5/5 ★ – KnightOfGotham14's review of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Pfttt… wow, just wow. Writing after having just finished the game and I have so little words but I’m gonna try and find some for this. Expedition 33 is the first game from these developers and is done by a very small team of 33 (yes I know) individuals, and simply what they have done here is nothing short of a masterpiece in terms of the games itself as well as for the industry overall. The games combat uses what they refer to as “Reactive Turned Based” which essentially entail smashing Final Fantasy 9, Persona 3, and Sekrio into a single combat system for some of the most satisfying gameplay I have played in an RPG overall, with not only every hit and parry feeling satisfying as hell, but the depth of build crafting in this games can allow for INSANE damage numbers (highest I think I’ve seen is 6 million on a single hit). Each character has their own gameplay style that is super distinct from one another that the overlap that might exist isn’t enough for it be noticed, from characters who have to juggle skills setting up tarot cards for damage buffing, so a DMC esq. style meter which buffs damage the higher in rank you get. The gameplay was never dull even for a second. The presentation is gorgeous as well. With this game being built in Unreal Engine 5, worries did exist about performance as UE is somewhat notorious for it, but I had a single glitch happen to me in my 43 hours of play and pretty much 0 frame drops. The art direction is so unique with taking very clear inspiration from not only the culture of France, but that of oil paintings and other art styles that are prominent during renaissance art. The music is hands down my favorite soundtrack overall, period. Not a single track phones it in and it inspires such intense emotion through out, from excitement, to sorrow, to dread. Onto the narrative, which is without a doubt the games strongest point which is saying a lot. It’s a deeply resonant story about what grief does to someone, the cycles that it can create, and the deep personal connections that you build both with people you meet in your life, but with your family after a break within. It begins with an emotional gut punch and continues to deliver from start to finish both joy and despair from each of the main party members. Speaking of, easily the standout member of this cast was Sciel, a carefree seeming woman who battles with some of the darkest loss anyone in the cast has had to feel, though not to discount the others with Lune and Monoco being fantastic as well when it comes to secondary characters. Gustave, Verso, and Maelle play the protagonists in this story and FUCK did both the writing and the performances killed it, Charlie Cox, Ben Starr, and Jennifer English deliver some of the most captivating performances of their career (imo) and along with the incredibly human and real writing for both scenario and individual dialogue help bring the game to life in a way that I’ve not seen in a while. Play this game, it’s on all platforms, Xbox Game Pass, and I truly believe that not a single game that will release this year will exceed the wonders that this game pulls of. Easiest 10/10 that I have ever given