinged D&D players into one game. Yeah, there’s a LOT of reading. But somehow every conversation is entertaining, every character is weird in the best possible way, and exploring the world feels insanely rewarding. I can already tell Esoteric Ebb is going to become one of those “you either get it or you don’t”…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I literally died of embarrassment because flirting went so badly, A+, game of the year.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A couple of magazines you can find in Esoteric Ebb 🔥 Drawing these for the game was so much fun, and many of my ideas for headlines made it in as well hehe
unlabelledView post →sadly its a pretty great game and read, loved its humour and shenanigans, played demo year ago and was surprised how massive the full game is, and the scariest thing the quality doesn't drop during the whole trip, funnies still hit, pacing is great, secrets still secret, 6 best friends in the head have constant presence, failing truly is fun and not marketing ♥♥♥♥♥, it's not "disco elysium"-like, it stand on its own perfectly fine, if only there was full or even partial VO it would hit so much…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game stands on its own but since 60% of the other reviews are mentioning Disco Elysium I will too. DE was able to write an intensely political game that strongly endorsed one side of the spectrum while still maintaining a cool detective story. The traits and skills that chimed in were their own characters before they were used in political dialogue, and overall, the writing and voice acting was excellent. EE railroads you extremely hard. Most of the traits are centered around politics. I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a good game. A great one, even. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through it. But It's a "best hits" cover band version of Disco, Pratchett and Monty Python. The game does some unique things, but to me it struggles to find its own identity. I found the jokes to be funny and writing to be mostly good, but it did not move me in any other way. The political commentary is not all that engaging at best and bland and out of place at worst. The problem in trying to imitate Disco is that you get…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb is the best Disco Elysium-style game since... well, Disco Elysium. It's not an accident. The developer spent years reverse engineering what worked about Disco. And then built his own thing. Available now on patreon.com/postgames. Available Monday on Post.games and all podcast apps!
unlabelledView post →This game feels good on the surface, but it's so painfully obvious that the whole thing is just a lecture that it becomes unbearable to play. Every single "bad" choice you make comes with a lecture on why it's bad and you shouldn't do it. The point where I stopped playing was when you get a choice to take someone's travel documents away so that they can't leave the city (this is while you're doing an investigation for a building that exploded btw) and I got a lecture about freedom of movement…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb is a fantastic game. Do you like DND and Disco Elysium? Please play it, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Also, this isn't a paid add, it's just that I like this game exactly this much hahh #esotericebb #esotericebbart #snell #ragnhemlin #thecleric #endraeart
unlabelledView post →2026 game #22: Disco Elysium After loving Esoteric Ebb, I promised to give Disco a 2nd try. I’m VERY glad I did. I still don’t love the tone, but I love the gameplay & marvel at its intricate design. It’s fascinating to see this landmark title firsthand & I found the fun More thoughts below 👇
unlabelledView post →Esoteric Ebb - Review Esoteric Ebb is one of the most unique, well-crafted, superbly written pieces of gaming I've had the pleasure of delving into for a long time. I wouldn't be exaggerating by putting it on the same shelf as Disco Elysium or Baldur’s Gate 3, as far as the quality of roleplaying and writing are concerned. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece, despite it lasting just about 25-30 hours, not counting the excellent replay value. To think a few people in some basement managed to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →9.5/10. Esoteric Ebb fires on all cylinders throughout its runtime. The gorgeous Eurocomic visuals are easy on the eyes. The soundtrack is a wonderful blend of orchestral, electronic, and vocal performances. The humor is on point, whether the intent is satire or slapstick. The writing manages to swing deftly between poignant and witty while maintaining good pacing. The gameplay is surprisingly strategic owing to the build mechanics and five day timer. All told, it's incredible that this is the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tolstad Game: Esoteric Ebb Dev: Christoffer Bodegård Release: March 3, 2026
unlabelledView post →A game about a schizophrenic man speaking to ability scores while trying to score baddies and save the world. No, actually. But I am apolitical, so of course I have no strong feelings about this game, or anything really. Okay, maybe I do have some feelings of the non-committal variety. Esoteric Ebb is at its core a pretty lighthearted adventure clearly influenced by DnD, Planescape Torment, and Disco Elysium; so clearly influenced that these games are listed in the credits. If you like those…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb has been one of the most refreshing games I've played in recent years. Nothing about it is inherently new - we've all seen goblins, and angels, and clerics; many of us will have played D&D, Disco Elysium, and other sources of inspiration for Chris. Despite that, he's managed to weave it altogether into a truly unique (and delightful) experience. I rinsed many hours of fun from the demo, and can't wait to explore the full game again and again now I've beaten it once. Can't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here's an illustration I did for the game Esoteric Ebb! I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I'm glad I can show it now that the demo + trailer is out! I've done lots of character art and items for the game, please check it out ✨
unlabelledView post →I'm not one of those DND freaks, i barely unstand the system as is. I finish Baldurs Gate not really knowing what a cantrip is. Either way, I know even in my bumbling foolishness that this is a proper game. Made with love and soul.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Right now I give this game about a 8.5. Bumping it upward as I play more of it and the game just really feels like it has more of its own story to tell, or, at least, is more direct with some of the story telling, and I appreciate that. A more obvious connection with your day to day life than Disco Elysium. As I keep playing this mix of CRPG love, I appreciate it and the creator a bit more every time.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →oh damn Esoteric Ebb is a lot of fun. First game I've seen to really build on Disco Elysium principles but also have a pleasant vibe of its own.
