Clair Obscur just isn’t a sport to play casually – it desires to be understood, found, and skilled. Those that take it on will expertise probably the most spectacular role-playing video games within the historical past of the style.
There are video games which are paying homage to a relaxed trip on a youngsters’s carousel: leisurely, predictable, good to have a look at. After which there’s Clair Obscur, which looks like a curler coaster trip at evening from the very first minute – full with loops, backward sections, accelerations to 120 km/h, and a free fall that can make your coronary heart skip a beat.
As lovely because the world of Clair Obscur seems at first look, it’s no place for strolling. Behind the dreamy Belle Époque buildings, between the glowing mists and dancing shadows, lurks a sport that challenges you time and again and infrequently leaves you surprised.
Clair Obscur doesn’t simply inform a narrative – it sucks you right into a mosaic of vivid recollections, emotional dialogues, insightful expedition diaries, and fateful encounters. And as you attempt to piece collectively the puzzle, you notice that this sport has depth. A depth that you simply don’t simply need to uncover alongside the way in which, however expertise totally. And that makes it probably the most extraordinary role-playing video games of current years.
Age isn’t just a quantity
Yearly, a mysterious determine referred to as “the painter” awakens and decides life and demise with a single brushstroke. She paints a quantity on her monolith, and each one who has handed that age actually disappears into skinny air. 12 months after yr, the quantity decreases, decimating the inhabitants of the fictional metropolis of Lumière, which is clearly paying homage to Paris.
The story begins shortly earlier than the departure of the eponymous Expedition 33. The aim is to cease the painter earlier than she paints once more. A activity that 67 earlier expeditions have failed to perform. We accompany Gustave, Maelle, Lune, and their expedition colleagues on their journey to interrupt the lethal cycle.
Spoiler-free assessment
A lot of the fascination of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 comes from unraveling its secrets and techniques your self. Spoilers can actually spoil the enjoyable right here. That’s why this assessment solely incorporates screenshots we took ourselves through the first few hours of gameplay, in addition to pictures revealed by the developer that don’t reveal something essential with out context. We’ve got marked the latter accordingly.
Looking for solutions
Upon arriving on the continent, it turns into clear that that is no odd rescue mission. A mysterious white-haired man confronts the expedition and almost wipes them out utterly. As Gustave, you get up coated in blood and got down to discover survivors of the assault.
A lot is intentionally left obscure originally, however that’s precisely what makes Clair Obscur’s story so interesting. The journey to the monolith and the seek for the reality lead by means of a world stuffed with contradictions, secrets and techniques, and loss. Who’s the painter? Why does she kill the inhabitants of Lumière yearly with a single brushstroke? Why has no expedition ever managed to cease her?
Among the finest tales in role-playing sport historical past
Clair Obscur isn’t a narrative you may sit again and loosen up with; it’s one you need to lose your self in to grasp. As an alternative of clear chapters or hours of cutscenes, the sport depends on fragmentary storytelling that’s strongly paying homage to FromSoftware titles: expedition logs, quick asides in dialogues, cryptic objects, and small particulars within the sport world—all of which turn into items of a bigger puzzle.
In contrast to Darkish Souls and Elden Ring, you may perceive the essential define of the story even in case you simply stubbornly observe the primary mission. Nonetheless, you’ll miss out on the very best half. Those that hearken to the characters, learn between the traces, and discover each nook and cranny with attentive eyes and ears shall be rewarded with a spider’s net of knowledge unfold throughout all the world, which regularly makes the story extra vivid and full.
Exactly as a result of the sport leaves a lot open originally, there are actual “aha” moments when a long-forgotten dialogue immediately connects with new fragments of the story or offers the sport a totally new twist.
We have been significantly captivated by the conversations between the characters: they’re approachable, interrupt one another, chortle, stay silent, argue – and in doing so appear extra credible and alive than many characters in blockbuster role-playing video games. The subjects vary from on a regular basis issues to philosophical questions on guilt, that means, demise, and fact. None of it’s trivial – each little element contributes to a greater understanding of the world of Clair Obscur.
