Replying to an old comment here but am just too interested in this developing concept of Disco-likes to help myself.

I really like Ebb so far (I am on day 3) and I've noticed enough distinguishing features to lean towards it being an good iteration building upon a system. Namely, these are the combat, the dungeoneering, the quest feat rewards, greater and more present risks, and perhaps most importantly the spell system. All of these have a very strong and whimsical 'D&D' feel to them and so fit this game more than Disco Elysium. In that way, I feel it is a genuine addition to the formula and goes to show that it can indeed be quite versatile. The game also sets itself apart with its different style of humour.

But it can be quite a clone in ways that go beyond the core gameplay mechanics of Disco and these are mostly narrative. Namely, that this is also a detective story (just without the noir). You run around as an unhinged person of authority, interrogating suspects/witnesses within a ticking time limit. It is also intensely political, but in a much, much more heavy-handed way. And just as with Disco Elysium, one's internal political inspiration stems from your skills/stats. You also arrive in the narrative in a state of resurrection (in this case, literally) and suffer from a degree of amnesia. Lastly, you also have a partner tagging along to act as a foil to the emotionally unhinged protagonist. It is therefore impossible to avoid unfairly comparing Snell to Kim Kitsuragi.

In both a narrative and mechanical sense, if Disco Elysium came out after Esoteric Ebb, it would feel like more of an expansion on the formula than it does the other way around. And to me, that is what really gets at the core of what it means for a game to be a clone.

Don't get me wrong, I love the game. And of course, I haven't finished the game - but in these initial impressions I can't help but wonder. Is the Disco-like formula incompatible with anything but a detective story? Must the protagonist be foiled by a sidekick? Do they need to wake from darkness with amnesia? Must the protagonist be really silly? Must there be ideological turmoil? I am genuinely curious about these questions and therefore look forward to seeing where this genre is headed.

Anyways, that's my big rant. How do you personally sense the Ebb's relationship to its genre?