Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5)

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a breathtaking love letter to the golden age of RPGs, wrapped in a bold, modern package. From the moment the game begins, you're drawn into a world where phenomenal music breathes life into every moment — a soaring, atmospheric score that evokes both emotion and wonder, perfectly complementing the game’s themes and story beats.The turn-based combat is sharp, inventive, and refreshingly interactive. Rather than passively watching the enemy’s turn, you're involved in defending and reacting, adding a layer of skill that keeps encounters engaging and dynamic. It’s deeply satisfying and reminiscent of classic systems while introducing its own unique flair.Fans of older RPGs will find plenty of respectful nods to classics like Final Fantasy. From subtle visual cues and thematic echoes to the sense of grand, character-driven storytelling, the influence is clear — yet Expedition 33 never feels derivative. It honours its inspirations while carving out a strong identity of its own.The story is truly exceptional, with well-written characters and twists that come at just the right moments to keep you guessing. It strikes a rare balance between emotional depth and thrilling plot development, ensuring you're hooked right up to the end.Importantly, it’s not a bloated 60-hour grind. Instead, it delivers a tightly woven experience that respects your time while still offering rich replayability.In short, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a modern RPG classic in the making — a game that draws from the past, dazzles in the present, and will be remembered long into the future.

The turn based combat has a lot of nuance (builds are very customisable). There is also Sekiro style parry and dodge mechanics that provide a good level of challenge.Amazing soundtrack (still on repeat for me) and a wonderfully creative art style.The characters are well written and performed. You will become invested in their stories, which really go places and put you through the emotional wringer. The real challenge is not ugly crying repeatedly.A game that will stay with you long after you are done playing (like the older JRPGs that are clear inspirations here). Worth every penny.

I risked buying this game a few days after release after seeing great reviews, which almost felt that AI was pushing out. And I am glad I did.I have now completed the game, and this is what I can say without giving too much away.I was completely drawn into the world created by the developers, there is plenty to explore, and lots of little to explore.I enjoyed the turn based combat that had quick time events - parrying/dodging (which I can appreciate won't be what everyone enjoys)The soundtrack is phenomenal, for game soundtracks, I would put it on par with Nier: Automata, for those who have played that game.The story is well written, and the voice actors do it justice.All in all an amazing game, and would recommend (and have to friends).

lair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a jaw-dropping RPG that grabs you from the first frame. The world is utterly mesmerising—rich with towering foliage, dreamlike architecture, and painterly skies. It doesn’t just look good; it feels handcrafted, every scene like stepping into a living work of art.The story is something else. Deeply strange, melancholic, and totally original, it follows a world where people are “erased” by an enigmatic figure called the Paintress. It’s eerie, emotional, and refreshingly different. The voice acting is proper brilliant too—Charlie Cox and Andy Serkis lead a top-tier cast that brings real weight and nuance to every line.What really blew me away, though, was the combat. This isn’t your usual boring turn-based fare. You actively dodge, parry, and time attacks even during enemy turns. It’s fast, responsive, and completely changes how turn-based RPGs should feel. Honestly, it puts most others to shame.My only issue was that a few conversations had oddly mismatched mouth movements, which pulled me out of the moment now and then. Still, it’s a small blemish which isn't noticeable unless you really focus on it, otherwise incredible experience. Clair Obscur Expidition 33 is bold, beautiful, and unmissable.

A wonderfully crafted, inventive, and unique video game which combines traditional role-playing elements with a modern parry/dodge system. The music is exceptional, the acting superb, with enough variation in character traits, level design, score, etc. to keep the game fresh throughout. My only critique, aside from some performance issues and sub-par animations, is that the lightning in the game is quite poor. Very high contrast with lots of volumetric fog, excessively dark shadows, and glaringly bright highlights. Otherwise, a near masterpiece whose ending with stay with me forever. If I could have given it four and a half stars, I would have.

There are no words in my vocabulary deep enough to describe this game's abyssal depth. It was an amazing experience, with characters that will stick with you for life, I know the gorgeous and gutwrenching story of this tragic cast will stick with me for as long as I live; however, it is also the only game to have ripped such visceral emotions out of me to the point that I was shocked by my reactions. This experience is not for the faint of heart. 11/10 would play againFor those who come after.

Might be the best game of all time tbh, this game changed my life. To combine such strong gameplay with such fine artistry. A story that conveys such strong emotion without telling you exactly how to feel. If I'm not playing this game on a day, I'll be thinking about it. Its rare games capture me like this since I was a kid.

Absolutely fantastic game with compelling storyline, memorable characters and insanely good sound track