Have you ever felt so disenfranchised with democracy that you’ve put a bucket on your head and campaigned for a grassroots political organisation?
No, I’m not talking about Count Binface, I’m talking about THE Cleric, the hero of Esoteric Ebb. This brilliant CRPG channels D&D, Monkey Island, and Disco Elysium into 2026’s most hilarious game.
In Esoteric Ebb, you play the egotistical Cleric Ragn, tasked with investigating an explosion at the tea shop five days before the city elections.
Over the five days, you’ll need to navigate the machinations of conflicting political parties to solve the crime, with the help of an angel and a goodie-goodie goblin, while asking everyone “Who are you voting for in the upcoming election?” Or you can remain strictly apolitical - but make sure you tell *everyone* that, so they know what a knobbish wanker you are.
The game turns D&D-style mechanics into what feels like the best home-brew campaign you’ve ever played. Those expecting strict 5e mechanics will be pleasantly surprised; the game sacrifices overly complex systems in the service of story.
Yes, there’s turn based combat, but it always drives the plot forward. Yes you can cast spells - heck, I even got a Wish spell at one point - but Esoteric Ebb gets rid of most of the stress by allowing Ragn to memorise spells straight from the scroll regardless of level. And then brag about his wizardly prowess.
And sure, you’re *technically* a cleric, but what’s class between friends? My Cleric is also a Rogue and sometimes a Druid. He’s got class confusion, which is a legitimate feat.
Part of the game’s hilarity comes from acknowledging the divergence between TTRPG rules and how players *actually* play games. Who hasn’t started a game as a paladin only to dabble in some essential purloinment of valuable goods… trifling, as it’s called here.
Esoteric Ebb thrives on this cognitive dissonance.
Even THE Cleric’s internal organs are in turmoil. There’s the way Ragn presents himself to the world, and the ongoing internal monologue critiquing his actions. Humourous yes, but endearing; who hasn’t acted with bravado while our gut limply critiques our ethics? THE Cleric is just an insecure guy trying to make his way in the world. As players, we’ve been trained to always try to pass skill checks, but it tracks that Ragn should fail at tasks. In fact, some of Esoteric Ebb’s best moments come at THE Cleric’s failure, *especially* when talking about his personal life. He’ll present as a macho man, then do anything to snag a date with a lady; Ragn is open to any bugbear, orc, or angel - and probably Snell, his goblin sidekick too, if he’s really honest.
Esoteric Ebb’s humor relies on this friction between the truth and the presentation of truth. No more so than in its scathing takes on politics. It actively encourages players to talk about the two topics you’re never meant to talk about - politics and religion - usually in the same sentence. For Norvik’s politics are steeply bound in its worship of old god Urth, and the atrocities done in his name.
While I chose to play THE Cleric as a charismatic idiot, you could play him as a fervent nationalist. I’m always wary of games that enable the expression of pseudo-fascist ideologies. But Esoteric Ebb connects male insecurity and disenfranchisement to the rise of right-wing populist movements and critiques this every step of the way. If you make these dialogue choices, you’ll also get these criticisms. The same applies to any of the political ideologies - from the social democrat movement of Azgalism to the free-market Freestriders. All ideologies have flaws; there is no perfect system for governance.
You might start the game promoting one ideology, only to uncover the fraught politics behind it. As I played, this drew out my own complex feelings about politics. We feel disenfranchised in systems that disappoint us, often by the constant, erosion of hope when idealism meets real-world problems. But the point here isn’t to disengage with imperfect systems; it is that a good democracy draws us to a combination of ideas that ideally benefit the most people. Or you might just decide to become the Wizard Emperor of Norvik.
There’s only two improvements I’d make to Esoteric Ebb. The first is that there were two key places where I wasn’t sure what to do next. While sleeping provides you guidance - and sometimes, even a little GM nudge to keep investigating before you go to sleep - I struggled to uncover the hidden depths of the City Below. There were a few things at play here; one is a narrative issue, where the player isn’t clear about where to go next. A line of dialogue with Snell could easily provide the nudge the player needs. As progressing the story here is reliant on spellcasting, more guidance is needed about how to equip spells and cantrips. And finally, a little more environment guidance using light or design would help drive the player to easily-missed places. These issues could be easily fixed for a smoother player experience.
The second issue is really not an issue at all: it’s that this dialogue deserves voice acting. It’s bloody brilliant, and I’d love to hear that brought to life.
Esoteric Ebb is the most hilarious - and heartfelt - CRPG of 2026.
The real question isn’t whether you should play Esoteric Ebb. It’s whether you’ll play it before it gets on all the best-of lists at the end of the year, like the cool kid you are.
There’s only one question left to ask: who are you voting for in the upcoming election?
