My Review of this game.

I am usually the first player to tap out when I see "Turn-Based Combat" in a game description. It’s just not my jam. I typically crave the fast-paced immediacy of action games. However, I finished Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. If I sat through a mechanic I usually dislike just to see the end credits, take that as my highest compliment.

Here is the breakdown of my time with the game.

Let’s start with the obvious: the graphics are phenomenal. We aren’t just talking about high-resolution textures here; the art direction is breathtaking. The game’s reimagining of France was fabulous. The actual walking around in these areas is beautiful. The lighting, the architecture, and the atmosphere are top-tier. I often found myself stopping just to admire the scenery. It is easily one of the best-looking RPGs in recent memory.

The reason I pushed through my dislike of the combat system is the story. The narrative is gripping. The high stakes of Expedition 33 create a tension that keeps you pushing forward. The characters are well-written and voice-acted beautifully, making you care about the outcome.

Music great.

I experienced persistent glitches and weird artifacts flickering around the hair of the characters during cutscenes constantly. And it broke the immersion frequently. I checked my GPU drivers (fully updated) and tweaked settings, but the issue persisted.

Combat: Since I’m not into turn-based strategy, I found the combat "meh." It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t for me.

Exploration: The world design suffers from a lack of density. While the environments are stunning to look at, actually walking around them is boring. Every section feels formulaic: you enter a beautiful area, walk around a bit, find a bunch of enemies standing in waiting, fight them, and move on. There is very little interactivity with the world.

Side quests: The lack of side quests in the first two acts is baffling. For an RPG, the first 10+ hours feel incredibly linear. I kept expecting to branch off and help a gestral or find a secret treasure, but the game just funnels you from Point A to Point B. It felt weird and made the early game feel a bit hollow.