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0 Esoteric Ebb is a high-fantasy isometric open-world RPG, where you play as bumbling cleric Ragn. It is developer Christoffer Bodegård’s debut game, published by Raw Fury (Blue Prince). Set in the fictional city of Norvik in an original setting with a rich world of lore and history. An explosion at a local tea shop ignites the story as a political conspiracy unfolds. And in a world full of monsters and magic, finding the culprit won’t be easy. Ragn is thrown this hot potato and has five days to solve the mystery before the city’s first democratic election. Esoteric Ebb is a blend of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and Disco Elysium mixed with stylised graphics. The game was intriguing from the start, and you find out for yourself as it’s out now on PC.
Plot & World-building
Esoteric Ebb has a very strong start, a cut scene of Ragn sinking into the river, then waking up, taken for dead. He almost seems set up for failure, being saved by fishermen is Ragn’s only stroke of good luck so far. With no equipment or weapons, you wake up in the city morgue to resume your investigation. The title of cleric (or the cleric, as I often introduced myself as) comes with recognition, but special privileges, really. The tea shop explosion is not the only powder keg potentially to go off. Several of Norvik’s social groups have strong feelings with varying opinions about the upcoming elections. I really enjoyed the layers of the narrative where you can engage with NPC dialogue, etc., as much as you like.
Immediately free to explore, Ragn finds allies and companions and gets back on his feet. Bodegård provides a surprisingly rich world of history and backstory provided through detailed dialogue. As Ragn explores and investigates, we learn alongside him, for example, that the tea shop was a known meeting place for the underdog liberal group in the upcoming elections. Much like D&D, there are classic attitudes and stereotypes with other races, e.g. gnomes and dwarves. There are fun spins of those, such as a female goblin mob boss and a borderline alcoholic sphinx. Esoteric Ebb lets players learn as much as they like with optional dialogue, but time is ticking toward the 5-day deadline. Within the 5 days are also time-sensitive events, easy to miss when wrapped up in the numerous, often more interesting side quests.
Gameplay
I’m a big fan of RPG games, especially Disco Elysium and D&D, so Esoteric Ebb’s gameplay was right up my alley. It uses D&D mechanics, so expect a lot of dice rolls ranging from recalling information to surviving encounters with deadly monsters. There’s no combat per se; Rahn’s stats with skill points or boosted by items shape narrative combat. Encounters play out with action choices, and with a little luck, you choose wisely. Or there is backup from companions, such as Snell the goblin, who did save my bacon quite a few times, including from a sneaky gelatinous cube. Like D&D, you can find creative solutions using equipment, spells and more, and it really feels like a D&D adventure or module.
Esoteric Ebb feels like Disco Elysium because the 6 character stats, strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom and charisma, are almost anthropomorphised. For example, strength being gung-ho and charisma being cheeky, wisdom remaining sensible. They each speak to you to process information and events, even experience Ragn’s intrusive thoughts, which was really fun and a really cool way to shape Rahn’s character. This really added to the experience of interacting with the assorted colourful characters and the tongue-in-cheek humour. You know it’s a bad idea to pick a fight with a stoic paladin or flirt with an angel, but who knows, the dice could be on your side.
My only downside of the game is that sometimes, when you explore from an isometric perspective. I know it’s designed for a reason, but it did cause moments of frustration in a few areas. The areas of Norvik you can explore are surprisingly expansive, so it’s easy to get lost. However, this may lead to discoveries and is satisfying when you reach your destination.
Graphics & Audio
One of Esoteric Ebb’s strong suits and maybe my favourite aspect of the game is the design style. The cartoon-style visuals work well with the fantasy setting, making exploring much more pleasant. A thought not lost on me, despite being spooked when a well camouflaged roper appeared. The attention to visual detail is fantastic, and the colours give the game a vibrant feel even in bland or bleak areas. In a game with lots of exploring and backtracking, it helped with navigation and distinctive characters.
I liked the soundtrack of Esoteric Ebb, as, understandably, with all the dialogue, there is no voice acting. However, overall, compared to the visuals, it wasn’t as memorable as you play. Moments where it did stand out, for example, were the opening sequence with Ragn sinking into the river. Moments like that were rare but have stuck in my mind. There are some sound effects like the roper making themselves known, but overall the audio could have been stronger.
Final thoughts
Christoffer Bodegård has made an excellent game in Esoteric Ebb, especially for a fantasy RPG and D&D fan like me. Even if you don’t know about D&D, it’s easy to get into. With a rich world to explore and an intriguing story, there is plenty to do, plus numerous interesting side quests. The satirical humour and colourful characters throughout provide a very fun fantasy world. With many hours of gameplay, the stunning graphics and attention to detail will keep you engaged, partnered with a solid soundtrack.
Amazingly, this is Christoffer Bodegård’s debut game, and I’m beyond excited to see what they develop next. I’m thrilled to give Esoteric Ebb the Thumb Culture Platinum Thumbs Up! I previously reviewed Knights in Tight Spaces, a similar isometric fantasy RPG, so feel free to check that out too.
Disclaimer: A code was received to write this review.
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