Esoteric Ebb Review: A Weirdly Wonderful Journey

This new CRPG is incredibly unique and aims to bring something fresh to the genre. It offers a similar level of player freedom and storytelling choice as Baldur’s Gate 3, though it’s definitely quite strange. Despite its oddities, it’s a surprisingly well-made and enjoyable game.

Initially, I wasn’t impressed, but after playing for a few hours, I began to understand the developer Christopher Bodegård’s intent. It was clear that the publisher, Raw Fury – known for games like Routine and Blue Prince – also believed in this vision and wanted to bring it to life.

Esoteric Ebb isn’t flawless, but it’s a really engaging game with rich backstory and a story where your choices truly matter. While clearly inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, it surprisingly feels like a one-on-one tabletop RPG experience with a Dungeon Master. Whether you’ll like that intimate style is personal preference, but here’s my detailed experience playing it.

What is Esoteric Ebb?

This role-playing game is unique compared to many others, mainly because it’s almost entirely presented through text. You decide where to go and what to do, but all actions play out as extended conversations with the voices inside your character’s head.

Each voice you hear represents one of your core skills – Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These voices will constantly offer insights into your actions and the people around you, but usually only if you succeed at a skill check. If you’re familiar with how things work – like knowing a helpful guide – you’ll quickly understand that everyone in this world operates the same way.

As a Cleric, you won’t have much influence over story choices, but you can customize your character’s strengths. You can focus on being physically powerful, incredibly intelligent, or anything in between. The game offers a lot of different ways to build your character, and it’s pretty flexible, so you don’t need to worry about making the ‘perfect’ choices to succeed.

The game begins with your character, a first-level Cleric, starting from scratch – you’ve lost all your equipment and spells, and only have a helmet and a basic healing spell. The main story isn’t about your past, but about investigating the destruction of a Tea Shop in the town of Tolstad.

You’ll interact with characters and investigate a central mystery, but you’ll soon realize this isn’t a typical fantasy world. It’s a complex and troubled place driven by politics, where people are motivated by personal goals and various groups constantly clash over petty disagreements.

A Weirdly Beautiful Game

I’m really digging the art style in Esoteric Ebb, though it’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is! It just fits the game so well. It’s got a cool, colorful vibe, but it’s not just bright for the sake of it. It reminds me of the classic computer games from way back when – a little blocky, but still surprisingly sharp and clear.

I generally prefer seeing the 3D character models during conversations, but in this case, the 2D sprites actually have more detail. The 3D models are still good and effectively show both the characters’ appearances and personalities.

Snell seems capable and self-assured. Visken initially appears normal, but the longer you observe him, the more unsettling he becomes. Lady Sageleaf has a goblin-like appearance, though there’s something distinctly strange about her. These are just a few of the characters you can interact with—each one with a unique sprite and a bit of extra detail that brings them to life.

I was pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the game’s environments were, especially considering my initial expectations for the art style. Everywhere you look, there’s vibrant color and interesting details – like the shattered Pillar of Jor or the occasional massive seagull. It genuinely made me want to explore every nook and cranny, not just to find loot, but because the environments themselves were simply gorgeous, even the darker, more unsettling areas.

Become the Cleric Your Own Way

Esoteric Ebb excels by letting players explore and act with incredible freedom. You’re given a main story, but you can choose to ignore it and pursue your own goals. However, you’re under a tight deadline – only five days – to resolve a sensitive issue before an election, and your superiors want it handled discreetly to avoid complications.

Time continues to pass even when you’re idle in the game, creating a sense of urgency that encourages you to stay active. You have complete freedom in how you approach the game’s mysteries and quests. You can explore on your own, or bring your goblin friend, Snell, along as you investigate the dungeon beneath the city.

As a Cleric, you won’t influence class features directly, but you have full control over customizing your character by assigning ability points as you choose.

It’s wonderful to have so much freedom to explore and make your own choices, and the game makes excellent use of it. Every decision you make will have both positive and negative results. While your own thoughts will try to predict what happens next, they aren’t always reliable. This becomes especially clear after the first day as you delve into the mystery of the Tea Shop and uncover the secrets hidden beneath the town’s surface.

Okay, so this game isn’t like traditional Dungeons & Dragons. Leveling up isn’t the only way to get stronger. Seriously, you’re constantly finding stuff – weapons, armor, trinkets – and almost all of it can be equipped. Each piece gives you bonuses or special abilities, but it’s not always straightforward. You really have to think about what you equip, because it can seriously impact how well you do in a fight. It’s all about building the right character for what’s coming up!

Theater of the Mind Combat

The combat in this game is really unusual. It’s different from anything I’ve experienced, yet somehow still feels like what I expected. Basically, it works like a typical Dungeons & Dragons initiative system, but instead of just choosing an action, your turn feels more like a conversation with a Dungeon Master – you’re figuring out what’s possible and discussing your options.

