Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

[i]Dodging is super important to not die.[/i] Great! How do I–[i]*Hit*[/i] Wait, so how do I–[i]*Hit*[/i] [i]You have to do it at the exact right time during the attack.[/i] So when is the right time? Is there some kind of animation or indicator? [i]No. *Hit*[/i] So I just have to know... somehow? [i]Yes, that's right.[/i] But I've never encount–[i]*Hit*[/i] I've never encountered this enemy before... [i]*Hit*[/i] [i]That's right. *Hit*[/i] Okay, well I've seen enough of these attacks now, so–[i]*Hit*[/i] Wait, that was something new! [i]Yes, that's right.[/i] So I'm basically [i]*Hit*[/i] just supposed to somehow [i]*Hit*[/i] know all the [i]*Hit*[/i] timing for all these [i]*Hit*[/i] attacks for all these [i]*Hit*[/i] enemies, even though I've [i]*Hit*[/i] never seen [i]*Hit*[/i] any [i]*Hit*[/i] of [i]*Hit*[/i] them [i]*Hit*[/i] before? [i]*Hit* *Hit*[/i] [i]Yes, that's right.[/i] In short, the complete guessing game of when to dodge is utter BS... I might change this later, but right now it's making the game utterly unenjoyable.

(10/10) An unforgettable experience. I loved absolutely everything about this game. The story, the soundtrack, the combat system, exploration.. everything felt so well thought out. The turn based combat combined with dodging and parrying makes every encounter challenging, satisfying and very addictive. The world is big enough to explore and discover things but still focused enough to never feel overwhelming. I feel the game was just the right length too. Just enough content without dragging things out forever. (Don't get me wrong, the game can be very long if you want and there are so many builds to try out that you can even play this forever) I honestly struggled to find anything I didn't like. This is one of those rare games you play and can never forget. Worth every penny.

Staring off with the good: the art is incredible. The world, the characters, the music, the voice acting... All of it is too notch. It is an audiovisual masterpiece. However, this game has some serious flaws. The combat is boring, they might as well call it learn to parry the game. There's a dodge mechanic, but parrying allows you to do massive damage to enemies and take no damage to the point where the rest of your equipment doesn't even matter all that much. Sure, it'll make battles faster, but it has nothing to do with being able to win fights. Sure, you can dodge, but what's the point? They throw in a jump but it's so far and few in-between it almost doesn't exist. The initial story concept is super interesting however the third arch just ruins the stakes. They try so hard to hide the big reveal that it is actually detrimental to the story. I get what they were trying to do here, but it seriously just undermines the first 2/3 of the game. The characters are boring and one dimensional. No one has a story arc, no one changes, and no one learns a damned thing. It's just a bunch of people with one goal and horse blinders on. There's an open world... With nothing in it. The third arc not only breaks the story, but also breaks the gameplay. The damage cap comes off and it's just boring and not well designed. This game is a great piece of art because of the art. Honestly, I could see this making a fantastic David Lynch movie. As a video game. It's fine, I guess.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 blew my expectations away. One of the best games I’ve ever played. The characters, the music, the world design - I mean, everything about this game is a work of art.

I haven't felt this in a game for a decade at least. There is real artistry in this game. Do not hesitate to play it.

