Swedish developer Kristoffer Bodegård has released Esoteric Ebb on Steam—an isometric RPG that combines 5th edition D&D rules with the narrative chaos of Disco Elysium.
The story drops the player into the fantasy metropolis of Norvik. The city is frozen in anticipation of its first elections, but an explosion at a tea shop ruins all plans. The protagonist, an unsuccessful priest, and his goblin companion, Snell, find themselves caught in the middle of a political conflict between elves, kobolds, and radical groups.
The author calls the project “post-arcanepunk.” The game’s world is entirely original, although its mechanics draw on classics like Planescape: Torment and Arcanum.
Gameplay revolves around reading and skill checks. Traditional combat is replaced by dice rolls and dialogue. The six basic character stats have become fully-fledged personalities—they argue with the hero right inside their head. This decision turns an ordinary investigation into a psychological thriller.
Gameplay: dialogues, checks, choices, and consequences
Have you heard about the Disco-like RPG? In the upcoming hit of 2026, communication is not just a choice of lines, but a real mental meat grinder. The inner voices of your talents are constantly arguing with each other while you try not to fail another skill test.
Everything is based on the mechanics of D& D 5e — we roll the dice right in the middle of the conversation.
If your character’s Intelligence is off the charts, you’ll instantly notice the lies in the witness’ words, but with low Charisma, convincing him to confess is an almost impossible task. It’s worth considering that these are not just numbers on the menu. The whole plot is one big web. In truth, the investigation of a bloody murder in this noir metropolis turns into a unique experience for each player. Someone will solve the problem through hacking the system using their hacker devices, and someone else through manipulation and dirty blackmail. The results are impressive.
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You are free to choose any role: from a caustic cynic to a holy peacemaker — the game will swallow it and adjust. In addition, there are no dead ends. Did you fail the Agility roll while escaping? It doesn’t matter — there won’t be a game-over, but instead of saving you, you’ll end up in an ambush where you’ll meet unexpected patrons. Such role—playing freedom is very rare nowadays.
The branching of the story is amazing in scale — the scriptwriters have prescribed dozens of endings for each quest. Non-linearity is a cult here. You can spend years searching for the truth, or you can simply betray all your allies for the sake of power.
Gameplay Mechanics Overview
Everything is very meaningful — your decisions really change the world, and do not create the illusion of choice, as is often the case in budget projects. By the way, missing an important clue due to an unsuccessful die is part of an adventure that can then be replayed in a completely different way.
