Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Solid

I typcally ignore hype. However, I grabbed this game on sale for $35 instead of the usual $50 sticker price. It is a price worth paying. I'm a cheapskate. So, fifty bucks is too much for me. I can still recommend this game even at it's fifty dollar price point, especially if you're into turn-based RPGs. I am personally not into turn-based RPGs. I tried Evolution: World of Sacred Device and, though charming, it was slog to get through. I played through Super Mario RPG, which is generally regarded as one of the best on the Super Nintendo, and I would be okay with never playing it again. Now I am working my way through Clair Obscur and I can safely say that I would rather play this game than the other two I mentioned. However, it still doesn't move my needle towards appreciating turn-based combat very much. Just like with Super Mario RPG, it was an entertaining game that I have no intention of ever playing again.

Tragic World

From the very opening of the game, this world is revealed to be a tragic one. People don't live very long. The main villain is "The Paintress". Every year she paints an ever decrementing number. Whatever that number is, that's the age group that people will die that year. They call it the "gommage". It's a peaceful death where they sort of just vaporize and vanish into thin air. But it's still death and it sucks. Along with an age cohort being eliminated every year, a group of volunteers set out on an expedition to stop the paintress from painting anymore numbers. Each expedition is named after whatever number was most recently painted. The expedition you will be guiding is Expedition 33. Starting with Expedition 99 and counting down, every last one of them failed.

Story

It's up to your squad of expeditioners now, Expedition 33, to take down the paintress and stop her from erasing your friends and family every year. I feel as though if I continue discussing the story further, I might be spoiling some key elements. The important takeaways are that nothing goes as planned, there's no shortage of surprise encounters, and there's a certain plot twist at the end. I personally think it's interesting, albeit depressing. I don't feel too good about the plot twist that occurs after defeating the Paintress. It just seems like a "gotcha" thrown in for it's own sake. I felt this way about the Miranda Tate/Talia al Ghul twist in the Dark Knight Rises. Everyone has different tastes and perhaps others will appreciate this plot twist, but I just didn't feel it.

Turn Based Attack

The combat is genuinely interesting, especially for a turn-based game. During your turn, you have a variety of options. There are certain actions you can take that don't actually end your turn. You can use the free aim shot and target your opponent's body or other targets for extra damage. Once unlocked, you can use gradient attacks that deal heavy damage or apply a serious buff. These two previous actions will not end your turn. If you use a skill or a direct attack, it will indeed end your turn. A direct attack is exactly that: a direct attack using whatever weapon your character is wielding. A skill is basically magic in this game, and it involves familiar elements suchas ice, fire, earth, etc. Using each of these options allow you to attack your opponent with precision and maximum damage.

Turn Based Defense

In many turn-based RPGs, once you end your turn, you typically just sit there until your opponent finishes. In Clair Obscur, you have the ability to either dodge or parry their attacks. Dodging simply avoids all damage altogether. If you parry each of your opponents damaging attacks, you will trigger a counter attack in which your opponent will receive damage instead of you. Both of these are quick-time events. So, you will have to press the right button at the right time to trigger a dodge or parry. Parrying has a narrower window of quick-time than dodging.I must admit, making it through a battle without taking damage by getting the quick-times all correct is satisfying, especially if you launch a counter-attack after parrying. It' not trivial, though. The timing of enemy attacks are all over the place. It will take some time, and even a few deaths, to learn the rythms of each of their attacks.

Worthy

This game is undoubtedly fun and worth a playthrough, especially if you're into this genre. There was a huge hype train powering this game's release. Both critics and gamers alike have praised it to the clouds. I'm not completely swept by it, but, as I keep mentioning, I'm just not big into turn-based RPGs. I much prefer action with plenty of hack & slash or run & gun. The story isn't quite up my alley. And the setting, although highly artful, is too dreary. I re-emphasize that those are personal tastes, and you are into that, by all means, go for it.

Legacy

Now, amidst all the hype, I couldn't help but wonder how this game would've been received 20 to 30 years ago. I am not a video game historian, but I feel like a title of this quality was being released quite frequently. Just look at the lifespan of the Super Nintendo: Soulblazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, Final Fantasy V and VI, Secret of Mana, Breath of Fire I and II, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, 7th Saga, Lufia II, and Super Mario RPG. These are all RPGs that frequently appear in greatest-of-all-time lists. I'm sure there's many more I missed, but that's thirteen all-time classic games in a span of five years or less on a single console. That's nuts. I am not sure what the state of gaming is nowadays. So, I don't know how frequent we're seeing the release of an all-time classic. I feel like only time will tell. I'd rank Clair Obscur ahead of Super Mario RPG, but behind Soulblazer, Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Mana (and it's sequel), Chrono Trigger, and Terranigma. I haven't played the others. Terranigma and Chrono Trigger in particular are just simply leagues ahead of Clair Obscur. Those two games are just monumentally epic. I need to replay and write about those two. They're seriously beautiful works of art.