Belle Époque meets the top of time
Hardly any role-playing sport lately has drawn you in as shortly as Clair Obscur. The world appears to have fallen out of a romantic, surreal portray, revealing an typically disturbing combination of Belle Époque and darkish fantasy: Parisian pomp, class, and glamour meet apocalyptic silence, decay, and melancholy. Each scene appears as if an artist’s studio has been dropped at life.
Acoustically, too, the sport unfolds with an influence that’s troublesome to place into phrases. The orchestral soundtrack alternates between goose bumps and melancholy, underscoring each massive scenes and small, intimate moments.
Along with the superb English voice appearing, that includes top-class actors equivalent to Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Black Panther), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Jennifer English (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Ben Starr (Remaining Fantasy 16), the result’s an audiovisual maelstrom that you can find troublesome to flee – and even need to. One small downside: there isn’t a German voice appearing, however no less than the subtitles are very properly translated.
In return, the sport showers you with spectacularly staged cutscenes. Given the comparatively small crew and restricted funds, the manufacturing high quality of Clair Obscur is just unbelievable. And all this with none bugs or technical issues.
The one compromises are minor, however they’re there: the character animations might use a couple of extra particulars, which is mirrored, for instance, within the lack of facial expressions outdoors of cutscenes. And in some areas, it’s fairly apparent that they have been mainly assembled from the identical components time and again.
Nonetheless, presentation and environment are the sport’s biggest strengths and play a decisive position in making the world of Clair Obscur so fascinating and unforgettable.
Parry or lose
At first look, Clair Obscur appears like a basic Japanese role-playing sport with turn-based fight. The builders even borrowed the battle display screen nearly 1:1 from the style masterpiece Persona 5.
However anybody who depends on simply choosing assaults and comfortably munching on a bag of chips will shortly be taught higher – and can nearly actually get crushed up by the primary mini-boss on the newest.
When it comes to fight, Clair Obscur is energetic, demanding, and unforgiving: in case you don’t parry, you lose. The various hidden and significantly powerful non-compulsory bosses particularly prefer to knock unprepared teams utterly off their ft with only one assault.
Every potential in fight prices motion factors (AP), which could be constructed up by means of regular assaults and ideal dodging or parrying. Using particular abilities, magic, or significantly highly effective assaults subsequently requires intelligent useful resource administration.
On the similar time, good timing is important: the quick-time occasions require you to present the sport your full consideration, even throughout fight. If you happen to dodge or parry on the proper second, you may be rewarded with AP and highly effective counterattacks, supplying you with a decisive benefit, particularly in later battles.
Clair Obscur manages to make the battles really feel each entertaining and epic. Trash mobs could be knocked out in a matter of seconds, whereas the frequent and spectacular boss fights typically exceed the 15-minute mark.
Trial and Error
Every part of the sport surprises you with new enemy varieties, which is each a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, this retains the battles difficult till the very finish, as every enemy has particular person elemental weaknesses and resistances, hidden weak factors, unpredictable motion patterns, and highly effective particular assaults.
Then again, which means that you’ll encounter new enemies greater than as soon as that provides you with an actual beating. “Trial and error” is the secret right here and is simply as a lot part of progressing by means of the sport as leveling up your characters.
Dodging and parrying is unquestionably a problem in Clair Obscur. As in FromSoftware video games, your success relies upon crucially on studying your enemies’ motion and assault patterns. Cleverly, the three problem ranges “Story,” “Explorer,” and “Professional” not solely have an effect on injury numbers, but additionally the time home windows for dodging and parrying.
Even in Story mode, nevertheless, the motion components stay a central a part of Clair Obscur. And so, alongside the story, they’re the decisive think about how a lot you’ll benefit from the sport. As a result of the reality is, other than speaking, exploring, character administration, and preventing, there may be little else to do in Clair Obscur. Maybe except for a couple of, largely non-compulsory ability passages, which, nevertheless, are extra annoying than a welcome change as a result of terribly imprecise leap controls.
The character system: versatile however difficult
Clair Obscur helps you to form your characters nevertheless you need. Every character has their very own preventing fashion, however the way you develop and play it’s fully as much as you. Gustave, for instance, is way slower however extra highly effective than Maelle, whereas Lune can deal critical injury to enemies with elemental magic.
