I grabbed a couple of titles in the Steam Holiday Sale and have spent most of my time with one in particular--Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Part of me was a bit hesitant--I'm not opposed to turn-based games but I have no experience with the Final Fantasy-ish style of play. Even with my hesitation the game seems to get rave reviews from gamers, so I decided that to try something new and I haven't regretted a minute of it (I only regret how bad I am at the timing based aspects of the game).
Unless you've been totally tuned out of gaming related news, I'm not sure you could miss the buzz about Clair Obscur. It was a favorite at the recent Game Awards (although there was some controversy over some AI related art or somesuch) for GOTY. If you haven't heard of it, it's a turn-based RPG from a French developer (it definitely has a very French flair and vibe) that features amazing (and somewhat bizarre) environments, highly enjoyable (and challenging) gameplay, and an odd, but intriguing story punctuated by moments of high emotion. It's got a lot going for it!
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| An example of one of the many beautiful environments in Clair Obscur. |
The story revolves around a world where a mystical event fractured parts of the world and isolated the city of Lumiere (the game equivalent of Paris). Then, a strange figure called the Paintress emerged and began a yearly event known as the "gommage." Each year she paints a new number on a huge monolith that represents the age of people who will simply disappear at the end of the year. In response to this event the brave people of Lumiere have sent annual expeditions to find and stop the Paintress...with no success and no survivors. The game starts as year 34 rolls over into 33 and you get to experience the emotional pain as the people of Lumiere watch parents, siblings, friends, and lovers simply disappear in a shower of rose petals.
You play as members of Expedition 33 who are the next group venturing out to the mysterious continent that is the home of the Paintress. Each expedition has a new strategy that they hope will finally be successful and end the pain of the gommage. The continent itself is a bizarre, magic-filled place filled with strange monsters known as nevrons that serve the Paintress. Combat is party-based and you gradually add new members as you progress through the story. Each character has a unique combat style and can gain experience to unlock improved abilities and new skills. Combat itself is an enjoyable combination of learning the skills that work together the best and also timing-based dodging and parrying (I'm playing on the default difficulty and it can be challenging--particularly parrying. Fortunately though, there are multiple difficulty levels and if the timing aspect is too difficult you can always switch it to story mode).
There is a ton to explore and plenty of fun side-adventures to be had--it's not all super-serious and depressing. I'm about 30 hours in and I'm greatly enjoying all aspects of Clair Obscur. One particularly enjoyable part of the adventure is finding the more challenging "chromatic" version of enemies and taking them down. Each one poses a unique combat challenge and some have gimmicks that can take awhile to figure out.
If you haven't checked out Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, I would definitely recommend checking it out. It's beautiful, challenging, and has tons of depth. Plus, it's French, so you know it's super cool by default.
