Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

I played the first 45 minutes before having to head out.

Credit where it’s due: it really has quite the story setup. Doesn’t waste much time in setting the stakes (emotional and plot) high. Very well done opening.

Great music. Some impressive art design so far, but definitely has the ‘UE5 look’ as well - including artefacting - which I find rather generic and overfamiliar these days.

Only had a few fights so far so will reserve judgement. Intriguing for sure, and super flashy. Definitely very heavy on perfect timing. Looking forward to having a party and see how it works in that context.

Very fond of the potion system they've implemented here - your basic potions restock every time you rest at a checkpoint (ala Dark Souls), and you can permanently upgrade them as you find items (also ala Dark Souls lol). But works really well in a turn-based context, as removes that 'I should hold on to potions until later in the game' hoarding mindset that often kicks in - no pressure at all using up a revival potion here early on as you know you'll refresh it.

Only time I’ve used dodge so far is on the enemies that do a death slam, as there’s no benefit to parrying those.

Maybe it changes as it goes along and there are more specific attacks, but yeah parrying all the way so far. You can really start struggling quickly if enemies are doing damage so parrying is mandatory. I guess that’s where the Souls-like comparisons are coming in (along with the likes of recharging potions and bonfire-type checkpoints) but the game isn’t anywhere near as punishing overall, even if you do need to learn parry timings to overcome most encounters.

It is tricky though - already have died more times than I did during my whole Metaphor playthrough, but you’re usually right back in the fight and with better knowledge of the enemy’s attack rhythms. Some of the side enemies in the yellow harvest area l’ll be coming back to, though - the mime there was one shotting my characters if I missed a parry window.

Took the time to take down Chromatic Jar last night before bed - had it down perfectly and the 'kill a boss while taking no damage' achievement popped at the end. Took probably a dozen attempts though as missing a single tight parry window during a nasty combo meant a full party wipe.

But then just reading online this morning

Yeah ultimately I think it's the nuances of the action economy that really lets the combat system here sing. Having enough points to syngerise both an individual characters' actions but also the team can make a huge difference, rather than having to burn them for heals or free aim shots (though sometimes both are necessary!).

Especially with Sciel and Maelle, where the big damage combos are very sensitive to turn-limited buffs, there's a big difference between having 2AP or 5+ for an attack. Lune so far anyway seems to have a bit more leeway to wait.

Yeah I managed my first reliable 9,999 attack around level 20, so would really expect multiple 9,999 potential and other bonuses out of anything with 8-9 AP demands!

I do wish 'break' was a bit more impactful sometimes. Obviously can unleash a fair bit of damage, but a one turn stun penalty for the enemy seems pretty minor if the boss already has two or more turn advantage.

Yeah it's handy but only rarely game-changing. Obviously needed for the mimes though, and is very beneficial against the giant enemies who eat party members 👀

My characters were level 24-26 I think and they all gained several levels after the fight - suggesting I was probably there a little early alright 😅