Topic: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 -OT-

I've just finished ACT II and all I have to say is...

Wow.

This game is genuinely incredible. I was at a loss for words at the end of Act I but the end of Act II just got to me on a whole different level. So incredibly emotional in so many different ways. The writing for this game truly has been fantastic. It's no surprise that this game is reviewing as well as it has been. Sandfall Interactive have done a remarkable job with this and they deserve all the praise.

A large part of me doesn't want this journey to end. 😅

@Jimmer-jammer Shockingly, the game only gets better. I reached the end of Act 1 yesterday, and holy moly - you will not be prepared for it. But I say that because there is a mandatory boss fight that is really unique. I don’t typically die in turn-based RPG boss fights, but I did several times with this one. But it was always my mistake. I think it’s the perfect challenge for what’s to come, and prepares you for your future character builds. You get a good idea of how the game will operate from that point forward.

I’m glad you’re enjoying the game — it really is a piece of beautiful art.

Got to the point where the Curator showed up at camp and I'm loving the game so far, in spite of quite a few minor annoyances. The lack of any sort of map is maybe the biggest one, and one that has been mentioned by others as well. Turns out, my usually good sense of direction does not apply to games; I get easily turned around and keep "exploring" places I've already been. This may also be down to the environments often being a tiny bit "samey". A mini-map, or even just a regular map would have done wonders (especially since the game can turn you around or even transport you to another spot after a cutscene or a fight).

Another annoyance is that the game introduces elements before you're able to do anything with them, without telling you that this is something that comes later. The game can't be accused of being overly forthcoming about how everything works, especially early on, so I spent quite a bit of time wondering what things were and being unsure of whether I'd missed something or if I was just getting ahead of myself. Take the Chroma Catalyst. Says you can use it at camp to upgrade weapons. Since the game doesn't really tell you that "camp" isn't something you'll encounter until you reach the overland map, you may be forgiven for thinking that the expedition flags are "camp". So you might wonder why the hell you can't upgrade your weapons there. After moving on, you get to the overland map and are introduced to the fact that you may now actually make camp. Cool! So, now you can upgrade your weapons. No? Nope, that is still gated until later. Game doesn't explicitly tell you that, though.
A simple solution would be to simply have a text saying something along the lines that the thing you picked up is unknown, maybe it will have a use later on, instead of stating it's specific purpose before you can utilize it (even simpler, though: Add an entry for it in the Expedition Basics screen and be more specific there on when you'll be able to use it).

It's no secret that I had been pretty excited for this game to release ever since I watched the reveal trailer during the Xbox Games Showcase last year and I have to say, this game has taken a hold of me that no game has done since Elden Ring. I've loved every second of this wonderful game. I don't think I've ever been so emotional playing a video game before. It's one of those games, for me, at least, where everything just comes together and blends well together perfectly. The incredible story, the beautiful music, the well-written characters, the fantastic gameplay and the gorgeous setting.

I love the characters in this game. Not only are they great characters narratively but in combat, trying to get the maximum out of each character on every turn was such a fun thing to try to master. Things like trying to keep Maelle in Virtuose Stance so she can do 200% more damage or stacking Sciel's Sun/Moon cards so she becomes an absolute demon when you activate her Twilight passive, it was super fun to play around with the different party members and discovering who had the best synergies with who.

Not to mention the combat itself. The real time aiming at weakspots was really cool and the parrying/dodging just felt like pure Dark Souls. It felt amazing getting that rush of nailing parry after parry and, not only avoiding damage completely, but getting those sweet counterattacks in as well! Sure, it's easier to dodge than it is to parry, but that 'high risk, high reward' element took things to a whole different level. It felt great to be rewarded with getting those timings down as opposed to having to pray for good RNG and hope they miss as you would in most turn-based games.

It's not without its issues here and there, and there are a few plot points that I think don't quite have definitive answers (there may have been some things I missed.) but this game is without a doubt my personal Game of the Year and it could very well be in my top 5 of all time. Maybe that last statement is a little 'over the top' and 'reactionary' so I'll see where it stands 6-12 months from now.

I've enjoyed this game so much. I still have some endgame things to do and I may potentially mop up the collectibles if I opt to go for the platinum (which is unlikely, but you never know.) so my time with the game isn't necessarily over just yet.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 truly is a masterpiece.

@Kairuuu So glad that this lived up to the lofty expectations you had. First, because it’s great to see our compadres enjoy what they play. But secondly, because it means I should like it too!

Without spoilers, would you say the story really nails the ending? There’s been a lot of great games that can’t quite hit the landing with having such an awesome epic journey conclude in a crescendo of climax. I think the ending of a game is the most important part. The beginning and middle are important because they are what sell you on sticking with the game, but the ending is what remains with you and simmers in your soul for years to come. Masterpiece games like The Last of Us, BioShock, and Red Dead Redemption absolutely nail the ending. To be one of the greatest of all time I feel like it needs finish with a bang.

