An Expedition for the Ages

Earlier this week I finished up my adventure with the excellent Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.  There was joy, there was rage, and there were tears.  Overall, it's one of those games that is totally deserving of the hype and I have to say that I'm highly anticipating future games from Kepler Interactive.

What is it?

A turn-based RPG with elements of semi-open world exploration.  The story takes place in a fictional version of Paris called Lumiere that has suffered a catastrophic magical event that caused a fracture that left the city isolated from the larger surrounding continent.  After the fracture a mysterious figure called the Paintress began painting a giant number on a massive monolith--this number represents the age of people who will mysteriously disappear at the end of the year in an event called the "gommage."  Every year the number ticks lower and lower...and eventually all life will be wiped out.  Each year an expedition is sent out in an effort to stop the Paintress--and each year no one returns.  The counter has ticked down to 33 and that's where the game starts with the 67th expedition.

Can you save a shattered world?

How much playtime can I expect?

This number can vary greatly.  If you just focus on the main storyline and ignore all side content it could probably be completed in ~30 hours (that's my lowest estimate).  My playthrough clocked in at around 65 hours and I explored as much as I could (but some areas were still marked as dangerous).  There is an achievement for reaching level 99, so I am going to assume that you could keep playing well beyond my 65 hours.

Pros:

+ Amazingly creative story.  The world, characters, and story are all very engaging and unique.  The story has so many different emotional elements and you will find yourself with a genuine attachment to your eventual party.  The story took an unexpected (although it probably shouldn't have been very unexpected because there's some very definite foreshadowing) turn right when I thought I was nearing the end. 

+ Fantastic graphics and a beautiful world.  This is the first "new" graphically demanding game I've played on my new-ish PC and it looked absolutely stunning.  They used a ton of motion capture in the production and the characters look amazing (if you're one of those hair people...the hair is great).  The world itself is filled with a vast array of strange, beautiful, and bleak environments that will keep you wanting to explore.  There's tons to explore with main mission areas, optional side areas, and multiple unique "challenge" areas.  Some of the challenges are more serious in nature--they feature increasingly difficult combat challenges while others are sillier and feature goofy little games (that are quite difficult at the highest challenge level).

+ Multiple difficulty levels to suit players of all skill levels.  If you just want to experience the story and skip some of the tougher combat elements (namely the timing based parry and dodge system) you can opt for story mode.  If you're one of the leets, you can opt for the expert level which requires split-second precision and great combat prowess.  I played it on the default (expeditioner) difficulty and found it to be a good balance--some of the tougher bosses were challenging, but overall it was manageable.

+ Skill system that is massively customizable.  Each character has their own unique skill tree and can equip 6 abilities.  On top of that, each character can also equip special buffs called "pictos."  Pictos are found throughout the world and once equipped for 4 battles become learnable (with special lumina points which are also found and rewarded) by all characters.  It's a lot of fun to experiment with different pictos to figure out the ideal setup (and there are TONS of pictos, so it's quite the challenge).

+ Skippable cutscenes.  There's nothing more annoying that dying and having to re-play the same cutscene over and over...luckily, they included the option to skip.  Thank you!

+ Collectibles and cosmetic options to find.  There are music records that you can find throughout the world and play while you're in camp.  You can also buy outfits and hairstyles from merchants scattered around the world (or defeat the many mimes sprinkled around the world). If customization is your thing, there's plenty of it.  There are also a wide array of weapons for each character that can be found or looted from enemies.

+ Epic music.  If you're a fan of soaring vocals and emotional piano (it reminded me of NIER: Automata in a similar but also different way) you'll be blown away by the soundtrack.

+  Relationship building system.  When in camp you can opt to spend time with the members of your party.  There are some dialogue options and as you level up your relationship you unlock unique combat abilities for each character.  If you're someone who's a fan of having a deeper understanding of the characters in the game, you'll enjoy this feature.  If you're someone who's seeking "romantic" type options, those are mostly lacking (sorry to burst your bubble).

