3/5 ★ – nebirosDx's review of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

I finished Clair Obscur, and... yeah, not really my thing. I wouldn’t call it a bad game, and I can definitely see some strong points here and there — but overall, it just didn’t click with me. Let’s start with something positive: the writing. While I didn’t find the story itself particularly interesting or moving, it is well-written. The prose has a nice flow to it, the tone is consistent, and the world-building shows effort. It just didn’t grab me. The characters felt kind of flat, and the plot twists? Super predictable — maybe on purpose, I don’t know, but they didn’t surprise or excite me in any way. Now, the gameplay… yeah, this was the worst part for me. I genuinely don’t get this obsession with turning every genre into some sort of Souls-like experience. The turn-based combat reminded me a bit of Paper Mario, but way more frustrating. It’s hard to read enemy movements, so blocking or countering often felt like guesswork more than skill. I gave up and switched to "Story Mode" halfway through because I just wasn’t having fun. And don’t even get me started on the Picto system. I hated it. Not because the idea is bad, but because the interface made it feel like a chore. Opening the menu, changing them, scrolling through this finite, boring list of options... it just sucked all the energy out of me. Also, the fact that you can only spend attribute and skill points at save points? Really annoying. And resting makes enemies respawn — yay, another Souls-like thing I didn't ask for. Same with the weapon scaling. Not a fan. Visually, I recognize the artistic intent — I really do — but I didn’t enjoy looking at it. The art style didn’t translate well into the final experience (at least for me). Everything felt a bit overwhelming to the eye, kind of messy and unclean. It’s hard to describe, but it just didn’t sit right visually. That said, the music is genuinely excellent. Definitely one of the highlights of the game for me. In the end, Clair Obscur left me with... nothing. I finished it and felt empty — not in a profound narrative way, just... meh. I don’t hate it, and I wouldn’t call it a bad game. I think I just expected something different, and maybe it’s just not for me.