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

Despite missing some quality of life features (minimap, manual save, etc.), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was a 10/10 experience for me. The turn-based combat is probably going to be the best that I've experienced. Skills and Parries feel so satisfying to execute. Due to the enjoyable combat, I often lost myself in grinding and thinking of builds for my team. I also thought the story was excellent. Without spoiling, Expedition 33 is a game about grief that is heavily aided by the game's presentation (ie, the music, the sound effects, etc.). In addition to the presentation, the voice acting in this game was really good. Nearly every character had a memorable performance, even those with short screentime. What I like most is how morally grey the last section of the game is. However, one glaring flaw for me was in the last section of the game. In particular, after the last section's first cutscene, you're given freedom to roam, and you're able to fight the final boss as soon as possible. You're also encouraged to explore the map at its fullest. If you beat most bosses and explore nearly every area, you're most likely going to be so strong that the final boss feels so trivial in comparison to the other bosses you've fought. I haven't 100% the game and the final battle felt like a cakewalk on normal difficulty. I would've appreciated it if the developers scaled the final boss with our freedom to explore beforehand in mind. Ultimately, Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 is probably the most fun I've had with turn-based combat. Every flaw I could think of is a nitpick or just a personal preference. As previously stated, this was a 10/10 experience for me. I recommend it if you like turn-based combat. I also recommend securing a physical copy whenever you can :)