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

I used to fantasize about the design needed to make my perfect JRPG. The type of combat, the type of music, the story, the art style. What were the aspects that I would want if I were to create it? How do you keep combat exciting when everyone is just standing around? What type of music do you need to amplify the sense of tension or grandiosity? How do you create those emotional moments that resonate and hit with your player without stooping into the standard sob stories? What type of plot lets you explore the fantastical while still keeping the characters grounded and relatable? I can say with absolute certainty that I no longer need to fantasize. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the game I've always wanted to play. I played Clair Obscur to completion in a way that I have played very few other games. It's easy to see how much care was put into every aspect of design. From the combat, to the art, to the music, to the dialogue, to the story, I don't find myself thinking of ifs, ands, or buts when describing anything. Clair Obscur feels like a game that has been fully realized, that its design is exactly where it needed to end up, able to live up to its full potential. I could gush over every single aspect of Clair Obscur and it easily places as one of my favorite games of all time. I wish I had the writing ability to do its review justice. Clair Obscur is practically a piece of art, and on its canvas, Sandfall Interactive has painted a masterpiece. It should be used as the gold standard for those who come after. Playtime: 104.3 hours In game playtime: 84.6 hours Achievements: 55 of 55 played on expert