Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review

It’s 1 happening to deterioration your influences connected your sleeve, and it’s different to wield those influences to make thing that tin confidently basal connected its ain merits. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is explicitly built connected galore of the ideas of large modern and classical Japanese RPGs, and French developer Sandfall isn’t shy astir it – nor should it be. From the bold stylings wrong its magnificent turn-based combat to the melodramatic but genuine storytelling tropes it mostly embraces, truthful overmuch of Clair Obscur feels acquainted yet refreshing. Its superb execution connected those ideas puts its ain stamp connected them for 1 of the much somber but hopeful journeys I won’t soon forget.

In Clair Obscur, the radical of Lumiere unrecorded successful a fractured reality: Every year, a godlike fig they telephone The Paintress marks a fig connected a operation acold disconnected successful the distance, counting down the property astatine which radical volition perish into nothingness. You pb the survivors of the latest successful a bid of yearly expeditions that acceptable sail successful hopes of destroying The Paintress, nary of which person ever travel backmost contempt decades of attempts. It’s a harrowing premise that hangs a dense furniture of melancholy implicit the full story. Knowing that your radical are warring against their ain extinction by signing up for a decease march, facing chartless dangers and picking up the pieces near down by expeditions agelong gone, it’s casual to go invested successful their destiny and the mysteries that dictate their world.

I finished the main communicative and a decent magnitude of broadside contented successful astir 35 hours, and that magnitude speaks to however Clair Obscur doesn’t discarded a infinitesimal – determination isn’t truly immoderate filler on the captious way and it doesn’t get bogged down successful drawn-out exposition. It makes a beardown archetypal impression, past people tells you much astir its characters done their interactions, conversations, and expressions. While immoderate of my favourite moments successful RPGs travel from the downtime that offers a accidental to respire and instrumentality successful the world, there's an embedded urgency present that cuts to the pursuit successful a mode that mostly works successful its favor. Don't get maine wrong, I emotion a bully 80+ hr RPG, but this is simply a bully alteration of pace.

Because of that shorter magnitude (relatively speaking), the sharpness of the combat strategy ne'er dulls. At a glance, you’ll get unmistakable Persona vibes from its slick conflict paper and stylish flourishes. More salient is its progressive element, with real-time fastener inputs that boost potency successful spellcasting and fto you debar attacks, which keeps you engaged during force turns arsenic overmuch arsenic your own. It’s reminiscent of the Mario RPGs or, much recently, Like A Dragon RPGs, and it works wonders for making turn-based combat thrilling – particularly erstwhile truthful overmuch of your endurance hangs successful the equilibrium of being capable to dodge and parry.

Against bosses and tougher enemies, you don’t truly basal a accidental unless you’re paying adjacent attraction to the audio and ocular cues to found a rhythm. When it comes to combos that person a varied cadence betwixt hits, I’m locked successful similar it’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, staving disconnected a flurry of attacks to definite beats. It tin beryllium frustrating astatine times, particularly successful archetypal attempts since there’s immoderate proceedings and mistake successful learning these onslaught patterns. But erstwhile I’m trying to nail down the timing, it instills an strength I don’t deliberation I’ve ever felt successful turn-based combat. While dodging offers a wider model for execution, parrying demands much precision, and there’s thing rather similar the rewarding slow-motion camera chopped and emphatic counterattack of a precisely timed parry, flipping the force crook to woody large harm disconnected a escaped hit.

Every enactment subordinate has their ain circumstantial mechanics that typically revolve astir gathering up their unsocial assets successful conflict and managing enactment points (AP) to execute the much heavy-hitting skills. For example, Gustave gains charges for each deed helium lands past uses those charges to summation the output of his Overcharge skill. In contrast, Lune is simply a mage who gains elemental stains from casting circumstantial spells, dealing higher harm and getting entree to bigger spells by stacking the close elements. Meanwhile, Maelle is each astir going into antithetic stances and has the imaginable to bash the astir damage, but the conditions successful which she enters those stances tin beryllium connected presumption effects oregon the properties of the limb she has equipped.

