Gaming: It's Only March, But I'm Calling It: Esoteric Ebb Is 2026's Best...

It's more than D&D Disco Elysium, but it's also absolutely D&D Disco Elysium.

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On my first day investigating the bombing of a goblin tea shop in Esoteric Ebb, Christoffer Bodegård's self-styled "Disco-like" CRPG, I didn't let a second go to waste. Was it magic? An explosive? Did it have anything to do with the upcoming inaugural democratic election? Or was it a random act of violence? So many threads to tug on, and I've only got five days to figure everything out.

I'm gonna stop at 10 because if I don't this is just going to go on forever. I was a busy lad. And when I called it a night at 1 am, concluding my time-sensitive investigation for the day, I realised I hadn't gone to the scene of the crime or done any actual investigating. I'm not going to lie to you: I didn't do much better on the second day.

Disco Elysium's Harry Du Bois would be exceptionally proud.

I have been playing Esoteric Ebb's protagonist—who can go by a bunch of different names and titles, but I've been making everyone call me The Cleric—a lot like Harry. Or at least my version of Harry. Chaotic. Messy. Deranged. And occasionally insightful. But the massive range of backgrounds, skills, traits and moment-to-moment choices means that you can play a straight-shooting jobsworth, a revolutionary, a zen-like druid, a power-hungry mage or simply Judge Dredd.

Disco Elysium is my Roman Empire—I can't stop thinking about it.

The flexibility and depth of Esoteric Ebb's tabletop-inspired roleplaying systems lets you take the lead and head off in whatever weird direction you want—though the game's penchant for creative surprises and the fickleness of your D20s means you don't always get to decide where you end up.

Disco Elysium is my Roman Empire—I can't stop thinking about it. So my standards are pretty high for any game drawing comparisons with ZA/UM's impressive debut.

I was excited about Gamedec, Broken Roads and Rue Valley, but that optimism led to disappointment. All this is to say, I ain't messing around when I say Esoteric Ebb is more than worthy of the moniker "Disco-like", not just because it successfully draws so much from its inspiration, but because it tries to do something new with it.

Source: PC Gamer