The game guides you with explanations, but you might unexpectedly take damage from events that aren’t direct attacks. During your turn, you can ask questions to try and make skill checks easier, and you’ll usually be able to cast at least one spell – often Cure Wounds to stay alive.

You’ll find yourself in tough spots where it seems like there’s no way to succeed, and after a few setbacks, you’ll realize your primary focus should be staying alive. Some challenges might feel a little contrived, and that’s intentional. You’ll likely fail some attempts, but you can lower the difficulty on the next try – if you manage to survive that long.

While not flawless, the game is captivating, boasting rich background details and a story where your choices genuinely matter in almost every scenario.

If you prefer combat that feels precise and strategic, you might not like the unpredictable battles in Esoteric Ebb. There’s no careful positioning or planning involved – it’s all about reacting to what happens with each roll of the dice and the decisions you make.

Battles can be exciting and nail-biting, with close calls and narrow escapes. However, sometimes the game takes away some player agency. This was especially noticeable when fighting a surprise enemy – if you weren’t prepared, they could attack first and quickly grab you, leading to a chaotic and damaging encounter where you barely survive.

The combat is surprisingly enjoyable, though it can be really frustrating when you have bad luck with the dice. It actually feels a lot like playing a tabletop RPG, capturing that back-and-forth tension between players and game masters that many computer RPGs miss. It might be a bit more challenging, but that’s part of what makes it so engaging.

A Politically Purposeful Story

You’re not mistaken – this game delves into political themes. While it doesn’t get overly specific, the different factions and their abilities represent various political ideologies. These ideas are presented within the game’s world, making them accessible, but the political undertones are definitely present.

Although there’s an election happening in the game, it’s not the central focus, and you don’t have to get involved. You can choose to stay neutral, and the game respects that decision, which is a nice feature. Even if you avoid the political side of things, the main mystery surrounding the Tea Shop is still driven by the different groups and their involvement.

I initially dreaded the political elements of this game, expecting them to be unpleasant. However, I was pleasantly surprised by its humorous take on politics. It cleverly satirizes serious issues while also offering thoughtful commentary on how politics functions. While it’s generally best for video games to steer clear of politics, this game manages to handle it well.

The story is enjoyable and shorter than expected if you focus on the quickest route. While a dedicated player could finish in under 10 hours, they’d miss a lot of excellent writing. The characters feel authentic, each with their own motivations, and you’ll find yourself navigating their conflicting needs. This is a positive, as it allows for a lot of replayability – you can experience the game in numerous ways and discover new content each time.

Play the Game Again and Again

During a single game, I faced countless decisions that shaped my experience, and it’s impossible to predict what would happen if I’d chosen differently. It’s not just about what you say in conversations, but also where you go, who you interact with, and whether you succeed at challenges – all of those choices have a real impact.

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Initially, I expected things to unfold in a straightforward way. But as I explored and interacted with the world, I quickly realized I was likely overlooking a lot. I kept going anyway, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making the best choices. I often found myself questioning whether I should have spoken to certain people first, or asked them different questions. These thoughts stayed with me throughout the entire experience.

Even if you already know how Esoteric Ebb ends and have uncovered many of its secrets, it remains a compelling game with a lot of replay value. Like Baldur’s Gate 3, knowing the overall story doesn’t make each playthrough predictable – the way you experience it can vary greatly. Fans of the game’s world will likely want to jump back in for another run to discover things they missed, but it’s worth noting that the game still has some issues.

To Handhold or Not to Handhold

Some players really care about how much guidance a game gives them, and in Esoteric Ebb, this is a key point to discuss. This game doesn’t offer much help – you’ll need to take notes, remember details, or figure things out based on broad descriptions in the game’s quest system.

I struggled with this part of the game. Some players will appreciate this open-ended style, but others might find it frustrating. The instructions in the Questing Tree menu are often unclear, and the game doesn’t offer much guidance – you’re largely left to solve things on your own.

I initially dreaded the political parts of the game, expecting them to be awful, but I was pleasantly surprised by how funny they turned out to be.

I don’t mind putting in effort to reach my goal, but this felt unnecessarily complicated. It seems the Questing Tree also serves another purpose: unlocking special abilities. These abilities work like bonuses in traditional Dungeons & Dragons, offering things like extra healing or a better chance of getting a perfect score on any skill check.

A significant part of the game isn’t revealed right away; you’ll unlock it after completing some optional quests or doing some exploring. While this isn’t a major issue, the biggest problem is how hard it is to find information about it. The information you can find is useful, but you have to really pay attention and remember details from conversations, which can be difficult since the game relies so heavily on dialogue.

Closing Comments

Esoteric Ebb is a delightfully strange game. It starts a little slowly, but once it grabs you, it’s hard to put down. The game doesn’t hold your hand with quest instructions, instead letting you freely discover its world and characters. If you enjoy Dungeons & Dragons and are looking for a fresh experience with clever writing and a good sense of humor, Esoteric Ebb is an excellent choice.

2026-03-02 17:18