I know I have written a lot about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive), and I have more to say about it. I’m stlil playing, but the dichotomy I felt when I first started playing it has only grown. I would say I have a love/hate relationship with the game, but it’s really the combat. I’ll get to that in a second.
I got to the end of the first act and was hit with an emotional stunner (cutscene). It shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. I teared up and thought, “Surely, they aren’t doing–that?” I don’t know why as it made thematic sense, but it came out of the blue for me.
They earned the moment, storywise. I do not begrudge them that, but on the other hand, I’m not crazy about the story. I find it barely serviceable and not as clever as they think it is. In fact, if it wasn’t for the absolutely phenomenal voice acting, I would call the story mediocre. But, because of how incredible the acting is, it elevates the story much more than it deserves.
And the moment is clearly a ‘move my face to hit your fist’ moment. In other words, it was backwards engineered because they wanted to reach a certain conclusion. The more I thought about it, the less pleased I was by it (which is why I don’t like TV and movies). The moment was still powerful (well, it would have been more so if it wasn’t mired down with a really weird boss fight), but even as I was watching it, I was very aware that it was a created moment.
Again, the acting itself was incredible. I cannot gush enough about the actors in this game. They gave it their all and while i had my doubts about Sciel, it was the character and not the voice actor (Shala Nyx). The character grew on me, and while she’s not one of my favorites, she’s an integral part of the party.
Speaking of, things have really escalated in the second act. There are two new characters in the party, and the latter (while having a gorgeous voice) introduces a completely new attack system as well. Oh, and there’s another defensive move, too. At least that comes with a visual cue. The gradient attack, though, I have no clue what it actually is or how to do it–even though I did the tutorial for it and for the newest party member as well.
At this point, my brain went, “I think I’m good.” I was already have problems with the combat; I did not need more things added to it. I still don’t undrestand how to use Maelle and her stances, though, I will admit I have her doing high fire damage only beacuse I loaded her down with fire skills.
I don’t like having so many party members. I don’t like making choices and constantly fiddling with the stats. I find it really stressful. I also don’t like that I have to decide who gets upgrades. I mean, should I make one character way OP or level up their gear evenly (I do the latter. Always the latter.)
I think if you’re into JRPGs, though, that’s part and parcel of the genre? I’m not sure because I’ve never played a JRPG before. But the turn-based, the party building, and the battles that take half-an-hour all seem to be part of the genre.
By the way, another mechanic was introduced. Relationship building. When you’re in camp, you can strengthen relationships by talking to each member of the party. All the dialogue is really well-acted, but it feels tedious. Like, “Oh, here’s something else I have to do.” No, I technically don’t have to do it, but of course I want to strengthen my bonds with everyone, right? And I learn lore/backstory for each character, which is appreciated.
But. My god. It’s starting to feel a bit burdensome. And, again, I know I don’t have to do it, but it’s in the damn game. Of course I’m going to do it. I love all the characters, and I want to know more about them. I just wish…I’m not sure what I wish. Because the game is a credit to its genre (from what I know about the genre), and it’s ok if that’s not for me.
At least that’s what I tell myself. I’m feeling pretty bad about it, though. I was scraping by in the combat on normal before this. I have skipped some of the harder optional bosses, but I have gotten most of the actual bosses in one or two tries (beacuse I am so heavy on the heals/revives). In other words, I have found a way to cheese the game so I don’t have to rely on the dodges/parries.
I get overwhelmed by too many choices. I mentioned that in a previous post I did on this game. I thought there was a lot in the first act, but god, they’ve tripled it in this act. It’s like they said, “The training wheels are off. You are now in the deep end. Sink or swim.” The training wheels weren’t even for the bike I was riding in the first act, though. They added new attacks/defenses that weren’t even a hint of a thought in my brain in the first act.
What do you mean now there is another kind of attack and another defensive reaction (bound to RT)? At least this one has a visual cue, but I do not have the hang yet of the timing.
I have gotten better at the combat, but still suck at it. Again, I win the fights by being able to heal like a mad person. Almost every member of my party has some kind of heal/revive spell, and I use them liberally. That’s another reason the fights take twice as long as they should.
So there’s this conflict inside of me. I really like the characters and the voice acting is phenomenal. The environments are gorgeous and the music is so haunting. I like finding things in the environment and how the environment unfolds as you go.
On the other hand, I don’t like how deliberately obtuse they make some things. I get the irony of being a FromSoft fan saying this, but there’s obscure and there’s obtuse. The former is fine, but the latter is frustrating–and, yes, it’s a mighty fine line.
In addition there are these mini-games that are just terrible (I’m being deliberately vague). One includes platforming, which, as I have railed about a mililon times, should not be happening in a non-platforming game. In the RKG Discord, people told me that those sections are a homage to other games. Which, I’m fine with that if that’s the case! I’m just sad beacuse one of the rewards is a new fit for Lune, my favorite character.
Of course she is. She’s Asian and has long black hair. She’s hard-bitten, but has a vulnerable heart. She’s very inquisitive (with good reason) and is always looking for answers. She’s seen too much pain and grief in her life, and she’s built a shell around herself that keeps people at bay. I have her in a black silky blouse and a skirt. Light brown, maybe? I don’t remmber. I also like that she floats instead of running, so I always use her in the overworld.
I still hate the combat. It makes me so tired, and I stil wince every time I go into a boss fight. The last one I did (the first one of the second act) was an homage to two different FromSoft bosses, one from the second Souls game and one from the third. This is in the area in which they introduced the new attack, and this boss had like a zillion attacks themselves. And, a second phase. I knew it was going to happen because it happened with the last boss of the first act and because the fight wasn’t TOO bad, but I did a big internal sigh. I am so sick of the multi-phase boss fights, and, yes, I de blame FromSoft for that.
I’m done for today. I will probably write more tomorrow.