Esoteric Ebb
You know how there are all those Disco Elysium spinoffs vying for the title of “true successor”? Esoteric Ebb is such a game, though it has no connection to any of the former developers, and its inspiration is almost as much Planescape: Torment as it is DE. We have a couple of posts about it in the DE thread here, and I’ll probably post more thoughts there once I’ve finished. At the 14 hour mark, though:
I like this a lot! It’s not escaping the shadows of its predecessors, so far, but I like the setting and the structural design.
Some stuff I really like: each character you meet has a visual assessment through a “behold” check based around whichever D&D stat most governs their personal philosophy. Want to size up the suspiciously magical mortuary admin? Roll your D20 and add your intelligence modifier against a graduated scale of difficulty checks to determine how much of their character sheet you see: their level, stats, “class”, and 4 to 8 blocks of text on their personality and motivations.
Like Disco, a lot of checks aren’t progress gates as much as they might appear; even if you fail, you might still accomplish what you were trying to do, but some kind of negative consequence will be added or threatened. Or if a check does block you from doing what you wanted, you can unlock it by either taking a 1-hour rest or by using a consumable you can find regularly by exploring.
Some structural innovations: this is explicitly presented as a roleplaying campaign. The game opens telling you this will take five or so in-game days, which amount to five to eight “sessions”. Session ends recap the things you accomplished and things you still need to focus on; the title screen also includes a recap of the story so far, which is very well constructed for a game with multiple questlines proceeding in parallel.
In the spirit of D&D, some challenges take the form of “combat encounters.” Despite superficial touches like rolling initiative, characters taking turns in sequence, and spending spell slots to heal or cast defensive enhancements, these events still have a lot more in common with the Disco Elysium showdowns than with anything in the Infinity Engine. Your equipment includes a “weapon slot”, yet none of the weapons you find can ever actually be used in combat—attacks are always at most punches or tackles. Some of the excuses they come up with for why your weapons cannot be used are excellent.
A misstep or two: the journal screen is a scattered constellation of icons that must be selected individually to see your progress for each incomplete quest; you can’t just scroll through a list. Your protagonist’s personality is a little too much just an H.D.B.-style zany loser. While the inventory permits you to filter items by category to simplify finding the right equipment for your situation, the game does sometimes feel like you’re just swapping between your most-used items as you encounter different types of checks. There have been a couple spots with awkward wording, but it’s mostly strong.
Despite these issues, I’ve been intrigued by the setting, and a lot of D&D’s routine tropes feel less played-out in a system that’s more about narrative resolution than about rolling skill checks and saving throws. I like what they’re doing, and I’m eager to see if this game can pull off a moments as transcendent as the best of Torment or DE.