Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025)

Any praise I could give this game has already been said enough here already, so I'll instead give my thoughts on the things I did not like about the game. Despite me giving it 4 stars here, I'm a bit conflicted on that rating and it would probably be a bit closer to a 3.5, but certainly not a 3. The reason for that being that while there's alot about the game I like, there's a few things I REALLY don't like about the game. I'll ignore the story for a bit and state that Act 2 just kinda really sucks from a gameplay perspective. I'm not going to tag non-story spoilers but I guess if you care about gameplay aspects then read with care. At the end of Act 1 you're more or less close or pretty much consistently hitting 9999 with at least one of your characters (Maelle). And it doesn't take long to get two of your other characters to also start hitting 9999 consistently. Unfortunately, Act 2 is quite long and you aren't allowed to go over the damage cap until you finish Act 2. And this sucks. For the entirety of Act 2, you're getting more Pictos and weapons that you can't really do anything with because you're already hitting 9999 with everyone. Combat degrades into just using your best multi-hitting skills with each character and rolling over normal encounters. Bosses are fine but are still dull because you can't really experiment with setups or anything because anything you do is hitting 9999 by this point, and you kinda need to for some bosses else they take quite a bit (on expert at least).

When you finally are allowed to go over the damage cap, it becomes more a nuisance to look over everything you got and try to figure out what works and what doesn't in a build. It certainly would have been nice to.. I don't know, allow me to break damage cap a bit earlier and maybe have an entire act to experiment with pictos to figure out what I like and don't like? Act 3 opening up into letting you do what you want before finishing the game doesn't really work because you have so little to work on with what works and doesn't. Suddenly you've gone from 9999 to the game expecting you to be doing damage in the 100k's. You just kinda stumble until you figure out a good build and skill set up and just as much stumble around the world doing whatever. I REALLY didn't like the way Act 2 and 3 were paced, especially when alot of the side content in Act 3 is just enemies and bosses you've already done before but with more hp and maybe some extra adds. There are notable exceptions to the content in Act 3 but apart from that, I was not particularly excited to do much of it. Alot of it could have easily been spaced out over Act 2 but their decision to keep the damage cap just kinda ruins that. And ultimately, if you do end up doing the all side content, you just end up completely facerolling the final boss which puts a damper on the atmosphere and impact of the story in my opinion. And I guess the answer to fixing that is removing your ability to go over the damage cap but that's... really boring.

I'm all for games letting you break them and having a robust system that allows you to experiment and do your own thing, but the way Expedition 33 did it just did not work for me at all. As for the story... well, It was fine. I think Act 1 is really strong but my interest gradually waned and declined the further I got and didn't really make me feel much. The twists just kind of went over my head and I've concluded that the world they've created along with the music easily clears just about every other aspect of the game. I know everything I've said makes it seem like I hate the game but I don't. When the combat works it works very well and the characters are all memorable and likeable enough. Though I am upset they killed the best character and replaced him with a witty not as interesting one We definitely need more games like this and I hope the team continues to cook up more interesting stuff.

So yeah, finally beat the Paintress, only for my Xbox to freeze/reset on me. So yeah, had to face her AGAIN. I'm not sure how many swear words I was screaming, but I don't think I woke up my wife.

I did beat her again, because by this point I've figured out all her move patterns and timing to almost parry/dodge most of them, but damn, was I pissed! Haha.

For the majority of my life, I held a deep desire to be enveloped in the video game zeitgeist. The concern to be outside of the conversation was real.

I haven't been aware of 33's inner workings before and after release, only witnessing a trailer at some juncture of lost sleep, life stress and parenthood. By all accounts, 33 easily impresses without needing to know the whole picture, let alone sales.

I've had a conversation recently, where I pawed at my limited understanding and comparative titles. A half baked, well meaning excitement that missed the mark of accuracy, based on the reception that followed. I felt silly for a moment but undamaged. The bastion of knowing I held dearly to, was a phantom of immaturity.

Video games are an ocean now. I'll sail my little ship, enjoy what I can and be happy for the rest.

OK. Here it is. For those who come aft... I mean, for those who already finished the game. Here's a 3000 words essay about the debate that is wrecking the fandom: Which ending is the good ending.

It's in spanish but you can use your browser to translate if you can't read that language.

Yes, I know I already wrote thousands of words analyzing the themes of the game. I just can't stop thinking about it.

I made it through Act 2 and defeated its boss on the second try (normal difficulty). It was a good boss fight, much better than the slog of a dungeon leading to it.

I think that "boring" isn't the right way to describe the combat, because some combat encounters can be very energizing. "Tedious" might be a better word for it.

Tedious in the sense that when there's too much of it, it becomes repetitive and can wear you down. I was ready to call it quits right before reaching that boss fight...

Hopefully the rest of the game keeps giving me cool boss fights and more of that rollercoaster of a story, and less repetitive encounters

This is probably one of the best articles I’ve come across (always love reading a Willa Rowe piece) for its discussion of the thematic core of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and why I think Act 3 and the game’s dual endings are compelling and effective at tying off a tread that is being pulled throughout the entire game.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s style is its substance