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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 celebrated its first anniversary earlier this week (how time flies!), and although the RPG ended up being one of the most highly-praised releases of the generation, we just can't help but wonder if opinions have changed now that we're 12 months down the line.
Taking a moment to look back on impactful video games is always interesting, because you're removed from the hype cycle that so often surrounds a popular title. And boy did Clair Obscur have some hype behind it.
This was a game that pretty much took the world by storm. In part, we think its staggering success was down to a general lack of expectation; it was a totally new property from a totally new developer, and it certainly wasn't packing the kind of AAA budget that can immediately alter the perception of a project.
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Clair Obscur was met with outstanding critic reviews right out of the gate. The 10s were flying in from all over, and they simply didn't stop. Again, the French-made RPG seemed to go above and beyond any and all expectations.
The praise was so universal and, in some cases, so significant, that Game of the Year discussions were taking place in April. It felt like nothing would be capable of toppling such a hit — and that turned out to be true, as Clair Obscur would go on to claim the most Game of the Year awards ever.
But some people weren't completely sold. You didn't see a whole lot of it initially, but inevitably, more negative takes did start to emerge as things settled down. This happens with just about every release, to be fair, but the overwhelming (and seemingly never-ending) praise had perhaps rubbed some players the wrong way.
Still, the detractors weren't nearly loud enough to sink the game's momentum. As mentioned, it swept Game of the Year awards far and wide; even Geoff Keighley's annual The Game Awards show ended up feeling like little more than a predetermined victory lap for developer Sandfall Interactive.
Did Clair Obscur really deserve that level of praise, though? Now that we're a year out from launch, does the RPG still stand out as something truly special? Vote in our polls, and then be true to yourself in the comments section below.