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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33has intrigued me ever since it was revealed last year.
Developer Sandfall has made no secret of Clair Obscur’s inspirations: Final Fantasy, Lost Odyssey and Persona.
It wasn’t too difficult to pick up on this information through context clues, however.
Despite these setbacks, subsequent expeditions approach their task with a militant fervour.
Gustave is pragmatic but headstrong.
He cares deeply for his comrades and mourns his lost wife who perished in the Paintress' last purge.
Lune is righteously dedicated to the group’s quest and is intensely curious about the untamed Continent.
We also glimpsed Renoir (Andy Serkis) who appears as a mysterious antagonist.
Clair Obscur’s party is an ensemble cast.
you might appear as any character you want in the overworld, and you control every member in combat.
I particularly enjoyed an early scene where Gustave and Lune get into a heated debate over their next move.
Here, that friction is present.
Clair Obscur is divided into smaller maps connected by a larger overworld.
Clair Obscur is also utterly gorgeous.
The core visual style is the standard photorealism were accustomed to, but its creature designs are delightfully unique.
The score by Lorien Testard is a perfect accompaniment to our party’s overwhelming journey.
It strikes the epic tone of its Japanese inspirations but in a distinctive European style.
I’m still thinking about one of the combat themes days after completing my preview.
It’s delightfully simple yet devilishly complex.
Your characters have several options available every turn - basic attacks, skills, items and free aiming.
The first is self-explanatory, you attack an enemy with whatever weapon your character has equipped.
Each skill has a unique QTE map, requiring you to hit tight timings to maximise their effectiveness.
Skills are your bread and butter - magic, buffs, debuffs, healing and so on.
You’ll need action points to use them, and morePowerfulskills require more action points.
Each character has different unique mechanics.
Gustave begins as a physical damage dealer but I specialised him into something resembling a crowd-controlling tank.
Maelle is a fencer, endearingly shouting “En Garde!”
whenever her turn begins.
Offensive stances do more damage but leave you vulnerable, while defensive stances are the opposite.
‘Items’ are tinctures that allow you to heal, buff or revive your party.
Using a tincture consumes a turn.
All enemy abilities can be dodged or parried, too.
Mastering these mechanics is pivotal for success.
After four hours with Clair Obscur I am now aggressively optimistic about the full experience.
Sandfall is taking a cherished formula and moulding it around the studio’s budding identity.
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