Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
It has arrived and has exceeded the expectations of numerous players. This French role-playing game features breathtaking visuals, an engaging storyline, and innovative turn-based battles, setting it apart as a standout title.
a top candidate for the 2025 Game of the Year
.
It’s also a mix of various distinctive influences. Of course, it has quite a lot in common with JRPGs and other classic, traditional turn-based games; its unique, stylized take on battles may bring to mind several games from the past for many players.
Persona
for example, whereas some might think ofJRPGs like
Final Fantasy 13
, as
Clair Obscur
features a linear, high-fidelity environment with a stronger focus on combat over exploration. The narrative draws inspiration from various external sources, incorporating elements reminiscent of other fictional creations, like
Attack of Titan
However, another lesser-explored influence, which is quite common in other sectors of the same field, also plays a role.
Clair Obscur
‘s game design.
Clair Obscur Takes Important Cues from the Soulslike Genre
How Clair Obscur’s Structure and Features Are FromSoftware-Influenced
It would be foolish to contemplate
Clair Obscur
A soul-like game that certainly draws inspiration from FromSoftware’s established formula. Specifically, the game’s Expedition Flags serve a purpose similar to Bonfires and Sites of Grace in
Dark Souls
and
Elden Ring
, provided as interactive checkpoints that you can utilize to advance levels, travel quickly, or recuperate resources, with the downside being that enemy non-player characters will respawn. Additionally, there’s the manner in which
Clair Obscur
handles resource management
Healing items such as Tints and Chroma Elixirs get refilled after you rest at an Expedition Flag; they are not gathered across the game world.
These souls-like mechanics significantly influence
how
Clair Obscur
feels to play
, particularly when considering the game from a classic turn-based RPG perspective. In many turn-based, adventure-centric RPGs, managing and accumulating items plays a crucial role in the gameplay mechanics. Acquiring and discovering healing items, potions, and similar resources often leads to critical moments during battles. By restricting the availability of consumable items solely to those obtained through Expedition Flags,
Clair Obscur
becomes much more adaptable and lenient, while also simplifying conventional RPG systems that can sometimes be cumbersome and daunting.
An analogous phenomenon can be seen with Expedition Flags serving as checkpoints. By establishing standardized checkpoints and providing players some flexibility in choosing their respawn points, this approach enhances gameplay.
Clair Obscur
once again shows greater adaptability
Unlike many of its peers and predecessors, players have the freedom to restart, restock, enhance their abilities, and instantly teleport almost anywhere without being constrained by strict resource limits or random spawn points.
Clair Obscur’s Dark Soul-like Features Further Demonstrate the Pervasive Reach of FromSoftware’s Impact
Highlighting a game’s Souls-like features frequently incites surprising backlash, since numerous players believe that the impact of the Souls-like genre, along with FromSoftware’s overall influence, is exaggerated. However, nothing could be more off-base than this assertion.
FromSoftware’s creations are indeed
that
influential
, its mechanical staples became so prevalent that they evolved into the standard approach for numerous gaming categories. For example, checkpoints as mentioned earlier were far less typical before this time.
Dark Souls
Neither were the triggers and shoulder buttons used for melee attacks.
Demon’s Souls
and
Dark Souls
have attained a degree of impact
That is seldom witnessed in entertainment. Nowadays, many people fail to identify certain Souls-like mechanics or features as inherently connected to this genre.
Dark Souls
; these are merely typical elements found in action or adventure games. This could be true when examining
Clair Obscur
, since its checkpoint system and resource management features seem ordinary, even though they are clearly distinctive.
Dark Souls
parallels.