+ Each character has their own combat style and abilities.  Figuring out the synergy between specific characters to create the ideal party for each situation is another fun challenge.

+ Epic boss fights.  You never know exactly what to expect (that is if you don't look it up).

+ Replayability.  There's just so much to discover, multiple playthroughs are almost required.  Plus, there's a pretty big story decision that can play out a couple of different ways.

Cons:

+/- Controller recommended.  I didn't experiment with the mouse/keyboard combo to see if it would be doable, but I'm guessing it would be tough.  Find yourself a cheap-y controller online.

- QTE/timing based combat abilities.  If you're someone who struggles with reaction time and dislikes QTE sequences in games...you're probably going to want to opt for the story mode.  Dodging and parrying are both timing dependent--basically you have to both watch and listen for cues to know when to dodge.  Certain enemies can be quite tricky and have fast sequences that can be challenging (although they're usually doable once you get the timing down).  Attacking also has an element of timing if you want to launch perfect attacks.  Parrying in particular requires very precise timing.  It can feel quite frustrating at times.

- No maps of specific areas.  There is a map of the larger world but not the exact zones that you enter.  I found this a bit frustrating because there are generally multiple paths (and, I suppose you could return to those areas and try to fully explore them) to reach your goal.

- There is one boss in particular that I never figured out the timing on his attacks.  It feels like his timings are just a tiny bit off...and it's irritating.  I did manage to take him down, but only because I got lucky and he didn't use a certain attack that I absolutely could not counter.

Recommendation:

There are many games that get a ton of undeserved hype--Clair Obscur is not one of them.  It's amazing what a relatively small team was able to come up with--a beautiful world, complex and likable characters, an emotionally charged story, challenging combat that manages to push you but still be fun, and even some silly moments of levity.  I got it on sale, but it's definitely worth a full price purchase.  Pick it up as soon as you can and be prepared for an epic adventure.

Plot Twist!

Earlier this week I thought I was close to possibly wrapping up Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.  I had completed all the pre-requisite tasks and was ready to take on the big bads.  After struggling a bit with big bad #1 (I swear they intentionally made the timing on that fight just a tiny bit off) I had an easier time with what I thought was the final boss fight.  Finally, victory!  Then things took a dark turn...and, plot twist, there is actually much more game to go!  I'm actually glad about this fact because I've found that I'm greatly enjoying Clair Obscur and that it is definitely deserving of the high praise that it has received.

I'm not going to spoil the story or anything, but I sort of had an inkling that there was likely more game to go due to the fact that the map is scattered with side locations that were marked with an ominous red entrance (marked DANGER!) which I assumed meant that I wasn't high enough level.  Now, I'm trying to check out these many side areas and attempt some of the challenges.  I'm definitely not good enough to take on the uber-challenges (even at regular difficulty) but there are many different kinds sprinkled around the map.

One of the side areas.  Even they are visually stunning.

I feel like I'm not doing a good job with mixing and matching my pictos and could definitely be swapping them around for specific encounters.  There are so many!  I also have accumulated a large collection of weapons and feel like maybe I need to be spreading the upgrade wealth around a bit more rather than focusing on one specific weapon.  Maybe I'm not being strategic enough?  I am making progress though, so it must be okay.

Exploring the map is fun and I've found a few boss type enemies off the beaten track (and managed to take a few of them down).  One gripe I have about the game is that I wish there was some sort of indication of enemy level.  I found a giant Petank (the regular ones are hard enough to take down, so I knew this huge one would probably be a real pill) only for it to absolutely one-shot my squad.  I have a few other gripes, but I'll save them for my formal review.

For now, I'm just going to enjoy checking out as much of the map as I can and trying to defeat all the random bosses.  Happy weekend and happy gaming!

Being Embarrassingly Bad

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!

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.