Esoteric Ebb Review – Where Dialogue Is the Real Adventure

Esoteric Ebb Review

Esoteric Ebb may very well be one of the most interesting titles I have personally experienced in the past few years. The term ‘esoteric’ refers to something that is intended for or understood by a small number of people with a specialized interest or knowledge. The title of Esoteric Ebb is apt for the overall experience, which may be a bit niche in the overall landscape. The game may not be for everyone. But for its intended audience, the game should be a highly enjoyable experience, to say the least. With its self-identified inspiration of Disco Elysium, fans of that experience should find commonalities here.

In Esoteric Ebb, you play as The Cleric, sent into the city to investigate the explosion of a tea shop. After you roll your character, you wake up in a morgue after having been pulled out of the river. You’re surrounded by apples, corpses, and a zombie before simply walking out into the city. With just five days until the first-ever election, you are essentially free to decide what to do next. Investigate the explosion, learn more about the city, interact with the parties involved in the election, or explore tunnels. There’s always something to do. In terms of the election, I always opted to campaign for myself as a write-in option just to see what happens.

They See Me Rolling

When you roll your character, you can individually select your statistics or choose one of the pre-built options. For my run, I chose a pre-built character with a focus on Charisma. Be wary, though, as your statistics don’t only affect your outcome. These statistics also provide conflicting viewpoints in your head during conversations that may help or hinder in your questing. Skill trees and magic are other aspects that can and will affect your playthrough, giving additional depth to the gameplay. While combat is also a last resort for Clerics, that too is an option. For example, I convinced someone that their master wanted them to give me their crossbow.

Esoteric Ebb provides players with an initial, primary objective. Very quickly it provides the opportunity to take on other quests with a wide range of stakes. As someone who wasn’t (and maybe still isn’t) the target audience for this title, I did feel that the game was “slow” to start. Then, at some point, it clicked for me, and the sudden realization that all the dialogue was not setting something further up for me, but that the dialogue was the main course really helped me to enjoy the experience of the game.

Choices Matter

When the headers of the game’s description on Steam include “Become a Cleric of Legends” followed by “Or Ruin the Campaign”, you know that the game’s open-ended nature and exploration of freedom of choice play a large role in the game. It also opened up my own mind and let me get away from min-maxing my character or looking for an optimal way to spend my time. Time itself is also a commodity, as each dialogue choice pushes time forward. Knowing that I was free, and even encouraged, to ruin the campaign let me experience the title in my own way, and I think that the first playthrough will be extremely memorable for players who stick with the game because of that.

The game’s style exudes a style that includes a painting/hand-drawn style mixed with elements of medieval art, fantasy elements, and Lovecraftian-like influences. While the game looks nice in screenshots, it shines most when in motion. On the other hand, the game’s audio is about standard-fare. The lack of voice acting is acceptable given the likely heavy cost with the vast amounts of text and dialogue, but it would have been a very welcome addition.

Ebbs and Flows

Overall, Esoteric Ebb does a great job of applying aspects of its influences into its own splendid package. The experience is one that is full of surprises and delightful in its own way. While not for everyone, the game is sure to be memorable for those who enjoy the genre as well as those who simply put in the time to complete a playthrough. With so many variables available even at a surface level, each player’s first playthrough should be unique enough. If you are a CRPG fan at heart, Esoteric Ebb is a no-brainer to give it a shot. If you’re not, there’s still likely something for you if anything about the game resonates with you at all.

*** A PC review code was provided by the publisher ***