Attributes equivalent to vitality, agility, and luck could be developed freely and affect your well being, velocity, and important hit probability. As well as, there are so-called Pictos and Lumina, which unlock highly effective bonuses and provides your characters extra talents. Every character additionally has totally different weapons at their disposal. Oh, and on high of that, there are distinctive abilities that you need to use in battle in alternate for AP – the whole lot from a number of assaults to buffs to your group.
When is it value parrying? When do it is advisable to shoot? Which enemies are significantly weak to elemental injury? How can weapons, pictos, lumina, and attributes be mixed to extend the important hit probability? Which pictos are appropriate as counters for the particular talents of a seemingly invincible boss? Solely those that can reply these questions will get probably the most out of the system.
Detours are worthwhile
The world of Clair Obscur just isn’t open, however cleverly intertwined. As you already know from basic Japanese role-playing video games equivalent to Ni No Kuni or Remaining Fantasy, there may be an overworld map that connects all areas and dungeons. As you progress by means of the sport, you may unlock new methods to journey and return to locations you couldn’t entry originally of the sport.
Although the primary story tells you precisely the place to go subsequent, it’s value venturing off the crushed path. Those that are attentive and curious shall be rewarded – not solely with weapons and new outfits, but additionally with new story fragments that can make it easier to perceive the world of Clair Obscur a bit of higher.
An additional serving to of Souls-like, please
Many facets of Clair Obscur cry out for a Souls-like comparability, not least the extent design. In basic role-playing video games, a mini-map with a marker kindly exhibits you the place to go subsequent. In Clair Obscur, you need to work out for your self the way to get from A to B.
Typically you’ll uncover a shortcut on this planet’s intricate areas that can take you again to the start, and generally you’ll run straight right into a lifeless finish – on the finish of which a mini-boss is ready to present you a very good beating.
The paths in Clair Obscur are hardly ever linear; you typically transfer in loops, return, open new paths, and join areas with one another. That is precisely what makes the world natural – you get to understand it as a result of you need to discover it your self.
Enjoying by means of as soon as is sufficient – however you’ll nonetheless need extra
Clair Obscur just isn’t a brief role-playing sport for a wet Sunday afternoon, however one that can simply take up 30 hours of your time only for the primary story. If you wish to discover hidden areas and actually absorb all of the background info, you may simply spend 40 to 60 hours on it. Nonetheless, the enjoying time feels properly spent: there isn’t a downtime or pointless assortment duties for insignificant NPCs. Solely a bit right here and there that drags on a bit.
What makes replaying the sport significantly interesting is the number of potential builds to your characters. Totally different attribute and ability level distributions, totally different mixtures of weapons, pictos, and lumina – and you’ve got a totally new gaming expertise.
Final however not least, the sport additionally presents a story incentive to play by means of once more within the non-compulsory New Recreation Plus mode. Even in case you’ve already pieced collectively the Clair Obscur story puzzle throughout your first playthrough, you’ll need to dive again into this narrative masterpiece, similar to you’d along with your favourite ebook or film.
Editor’s conclusion
Be careful, massive weapons: Clair Obscur tells among the best tales I’ve ever skilled in a pc sport. Its story is fascinating, shifting, thought-provoking, and haunts me in my desires. I discover it significantly outstanding how Clair Obscur combines a linear narrative with fragments scattered all through the sport world. It doesn’t simply trace at issues like Elden Ring, however tells its core story in a really concrete approach. On the similar time, it leaves me loads of room for interpretation, but additionally alternatives to fill it with concrete puzzle items. There’s a understandable rationalization for nearly the whole lot on this wondrous, fascinating world.
The second nice energy of Clair Obscur lies in its character and fight system. Sure, the utterly free character improvement requires some getting used to, but it surely additionally permits for all kinds of construct and fight methods. No two events are alike right here.
At first, I used to be skeptical as as to whether the short time occasions would put on skinny over time. Nonetheless, since Clair Obscur works nearly fully with out display screen shows, no less than on the defensive, dodging and parrying feels rather more like Elden Ring than God of Warfare and stays persistently thrilling.
Nonetheless, it’s additionally true that there aren’t any alternate options and fight dominates many of the gameplay. If you happen to don’t get pleasure from it, even the very best story received’t reserve it. But when each fight and story spark your curiosity, Clair Obscur will burn itself into your reminiscence ceaselessly.
