AzraelAlumina Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review

This game is a friggin' masterpiece and I'm not even exaggerating. I haven't been so utterly enthralled by a JRPG nor a game's narrative like this in YEARS. The storytelling, acting and writing on this game is on par with the Last of Us. And the turn-based combat with real-time dodging, parrying and quick-time events just work so wonderfully, I still cannot believe it. I had long grown tired of JRPG's since the days of Final Fantasy 10 and except for rare titles like Persona 5, I had found its gameplay quite formulaic and stale. But OH BOY, did Clair Obscure strike GOLD by putting some SEKIRO into your Final Fantasy. The combat formula is simultaneously both absolutely insane and genius. On paper this should not work as well as it does. I abhore quick-time events since the times of the original Resident evil 4, but the folks at Sandfall found a way to take super mario RPG's little gimmick and turn it up to 11, pulling off a profoundly satisfying combat loop. The combat is ENTIRELY balanced around mastering the quick-time events for each attack and learning to parry and dodge each enemy. At any time in combat, your characters will always be 1-3 hits away from death, forcing you to dance on a razor's edge to nuke down your enemies before your take one too many hits and get your team killed. Killing bosses on this game is just as satisfying as downing a boss in a souls game, as you'll try to sequence your character's big flashy damage combos while trying to keep your team alive just long enough to get through the fight. Besides the execution part of the combat, the kits for each playable character and build diversity are surprisingly deep. You can absolutely spec your characters to do some really wacky broken stuff and pull off absolutely insanely high damage combos. But all of that is kept in check by usually requiring playing at really low hp's or requiring a lot of support from teammates, again, forcing you to dodge and parry like a pro to pull off. But man, is it satisfying to do so. You can even go out of your way to fight ridiculously over-levelled enemies and YES, you CAN take them down if you become a parry master. EVERY SINGLE attack in this game can be dodged and countered if you get the timing right. All in all, the game challenges you both in planning and execution in combat creating a truly innovative and uniquely compelling mix. ON TOP OF ALL THIS, the story is absolutely wonderful, the characters are very well written and acted, the soundtrack is beautiful and the game looks absolutely gorgeous. And there are also some really emotional moments in this story. I had not found myself shedding tears over a story like this in a LOOONG time I dedicate way too much of my life to gaming and I am constantly trying out new titles and finding new games, across most genres. I can say with no amount of hyperbole, Clair Obscur is game of the year for 2025, mark my words. This thing is on par with Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3. Might even top them on some regards. Sandfall are gonna clean house at the next game awards, and they definitely deserve it. 11/10 would cry again