There’s adjacent a card-dealing Scythe wielder successful Sciel, who manages light-dark phases and paper stacks to usage her skills properly, astir similar a operation of the Astrologian and Reaper Jobs from Final Fantasy XIV. And if that wasn’t enough, 2 late-game characters I won’t spoil instrumentality things adjacent further, with 1 utilizing a Devil May Cry-style grading strategy with attacks and dodges portion the different takes spells from fallen enemies successful the benignant of a Blue Mage. All of this gives each quality a chiseled individuality and relation that makes each crook successful conflict an breathtaking endeavor nary substance who’s successful your party

Their accomplishment trees are besides concise, letting Clair Obscur enactment approachable since you’re lone fixed a fistful of tools and past asked to person a beardown grasp of however they work. With an accent connected gathering definite conditions and inflicting circumstantial knock-on effects erstwhile lining up attacks, it reminds maine of mechanics you’d spot successful a CRPG similar Baldur’s Gate 3, but fine-tuned for a classic-style Japanese RPG. The mode these skillsets are capable to synergize and play disconnected different enactment members shows an knowing of what makes a turn-based strategy sing. You whitethorn autumn into a regular opener, but arsenic a combat goes on, it becomes much astir adapting to the myriad variables thrown astatine you and earning the satisfying moments of pulling disconnected your astir almighty attacks.

Then there’s different furniture called Pictos, which are attachments that connection game-changing stat boosts and perks to drastically impact however you summation AP, the bonuses from dodging and parrying, the mode presumption effects work, and more. Using Pictos for agelong capable yet allows you to stack their perks successful what are called Lumina, letting you physique a quality successful ways their accomplishment histrion cannot. Navigating these menus is benignant of a symptom since things get messy erstwhile you’re sifting done 50+ options packed into a choky screen, but it’s thing I learned to woody with and benignant done erstwhile I grasped the nomenclature – and erstwhile it each clicked, taking the clip to configure my enactment was good worthy the hassle. At archetypal I thought I'd beryllium acold excessively overpowered (and I was successful immoderate cases), but mounting the close loadout elevated my enactment members successful ways that were important for the astir challenging fights.

In fact, my biggest interest aboriginal connected was that Clair Obscur was going to beryllium excessively easy, arsenic I steamrolled astir each force successful astir the first-third of the main way – speech from a fistful of optional bosses that tested my mastery of the combat strategy (or one-shotted me, telling maine to travel backmost successful the endgame). It decidedly ramps up arsenic it goes on, however, weaving successful much originative force onslaught patterns and adding layers that sometimes tease retired caller approaches to constructing your enactment and accomplishment loadouts. It yet struck a bully equilibrium arsenic bosses evolved successful absorbing ways, either by doing much with presumption effects and force shields, oregon by mixing up attacks that besides inquire you to clip a leap oregon deed a peculiar "Gradient Counter" alongside the accustomed parries and dodges, which could marque my endurance successful combat consciousness similar a bushed game.

That gives Clair Obscur capable extent without feeling unwieldy, and conscionable capable complexity portion inactive staying focused. And if you’re clever enough, you’re allowed to “break the game,” truthful to speak, arsenic its systems fto you standard up successful a mode that’s rewarding alternatively than exploitative. I’ve played these kinds of RPGs my full life, and truthful I’m assured erstwhile I accidental Clair Obscur has 1 of my favourite turn-based combat systems, ever – adjacent if it has country to turn successful a imaginable sequel, it’s already brilliant.

There’s thing precise old-school astir Clair Obscur, and its overworld is 1 of clearest ways successful which it harkens backmost to classical RPGs. You person oversized models of your characters navigating a representation filled with optional locations and secrets, galore of which aren’t accessible until you unlock caller question methods, akin to getting chocobos and airships successful the Final Fantasy games of yore. It’s really truly charming, embracing its video game-y aspects and knowing that it doesn’t ever person to instrumentality itself truthful seriously. Floating islands, acold disconnected shores, oregon monolithic creatures successful the region make a consciousness of wonder, and yet you tin spell sojourn them to combat superbosses, play silly minigames for unsocial weapons and Pictos, oregon uncover a spot much of the communicative you wouldn’t spot different – and that broadside contented tin relationship for astir 20 hours of gameplay connected apical of the main story. There’s nary existent quest log, truthful determination isn’t an elegant mode to way what you stumble upon. But alternatively than feeling obtuse, it gives the content that these secrets are yours to observe successful existent throwback fashion.

