Demo Dive #3 - September '25

Mabon is upon us! Well, soon anyway, the Autumnal Equinox is going to hit us, and I can already feel it. Have to actually turn up the light when waking up, because the lazy Sun (praise be its name!) wakes up half an hour after I rise. Bummer! But Autumn is a fantastic time for gamers - rainy days, hot cup of chosen beverage... Perfect setting to scrunkle down with a fun game to play. Not to mention the coming months are going to be packed with releases, as they always are. And so, I want, as always, to shine some spotlight on a few coming titles that I am very excited about. Let's roll!

ESOTERIC EBB

DISCO ELYSIUM is the best game ever made. This is not a discussable argument, and I won't entertain any dissent in that regard. As the younglings say, don't @ me about it. It is, however, a bit of a victim of its own staggering majesty, for nothing that attempts to mimic its spirit can ever come close. The sheer weight of writing, the wit, the vision, the world-building... to match the impact of DISCO ELYSIUM, one must be a properly insane visionary, a soulful entity that can gaze beyond the mundane and gleam from it pearls of great significance to impart upon the human race. I am not saying this cannot happen in my lifetime, again, that is... but the chances are slim.

And yet... ESOTERIC EBB might be the first such project that might even catch the DISCO ascend by the ankles. The sheer boldness of the developer proclaiming it to be a Disco-inspired D&D-driven fantasy romp! But, I must say, the demo managed to dispel some of my snide doubts and jaded disbelief. It's gods damn great. I spent a good 15 minutes on the character creation screen, just reading the explanations for each stat, the skills, and what they can bring to the table. It's good, it's fun, it shows spirit. Then, the first internal dialogue got me chuckling. First NPC to talk to had a robust dialogue tree with oh-so-many options to delve into. My feeble attempts to take the crossbow from the fearsome kobold did not fare well. But then, using my Big Brain Time, I managed to play two sides in a minor political conflict to the satisfaction of both parties - kudos to me, the suave and savvy politruk!

ESORETIC EBB doesn't shy away from showing that the inspiration from DISCO ELYSIUM is not a mere veneer. IT IS a fantasy DISCO at its core. Same internal dialogues with your own mind, heart, and soul. Have the same rich conversations with anyone you encounter. Even the same basic premise - you are a Cop-Adjacent representative who is a big empty slate for you, the player to paint upon like a canvas begging for messy brushstrokes. This can be easily fumbled, but the Demo impressed with the astonishing vastness of possible options and outcomes. You can be a moron. You can be the worst piece of shit this realm has ever seen. Can be as dumb as bricks and thick as oatmeal, a man of action, a swift and charming rogue, or a lore-driven spellcasting nerd-machine with the tact of a dead snail. The character you make really feels impactful on the world around you, as interactions will vary greatly depending on what your Cleric will be.

And, despite my 'J'accuse' that it is just a DISCO clone with a Fantasy setting, I must say the Demo shows some nifty sparks of fresh ideas. The dice rolls are different, more frequent, and more Dungeon & Dragon TTRPG-driven. The system for 'figuring out a person' before approaching them is a brilliant touch. You have proper RPG itemization and feats to further craft what you want to be. That is good. Very good. And so, yeah - I was already excited for ESOTERIC EBB, but the demo proved that this, this is a huge blessing of a game in the making. A chance to once again witness divinity while playing, to have an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime adventure that you'll be telling your kids one day. Play the Demo. Get hooked. We need more games like this.

UNDERBOARD

What a fantastic game, damn, I am impressed. As a preamble, I am not a huge auto-battler aficionado. I just began dabbling in this genre with some titles here and there, but I am starting to see how fun they can be, and UNDERBOARD is possibly the best one I've seen so far. I don't want to oversell it, but it achieves something truly spectacular - Mastery in Information Transparency.

This might be a bit of a strange bit at first. The first time you see the vast Unit window with a bucketload of numbers and text, it can be intimidating. Especially once you realize there are oh so many different units with all their idiosyncrasies. Learning all that can seem daunting! Add to that additional complexity with overlaid systems and oh boy... So easy to be deceived into thinking that this is a small, simple game. Nothing of the sort! And yet, despite all the things you need to take into consideration - the traits, the items, the interactions, the positioning... It is all handled expertly and always extremely clean and clear. I was never confused, once, about anything. This made it a superbly intuitive set of systems to craft your forces, to find synergies, to make your killer units and fun strategies.

Everything feels impactful, everything seems valid. One run, I made a Nerd caster who spammed devastating rays of energy at such speed and power that he alone wiped screens in seconds. Another run, I had an Athletes so beefed up with HP, damage resistances, and poise damage that the big chungus tanked entire groups of enemies while stunning them left and right. And yet another run, I had a powerful set of spells that let me freely control the flow of battle, disabling enemy elites while my troops discard the chaff and then make short work of the thick baddy. This felt just fantastic - even the Demo, which surely doesn't show the game's full potential, was robust in options and ways to play, showcasing the game in its brightest spotlight. I am instantly a fan, wishlisted this, and I cannot wait to play the full version - it's intricately designed, clever, and rich in content. Exactly what you'd like from a game like this.

WINTER BURROW

The game demo is small. I've completed it in 25 minutes, and I am not sure if I am a fan yet, but there is certainly charm to it. Cosy Survival is not exactly a bold new genre that needs filling up with new games, but WINTER BURROW adds a lot of charm to it, with its vibe and art style strongly reminiscent of old British books for kids. Especially The Wind in the Willows, which will forever be stuck in my mind. There is this soft, forlorn feeling to the word cast in this miniature scale and covered by winter. Being a tiny mouse that slowly rebuilds its burrow home in the wilderness, after escaping from the tumultuous, uncaring city... This resonates, I think, with plenty of people. This innate desire to escape to a cabin in the woods, sit in front of a fireplace, and worry only about basic stuff. Wood for the fire, food in the pantry.

This is where I believe the Demo shortness fails a little. It is hard to see the scope, the vision of the world and gameplay. What we were given to play with was painfully rudimentary. Run around. Gather some wood, some stones. Make a sweater, fix yourself an axe. And bam, done. I am sorry to say that it was not impressive in any way, other than the audio-visuals of the title. The trailers promise a robust and cosy home-decore experience. Expand your burrow, craft furniture, tool stations, expand the world, and meet new characters! This can all be realized, of course, and my hopes for it to be this rich, slow-burning piece of fun are still there. But alas, the Demo was just a tiny taste that didn't make me crave more, didn't show any particular fun bit to get hooked on. Welp! I hope there might come a new, expanded demo with some more elements to fiddle with. Or when the full version comes out, to be positively surprised by its scope. Time will tell.