@Th3solution I think they do, but probably not in the way you'd possibly expect them to be. I don't know which part of the game you've gotten up to so I'm not sure what you'll know about the story yet so it might be difficult to say more without giving too much away.

I think when most people get to the climax of Act 1, they fall hopelessly in love with this game and never look back. But friends of mine who were further ahead kept saying "Act 1's climax was incredible, but you simply AREN'T READY for how Act 2 closes!" and when you hear that over and over, it should set expectations impossible to meet.

I will just say I screamed "oh my ***** God!" at how Act 2 closes out loud into my apartment where I am the only one who lives here 😆

This game is just so special, man.

@Kairuuu Oh, I’ve yet to start it, actually. I’m just enjoying reading everyone’s impressions.

@Pizzamorg I’m not lying when I did the exact same thing except instead of “OMFG” it was “HOLY F***!!!”

It’s a truly wonderful game!

@Th3solution Do let me know if you get it. It’s fantastic and I definitely think you’d enjoy it!

I posted this comment on the “What are you playing this weekend” feature, but I’ll share it here as well for a more general broad discussion.

Not too long ago, I was raving about Kingdom Come Deliverance —rightfully so; 200 hours later I finally obtained the platinum — and said I can’t see anything topping this as my frontrunner for GOTY. Well, that sentiment has changed.

I’ve put roughly 20 hours into this game. I recently completed Act 1 and am near the tail-end of Act 2, and I am blown away. The story is heartfelt, with twists and turns that have left me in utter disbelief. And the shocking moments that do occur don’t happen for the sake of trying to pull a fast one on your emotions. No; it happens organically, with beautiful allegories behind its decisions. You don’t see this often with modern RPGs.

Many developers neglect the story for gameplay and exploration. Clair hasn’t substituted anything. Everything is purposeful. It has taken all that makes an RPG what it is — story, party members, bantering, evil villain(s), a classic leveling up system, beautiful OST, exploring a vast open world — and elevated it above all of its contemporaries in a masterclass execution.

The combat has left me just as speechless as the narrative. It keeps you engaged from start to finish, and always evolving with new mechanics. Even more impressive is how many builds you can create — quite literally at least a hundred, and they aren’t minor. Just when you think turn-based mechanics couldn’t evolve in a redefining way, here comes a studio with their first game knocking on the door saying, ”Surprise”!

In a similar fashion as how Dark Souls paved the way for a lot of the games we see today, I truly believe Clair will be the example with turn-based RPGs moving forward. What is even more impressive is how many various builds you can create — quite literally at least 100 different variations. Speaking of DS, you can see how that historic franchise was an inspiration for this game. There are thrilling boss fights where you need to learn patterns, know when to dodge and counter, and understand weaknesses and affinities. There are even multiple phases. It’s quite astonishing how they have used the FromSoftware formula and implemented it seamlessly in a turn-based system. There is a layer of strategy to each combat encounter.

Other than lip syncing issues and invisible walls, I haven’t found a false note anywhere. I’ve been waiting for the game to plateau, but it still hasn’t come. I wish I could write a full length feature on this game because I’ve barely scratched the surface, from voice acting, the metaphors, the unique character designs, and the world building. Alas, that can’t be the case, so I’ll sum up the game like this: Clair Obscur is genre defining, and a generational game. Let’s not take it for granted.

I wish you could emoji react on posts here, cause I wanted you to know I saw this and it made me laugh out loud, wasn't sure if it was justified a full response, but couldn't let it go unsaid. I love how we are all just going through it with this game, and we get to share that experience.

@Kraven Your comment basically sums up everything I've been trying to say about this game because I agree with everything you've written and I couldn't have put it better (as seen above. 😅) if I tried. I can't wait for you and everyone else to finish it. It's truly remarkable. I think I spent most of Act III completely speechless and in absolute awe at what was being revealed right in front of me - and what I had learned prior! I'd love to read your thoughts when you finish the game!

@Pizzamorg It's been great reading how you guys have been getting on with the game. I knew I was in for a good time with this game but I didn't expect it to be that good. It's absolutely wonderful.

@Jimmer-jammer Thanks, pal! You're just scratching the surface and I'm extremely jealous. I already wish I could go back and experience it fresh again. In regards to the plat, there's one missable trophy, which I actually missed, but it's in the prologue so it shouldn't take too long to get if I decide to go for it, whether I load up a new save file or go into New Game+. A decent amount of endgame stuff to keep me occupied in the meantime though!

Rolled credits on Expedition 33 today. Kinda scared of being seen like a contrarian here, but I definitely enjoyed experiencing this more than I necessarily like loved the experience of actually playing it.