The main locations you sojourn relation similar dungeons wherever you combat your mode on a reasonably nonstop track, with other items tucked successful nooks and crannies disconnected the beaten path. For arsenic linear arsenic these places tin be, a minimap would person been handy, arsenic you’ll often get mislaid successful the winding paths that blend successful with the environment. (If thing else, I’d similar 1 conscionable to support way of wherever I had already been.) You attack enemies to initiate combat, and they respawn if you determine to replenish your wellness and items astatine flags planted by erstwhile expeditions that relation similar checkpoints. Exploration is constricted successful this regard, but it helps each main communicative series enactment focused and consistently paced. It’s besides a consolation that each spot you sojourn is visually striking, whether it’s acknowledgment to an ethereal whimsy and earthy beauty, oregon the brutality of the trenches and battlefields wherever bodies of past expeditioners are piled precocious – regardless, I was often successful awe of Clair Obscur’s world.

What truly etches an RPG into the pantheon of greats, however, is ever going to beryllium its story. My bosom was all-in connected Clair Obscur’s themes of facing mortality, making sacrifices for aboriginal generations, and the antithetic ways we grip grief. I’ve written a batch astir the latter, particularly successful narration to the stories galore caller RPGs tell, and this is different harrowing exploration of it – for the mode it contextualizes clip and age, but besides for its portrayal of grief becoming destructive to those astir you, should it devour you. Final Fantasy X is 1 of its main influences, and it shows, but Clair Obscur besides separates itself by how it tells its story. Massive recognition is owed to the impeccable acting and dependable performances from an A-list cast, arsenic good arsenic publication penning and country absorption that has dialog playing retired similar natural, real-life conversations – tiny gestures, subtle expressions, and the cadence of the enactment deliveries are qualities that crushed its communicative successful thing that feels arsenic existent arsenic it is fantastical.

Its brevity does enactment against it astatine times arsenic the communicative shifts successful abrupt directions aboriginal connected that somewhat undermine the archetypal premise. I privation it dedicated a small much clip and attraction to fleshing retired the parts that went a spot underdeveloped, but what’s present is inactive almighty – particularly arsenic it relates to the ugliness that comes from processing loss, and with a definite absorption connected the analyzable interaction it has connected families. There’s a thematic coherence successful showing however we usage creation and fabrication arsenic a coping mechanics and the dangers of getting mislaid successful it.

Despite its profoundly bittersweet premise, Clair Obscur besides manages to inject immoderate levity that is mostly charming alternatively than forced. Silly woody guys called Gestrals inhabit astir of The Continent, moving arsenic some comic alleviation and a lens to assistance recognize chartless parts of the world. Your enactment volition goof with each different and stock pieces of their idiosyncratic lives astatine camp, and portion not each of it is riveting worldly necessarily, those little moments are captious for rounding retired the quality constituent that this communicative channels. Admittedly, determination are moments successful which Clair Obscur embellishes successful its sorrow a spot excessively much, getting a small overdramatic astatine times. But it’s ever capable to find its footing by evoking a precise circumstantial code – 1 that leans heavier into what you’d expect from a theatre accumulation than a Hollywood blockbuster. And from that perspective, playing retired similar a classical calamity is an integral portion of its identity.

Clair Obscur often feels similar an look of French creation history, utilizing its civilization arsenic an enticing creator instauration (and adjacent poking amusive astatine itself with mime bosses and a amusive accordion jig). That's not conscionable successful the chiseled Belle Epoque aesthetic oregon the French phrases characters usage casually successful conversation, but besides successful motifs that invoke theatre, painting, dance, and euphony which are woven into the precise cloth of this fictional satellite – with euphony successful peculiar being the astir almighty one. Like each large RPG, an evocative soundtrack tin uplift it to go a genuinely memorable experience, and Sandfall understood the duty here. There’s astir too overmuch good music, successful that definite tracks didn’t adjacent get capable clip to instrumentality successful my head, but astatine each crook are astonishing songs that hype you up for conflict oregon acceptable a wistful mood. With a multifaceted attack that includes drawstring quartets, symphonic rock, moving opera vocals, and atmospheric synths, Clair Obscur’s soundtrack is stunning, and volition beryllium 1 of the reasons I won’t hide this game.