unlabelledView post →This game is, very clearly, trying to be like Disco Elysium. A fine thing to aspire to. I could write out a very long, detailed explanation of why I'm giving it a thumbs down but I can put it much more simply. In Disco Elysium, despite being every bit as "political" of a game as Esoteric Ebb, I never once felt like I was being preached at. In Esoteric Ebb I did.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →just as the discourse kicks up about the new ZA/UM game, Esoteric Ebb goes on sale. geniuses. store.steampowered.com/app/2057760/...
unlabelledView post →I rolled the dice on Esoteric Ebb as a game outside my usual comfort zone What’s it like? Is it fun? Did I enjoy it? Would I recommend it to you? I hope this review(?) serves as an answer to all the above Let me know if it works 🫡
unlabelledView post →I don't typically write reviews, but I had such a wonderful time playing through this story that I felt obligated to give it the praise it deserves. It's probably not for everyone, but I adored the characters and mechanics. I loved getting absolutely destroyed in every fight (poor Ragn...) and all the jokes, useless weapons, and heartfelt moments. I don't know the full backstory of the development process, but the game felt like a labor of love. There was something very human about it that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game. Actually better than Disco Elysium in some spots. Well worth it if you enjoy dialog-centric RPGs, got my fingers crossed for if not an outright sequel then at least another adventure in this style and this world.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I walked into a trap of acid. The game asked why I would do that. Like I’m an absolute idiot for doing so. I then dissolved to death. Chris then let me know I shouldn’t have been there. The game insults my intelligence, and then the developer. Well played.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Esoteric Ebb attempts to weave a complex political narrative into a fantasy setting, but it frequently buckles under the weight of its own delivery. While the 3D art style is a highlight, the rest of the experience is hampered by technical limitations, questionable design choices, and a lack of narrative nuance. The game is a text-dump experience, often relying on massive lore drops and walls of text that can make the pacing feel like a grind. This is compounded by a total lack of character…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sometimes, maybe more often than I realize, while playing a game, there comes a moment when I enjoy it so much that, for a brief yet very long moment, I feel nothing but pure delight and enjoyment. It’s so fleeting, but its mark is so enduring. I end up finishing the game and looking back at that moment and how it made me feel, wondering if it had happened more than once, or a single time, or if the whole game was one big delightful moment. Esoteric Ebb was such a game. Everyone talks…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was enchanted by the demo but having played the whole game I'm not certain I recommend it. I think my issues can be summed up as follows, though they all basically come back to "the writing." 1. The lore dumps. This game needs a copyeditor. Remember your conversation with Joyce Messier early on in Disco Elysium about the nature of the world? By the end of Esoteric Ebb, *every* conversation has has become Joyce Messier, both in length (or much longer) and in content. I remember at the very…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ESOTERIC EBB Vibe: Terry Pratchett DMs Dungeons & Dragons I went from not knowing anything about this game to being 100% sure I will buy it when it comes out in two days. Honestly, if the vibe description was enough, you should play this game. PLEASE PLAY THIS GAME!!!!!
unlabelledView post →Gotta be honest here, I tried. I really really tried. This one is a bit of a let down, and I'm not sure how it has an 'Overwhelmingly Positive' review. One of the few times the audience score has misled me. I can forgive a game if its writing is bad, if the gameplay is good. But this is a CRPG. CRPGs live and die by the writing. In this case it flounders, and it flounders bad. It is very clearly inspired by Disco Elysium, and I don't fault it for that. There are plenty of works out there that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was so much fun! As mentioned in the Esoteric Ebb FAQ, the dev started working on a "spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment". He then played Disco Elysium, and was really impressed by its innovative gameplay mechanics. So he decided to "merge his original design with some of its elements". The result is a witty narrative-driven RPG mixing DnD TTRPG mechanics with an investigative, skill-based dialogue-heavy gameplay. I highly recommend it if you won't mind reading walls of text…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →there's a few games that have set out to do what disco elysium did. this is the first one to even come close to being as special as DE was. i hate to draw the comparison, it feels so minimizing to what this game is trying to do. this is a game from people that love fantasy, dungeons and dragons, and video games as a whole. its writing is beautiful. its demo alone felt ridiculously expansive, they remove the red tape right away. there's clearly a story this DM wants to tell, but a world he has…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An excellent game in every sense. The characters, world, and environments are very well developed. The music is good. The visuals are probably the game’s weakest aspect, but even so, they are quite pleasant and never feel tiring. The text is fairly simple, especially compared to Disco Elysium, but the depth of meaning is top-tier. This is a game about politics and philosophy much more than it is about a detective investigation, so keep that in mind. That said, the investigation itself is very…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the closest thing to playing a D&D mini-campaign on your own with a really professional, really funny DM that lets you pull a lot of sh*t and get proper reactions for it. In fact, it's the game's stated goal, and it succeeds with flying colors. It's also genuinely creative, both in its worldbuilding and characters - a mix of modern political sensibilities in a solid fantasy world. Celestial ambassadors, friendly mimics, orc bureaucrats, freelance hags. Not all characters are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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