Recent reviews by Anuminas

Loved it! If you come in expecting Disco Elysium, and Esoteric Ebb doesn’t click with you immediately, give it a little more time.

Similarities to Disco Elysium aside, Esoteric Ebb has its own spirit, style, and substance: deep lore, an engaging story, unique characters, and lots of choices and secrets. Simply put, it really scratches that Disco Elysium itch, but in its own unexpected way. Esoteric Ebb is lighter, less contemporary-art-ish, being really what it says on the tin: probably the closest you'll get to a tabletop in video game form.

It’s not derivative by any means, and being a sucker for fantasy, I can’t wait for the sequel. It starts slow and small, but keeps expanding and expanding, to the point where you’re sometimes surprised it can still keep opening up. By the end, looking back at the sheer vastness of its narrative is staggering.

It feels bittersweet to see this journey come to an end. For now.

Only on my third attempt (each being 2 years apart) did this game finally click for me. I had always considered myself more of a fantasy lover and was never attracted too much by purely historical settings. However, KCD1 is a rough diamond. There’s really nothing else quite like it. Once it pulls you in, with both its game systems and its realistic take on medieval life (seriously, where else do you get an actual region of medieval Europe recreated like this?), it simply doesn’t let go.

It’s not perfect, of course, at times it can feel clunky and rough around the edges. However, it is undeniably ambitious, and that ambition shines through in almost every aspect of the experience. In the end, I completed everything it had to offer and enjoyed the process a lot, if a little tired by the end.

If you’re anything like me, my advice is simple: find the right moment and give it another try. Sometimes a game like this just needs the right mood and mindset.

As for me, I’ll take a short pause before diving into what seems to be a much more polished and expanded experience - the sequel.

Of note: performance was overall good, but not ideal. I encountered some frame drops in cities, even though not too often.

A pleasant game with an impeccable mysterious vibe and simple but satisfying puzzles. It’s relaxing and easy to get immersed in the horticulture and local secrets for a couple of evenings (or more). Replayable for multiple endings.

A competitive game that attracts all kinds of people who never expected to enjoy this kind of challenging experience and keeps them engaged, with very nuanced, expertly crafted game design.

It’s a good game - intriguing, even. The vibe, the style, the mystery, and the ambiguity are all there, and you may enjoy it for that. At the same time, the writing never quite feels on point. Some might see that as a flaw, while others could argue it’s outright intentional. In any case, even knowing about this game from before, I came to it from Disco Elysium. Thus, I’d say Norco offers glimpses of Elysium’s writing, but it falls short in execution and in the precision of what it’s trying to achieve. In Elysium, the weirdness is distilled, crystal clear. In Norco, the waters beckon you, but remain murky.

The writing is refreshingly vibrant for a video game: it’s so gripping and engrossing that I often forgot I was even reading. The role-playing aspect is original and seems to be pushing some boundaries.The world is well thought-out and intriguing, seemingly familiar, yet distant at the same time. However, with all that said, it's all about the journey, not the destination. This doesn’t change the brilliance of the work, though.
Disco Elysium is an expertly crafted piece of art - a masterpiece I knew it would be.

A very imaginative concept executed quite well. Enjoyed my time with it!

Overall, the story and the atmosphere are strong. The gameplay itself, outside dialogue, fits together quite well and is engaging enough even though it's not overly complex and might have become boring if the game was longer. With dialogues and decision-making though, the replayability is there. It might give you at least one more playthrough with a different character cast, decisions and outcomes.

At the same time, I felt like certain character arks were weaker than others, the morals being too simple and not as heartfelt, especially for original Jan. This might be also due to the fact that you connect more with other characters than the protagonist, and understanding him was never a task to begin with. Furthermore, you feel like a hypocrite more often than not, since the game actively encourages telling what the characters want to hear, and not what the protagonist might want to say, adding to the feeling of the loss of "self" for the original Jan.

Lastly, believe the game would be on another level entirely with a more sophisticated reputation system, actually influencing the story in more profound ways. Some pivotal story turns felt overly scripted, and might have shone more if emerged from player choices. Pairing this with deeper interactions among the Alters could have turned the story into a true narrative sandbox, something which is very rare, if existing at all. Still, it’s not surprising that it didn’t happen: building a responsive, sandbox‑style narrative is a very resource‑intensive feat.

P.S. Actually, I'm itching for a replay to see more of it, but not immediately. Curious what future DLC may be about. Jan Dolski is often a man's man!

Heartfelt, sincere, human. Solid and notably innovative.

Knowing the story behind its creation only deepens the impact. Do hope that anyone with the will to create may find kindred spirits, the blessing of Lady Luck, and the means to realize what they desire.

UPD: It's finished now, and I really liked it. There’s a lot of detail and nuance in everything, from the visuals and interactions to the storytelling, particularly the environmental storytelling. It's stylish and ambitious, and generally delivers on everything it sets out to do, while also leaving enough depth for the community to theorize afterward.

That said, if I were to criticize the game, I’d say that some of the story elements, especially those related to certain characters, are hinted at but not developed deeply enough for me to feel the level of connection I was hoping for. Without giving away spoilers, I can say there are several moments where you understand the general outline of what a character is going through, but it rarely goes beyond that. This applies both to the main characters, whose issues become apparent by the middle of the game or even earlier, and to the supporting cast, who often remain as they initially appear. Don't get me wrong, they are introduced and explored, but in the end I felt like more could have been given, while still leaving many things for me to interpret by myself. Because of this, the ending felt a little flat to me, I was expecting less in the way of final revelations and more of a gradual emotional deepening.

At the same time, I didn’t play the game as regularly as I would have liked, due to being busy, sometimes playing in long sessions, other times in short ones, which may have affected my perception.

All that said, if you're interested, give it a go. It's definitely great!

----
I haven't even finished it yet, but it has all the traits and the feel of a masterpiece. I'm not trying to make a direct comparison on any level, but I caught myself thinking: this must be how it would feel if I completely forgot Steins;Gate and then played it again for the first time. Will update.

Epic, meaty, grimy and long-lasting with all of it in co-op! A new standard for Warhammer 40K games. Will play this for a long while and return to check out new content as well.