Шедевр

[h1] Это не игра года. Это - игра столетия [/h1] [b] Я не знаю, как это объяснить словами, но Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — это не просто игра года. Для меня это игра столетия. Я впервые за очень долгое время поймал себя на мысли: я хочу пройти здесь абсолютно всё. Не просто закончить сюжет, не просто посмотреть концовку — я захотел выбить все 55 достижений, найти всё, что спрятали разработчики, разобраться во всех персонажах, локациях и деталях. И вот я только что получил 55/55. И теперь понимаю, насколько сильно эта игра меня зацепила. Персонажи здесь — отдельный вид искусства. Густав, Люнэ, Маэль, Сиэль, Версо, Эскье, Моноко… Они не ощущаются набором героев для RPG. У каждого есть своя история, характер, боль, мотивация. Ты действительно начинаешь переживать за них. А музыка… Это вообще что-то невероятное. Она не просто сопровождает происходящее — она создаёт его. Некоторые композиции могут вызвать эмоции сильнее, чем сами сцены. Саундтрек здесь — полноценный персонаж игры. Атмосфера — 10/10. Этот мир одновременно прекрасный, странный, мрачный и завораживающий. Каждая новая локация ощущается как картина, в которую хочется просто зайти и рассматривать детали. А сюжет… Он просто берет и взрывает тебе мозг. Когда кажется, что ты уже понял, что происходит, игра берёт тебя за голову и говорит: «А теперь посмотри на всё это с другой стороны». И ты сидишь такой: «ЧЕГОООО?!» 🤯 Я прошёл немало больших RPG. Были игры, которые я любил, были игры, которые впечатляли, были игры, которые я проходил десятки часов. Но Expedition 33 — первая за долгое время, после которой мне не хотелось, чтобы игра заканчивалась. И самое главное — после финала у меня не было ощущения: «Ну всё, прошёл». Было ощущение: «Уххх… что это сейчас вообще было…» Именно поэтому я пошёл и добил 55/55. Для меня это уже не просто очередная RPG. Это одна из тех игр, которые запоминаются на всю жизнь. Спасибо Sandfall Interactive за этот шедевр. Игра столетия. Лично для меня [/b]❤️

Why do I even need to leave a positive review for almost a 1.5 year old game with already overwhelmingly positive reviews? - For those who come after. [h3]Story - 10/10[/h3] Just... experience it yourself, really. And avoid ANY spoilers. This game will repeatedly subvert your expectations, surprise you, make you smile, make you cry, make you feel excited and determined to change the fate itself in one moment, and then utterly helpless and broken the next. Live through it yourself. Meet it's characters. Saying goodbye to them at the end might prove harder than it seems. One important note I have to make, though - it is a linear story. Your choices matter little, there are two endings and you choose which one you want manually. The only RPG elements are builds, progression and excellent story. But you don't really get to roleplay; just immerse in the story you follow through the protagonist's eyes. [h3]Gameplay - 7/10[/h3] It's not for everyone. It is a JRPG formula (like older Final Fantasy games), with turn based combat and party system. The only major difference is the rhythm-based defensive mechanics. You don't just tank the incoming attacks - you're supposed to dodge and/or parry them, like it's some soulslike. It CAN be annoying. It CAN be tedious. But it does get better, it has a lot of potential for different builds and the ability to create something incredibly OP with the right skills and gear. But what truly matters is that for it's story - those caveats can be ignored. [h3]Graphics - 7.5/10[/h3] From technical standpoint, it's nothing mind-blowing with the exception of motion capture in cutscenes (just cutscenes; the in-game facial animations are just okay) - those are spectacular. The textures can be a bit low res at places, some spots do feel like just royalty free assets thrown in together in a messy, yet stylish manner. But the overall art style is great. It works, it works exceptionally well for it's intended purpose. Once you realize what the world you're traveling through really IS... it will all click. [h3]Sound - 10/10[/h3] Voice acting remains amazing throughout the whole game. Soundtrack is something one couldn't possibly expect to be made by a relatively rookie composer. And yet it was. And it is nothing short of a masterpiece. Just... be sure not to listen too much to it's lyrics if you know French (especially archaic French) well - it does tend to spoil a lot of the story twists waaaaay ahead them actually happening, lol. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] 9/10. It's one of the few titles who claimed the GOTY and actually earned it. The only title they received that, in my opinion, they didn't deserve, is the RPG of the year. This title rightfully belongs to KCD2.

I couldn't warm up to the combat mechanics and really dislike how it revolves around parrying. I was also really surprised how bad the Game ran on my relatively good system, forcing me to put the Graphics down to Medium with FSR enabled to reach 60-70fps, which still felt really choppy, especially in the open world. DLSS Felt even worse.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. This game is so peak. I completely judged by its cover, but turns out It genuinely deserves all the GOTY praise it's gotten. The soundtrack is flawless, every track hits at exactly the right moment and somehow keeps getting better the longer you play, Like easily 100/10. This game is pure art. The plot is really great, i tried to predict it so many times but failed miserably. The combat is so good, i love the parry mechanic and the endless build you can make. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE give it a try.