Helped by some truly incredible performances and its gorgeous presentation, I was simply not ready for the places this game would go. Somehow able to hold onto such a firm, human, anchor at the core, in a world otherwise so fantastical it should be alien to us. The rich lore and mythos. The twists and turns. The way it nails every emotional high point. I feel no words do justice to what a special story this is. And the existential questions about the ending I chose are going to haunt me for months I'm sure.

But then there are all the Souls elements... Not even just stuff like the parry or the difficulty tuning, even in how you have this big world to explore but no way to track anything. That is why the whole GOTY conversation becomes weird for me. It seems pretty unlikely to me another game this year will hit the same emotional high notes this hit, but if another game can come close and I don't need to mod the combat to enjoy it then...

It's a shame too, as I think the underlying systems are actually some of the best we've had in a really long time in an RPG like this. Everyone has a wonderfully complex kit, that makes everyone unique and fun to play. And I love how the Picto / Lumina system invites you to chase power, it's never holding you back in the name of "balance" it wants you to build the biggest sandcastle you can and that's really fun. (Which I guess makes it all the weirder they didn't just include a parry window slider, given they don't seem to care about how OP you become otherwise.)

Life Keeps Forcing Cruel Choices.

Been doing the ‘endgame’ areas after finishing the story. Holy crap! The Endless Tower is absolutely insane(!!!) and it’s definitely one of the coolest things in this game outside of the main story. Maelle carried me through it big time! She’s a bloody demon!

I think I only have two more areas remaining that I haven’t explored yet. After that, I’ll make the decision if I want to go for the platinum or not because I reckon it’ll only be the collectibles after that. I’ll have to load up a new save or go into NG+ as I missed the mime in the prologue.

For those who got all the way to the end, who did you side with? I thought the meta concept of playing a game, where the story is about a person escaping into a fantasy world was really cleverly done. The sort of societally accepted path would be for her to return to the real world and face her grief. But she returns to a world where her body is a prison and she has no future. If she chooses the Canvas, she has to accept everything is an illusion and she may never truly face her grief. But she can live a fuller life here than she could ever in the real world. And I dunno if it is reductive anyway calling the Canvas fake, cause every emotion she experiences here are real, and so doesn't that make it real then overall? I sided with Maelle, for the record. I thought Verso forcing her to go back and live in her prison of her body was really cruel. But it was just my reading of it.

@Pizzamorg I also sided with Maelle. She really is just ‘existing’ in the real world whereas she can actually ‘live’ in the canvas.

What I found interesting about siding with Verso was that I didn’t necessarily look at it from his point of view, but from Renoir’s. Renoir makes it clear throughout the game that he’s doing this for his family. He doesn’t want to lose them to the canvas and would rather be with them in the real world.

It’s no surprise that this is a game about grief and loss. I find it really beautiful that, in my opinion, each member of the Dessandre family represents a stage of grief. Aline is in denial because she lost her son in the manor fire, so she spends all her time in the canvas with her ‘painted’ family; Clea is anger as she’s off fighting her own ‘war’ against the Writers (who I don’t think we know that much about); Alicia is depression; and Verso, the painted version we play as, is acceptance, as he chooses to let go of that grief by erasing the canvas.

@Kairuuu Yeah, I feel like Verso / and by extension Renoir personified the societal tensions in the dynamic between the two sides. Renoir believed he was fighting to save his family, much like Verso believes he is fighting to save Alicia, because to them, until you face your grief, then you can never heal. Even if the by-product of that is living a life of never ending misery in the real world. They are forcing their truth onto Maelle, and robbing her of her agency (in a literal sense too, because in the real world she is a prisoner of her body), so it is hard for me not to see Maelle's ending as a wonderful act of independent rebellion and an act of survival. The choice of life, and love, even if the grey tint and the ominous music make it seem like the opposite. I do think the meta element of the ending is so wonderfully wrapped into itself over and over again. Because like I lost my Mother when I was a teen, if I had the choice to live my life with my Mother in it, even if it was an illusion, I'd probably take it. But also in my own life, my Dad makes no attempts to hide how disappointed he is that I'm not married, that I have no children. That I spend my free time on "childish things" like games. But I know I wouldn't be happier married with children, so why should I be forced to give up the life I enjoy now, for one that is expected of me? Are the emotions I experience when playing through a game somehow less real? Because by what do we even measure real with anyway? I dunno, it just all really spoke to me.

@Pizzamorg Yeah, I completely agree and I can relate to an extent.

Oh my god. Simon. Is. Insane!

This is absurd!! Genuinely, this is the most mental thing I've seen in any video game. So completely mental. Hardest boss in the game by a long shot!

I just reached the part where I can get to the paintress. I’m getting nervous. I was wanting to platinum the game, and I’m very much going to try, but I feel as if I’m nearing the end and I’ve only half the trophies unlocked. I’m hoping the last third of the game really expands upon the exploration because I’ve felt as if I’ve been incredibly thorough searching optional areas and finding collectibles.