Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 takes the turn-based RPG genre to new heights by blending traditional tactical combat with real-time elements and an engrossing narrative. It stands out with its ambitious story, strong voice acting, and captivating soundtrack.

Pros

• 🎤 High-quality voice acting that brings characters to life
• 🧙‍♂️ Innovative combat system mixing turn-based and real-time mechanics
• 📖 Deep lore and story that hooks players with rich world-building
• 🎼 Excellent soundtrack that enhances atmosphere and mood
• 🌌 Unique indie charm with thoughtful design and presentation

Cons

• 🕹️ Overworld and level exploration and interaction feel clunky and unpolished
• ⚔️ Combat initiation can be abrupt and sometimes frustrating
• 🖥️ UI and controls need refinement for smoother gameplay

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The game’s story and lore are its strongest assets, pulling players into a richly imagined world full of total mystery and intrigue. The story is unlike anything I've experienced before. The narrative layers multiple plot threads, character arcs, and world history that unravels gradually, rewarding players who invest time into exploration and dialogue, and playing with your emotions in ways you cannot even imagine.

The combat offers a refreshing twist by combining the deliberate tactics of turn-based battles with bursts of real-time action. This hybrid system keeps fights engaging and unpredictable, requiring both strategic planning and quick reflexes.

You’ll manage a party with diverse skills, timing your moves and use of skills carefully to maximize effectiveness. Each encounter challenges you to balance offense, defense, and crowd control, and the different resource systems unique to each characters, while positioning and timing (parrying, dodging, etc) remain crucial for success.

For the majority of the game, you can freely change your three-person party composition anywhere outside of combat. This allows you to adapt to changing battle conditions, exploit enemy weaknesses, and experiment with different builds without being locked into one role. It adds a layer of strategic depth that is usually seen in turn-based games, encouraging creativity and thoughtful planning. All playable characters are well-balanced and handled in a very unique way. They aren’t your typical mage, warrior, or rogue archetypes but something much more special, to the point that you’ll need to take time to read their different skills and effects to understand each character’s intended playstyle. Although at only 5-6 characters, its a bit on the low side in terms of total party members.

Outside of combat, exploration and narrative progression intertwine smoothly. The game really has that "Expedition" vibes as they presented with the title. The world is richly detailed with lore and story threads from previous Expeditions that reward attention and curiosity.

The actual Exploration in terms of game mechanics in the levels and the grandier overworld, however, is less refined. Moving through the levels and interacting with objects can feel awkward, which sometimes interrupts immersion. Combat initiation mechanics also occasionally disrupt pacing, as battles can be awkward to trigger.

Semi puzzle elements and a small handful of side quests and interactibles intersperse battles, providing variety and moments of respite, without the game feeling overcrowded. The game’s UI and controls, while generally effective, occasionally feel a bit clunky, but they don’t significantly detract from the overall experience.

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