Topic: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 -OT-

@Metonymy I have to concur. It seems I was slightly too hasty in my assertions regarding the narrative. Right after the point I was at, all the big stuff started happening at the end of Act II/start of Act III. Much like you've said, it elevated everything that came before. I'm a lot more positive on the narrative now than I was just a week ago as a result of all those revelations! I would still hold the fact that Act I and Act II doesn't really give you enough to latch onto against it, but taken as a whole, it's a fantastic journey. I'm eager to see the finale unfold, but a week later and... I'm still cleaning up all the optional Act III content.

As for Resident Evil: Requiem, you're right that you saw I finished it and that I haven't really talked about it yet on the forum. I think it's one of those cases where I'm not eager to write about it as I don't have much to add to the conversation beyond what's already been said, but I'll put some thoughts over in the appropriate thread later today and give you a tag!

@Tjuz The game didn’t truly click for me, at least not on the level that it eventually did, until I took it as a whole, which evidently is a hard thing to describe to someone playing the game in a way that isn’t annoying! Especially when there’s a chance that the reveals still may not work for them, I appreciate your graciousness.

Honestly, I share some of your earlier feelings. The big twist at the end of Act 1 was, for me, less mind blowing and more a sad reminder as to how safe storytelling has become in a lot of mainstream art.

Yeah, that bit is very powerful. I’ll wait on saying too much more until you’ve finished it as I’d hate to spoil anything at all for you. One character in particular became something achingly beautiful once the full context was revealed. Oh, and rest assured, there is some endgame content that is insanely difficult. One encounter in particular had me min-maxing my entire party’s build in order to overcome it 😄

@Metonymy You're very right in that the Act I plot twist only really felt fresh insomuch being so abnormal in a landscape of safe narratives. I'll always advocate for the fact that games are art, which has been proven time and time again, yet the mainstream ones don't do themselves any favours in furthering that perspective. That twist really shouldn't have been as big of a deal as it is in terms of the shock factor beyond the narrative boundaries. It was incredibly well executed from a writing and visual standpoint however, so I think even if the culture was different and it happened more often, it'd still stand out as one of the better executions of the trope. Nothing gets me going more than hearing the sound design of that walking stick approach. Expert showcase of how sound can really add to a game's tension.

I haven't actually made all that much of a stride in the playtime since last week. I fear I'm on the verge of burning out on it around 70 hours in, so I'm not sure if I should just beeline the final mission or wait a little bit to regain some more motivation to finish the final optional content. I have left off in Verso's Drafts, which was delightful. I only found out that was a post-release addition while I was in the middle of it. I tried a few times at the final boss of that area and thought I had him... only to reveal a second phase I instantly died in. Blast! After that, it would only be Renoir's Drafts and the final stage of Endless Tower left, but I'm not sure I want to struggle through a bunch of difficult content still. No fault of the game itself, but the optional content in Act III has just been a lot. Does Renoir's Drafts have any notable story content like the Reacher or Flying Manor, or is it really entirely optional?

I don’t think I fully appreciated what they did with that walking stick, thanks for singling it out! I think Endless Tower is really just there for the challenge and the platinum trophy. As for Renoir’s Drafts - it’s been a little while - but I don’t think I fully explored the area until after I had completed the game. Pretty sure that’s where the extremely difficult boss fight I was alluding to is located. There are definitely some big lore drops but I wouldn’t say they are critical to enjoying the main plot, but definitely required to having a full understanding of the entire narrative. You’re very close to the end and it’s not a huge area but it is absolutely a taxing one so I certainly wouldn’t hold it against you for taking a break. You know your pace 😄