From the get-go, the very ethos ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33centers on trial and error. Before Expedition 33, there were others who set the trail, reminders of which lie across the Continent’s journals and corpses.In some cases, past failures provide the literal stepping stones for Expedition 33 to tread, like the bridge of bodies made in thefinal stand of Expedition 35. In others, warnings of dangerous Nevrons are a reminder of how readily available death is, which is no exception to Expedition 33’s own efforts. Players will try and fail against numerous bosses thatClair Obscurintroduces to them, but it’s in their own failure that the game’s combat sings, using its mechanics as encouragement to try and try again.
The depth ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat is built on its many systems, the first and most popular being its approach to timed reactions. Visual and auditory cues gradually acquaint the player with their own skill casts and foes' movements, lending itself to, as its combat dialogue states, a dance between the Expedition and their enemies. As with any dance, however, stumbling at first is common; bosses hit hard and with little mercy, and though battles can begin at a shaky start as players consider their movements, it’s this gradual learning that paves the way for their eventual success. Patterns become easier to register, weaknesses become easier to target, and the dance turns into a waltz, leaning on the rhythm as the battle goes on.
How Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Turns Failure into Reward
Of course, knowingwhen to evade or parry inExpedition 33is only half the battle, asClair Obscur’s combat embodies the tenets of traditional turn-based RPGs before it through its robust approach to customization. Strategy isn’t compromised by its real-time components; instead, the two work side-by-side, striking a deft balance in their importance. As a result,Clair Obscur’s gameplay orients itself in a way that encourages player strategy on and outside the battlefield, as team formations, Pictos, and even skill trees and stat allocation can play a hand in victory or defeat.
Try, Try Again
A first boss attempt might result in the Expedition being overwhelmed, whether it’s by the agility of a Nevron resulting in their attacks being missed, or through their resistance to certain elemental attacks. Instead of necessitating level grinding, however, players can rethink their strategy; applying aPictos that deals enemy damageon a character’s death might be the way to go if some party members are being taken out too quickly.
Or, using a Recoat to funnel stats from defense to agility could be optimal if the player has gotten used to evading, but has trouble landing hits. Then, there’s the breadth of weapons available for each character, whose individual abilities offer more than elemental affinities, tying into their respective combat focuses likeVerso’s Perfection rankand Maelle’s stances.
Adapting From Defeat
The sheer range of options available to the player is the reason whyClair Obscur’s combat sings so beautifully. Though levels do, of course, play a part in how prepared the Expedition is against its foes, the way that the game encourages trial and error helps to circumvent the rote level grinding that some RPGs fall prey to. It’s a bit of aSouls-like mentality thatClair Obscurembodiesthrough this; it’s all about trial and error, learning through defeat, and trying once more with a renewed perspective. The resources are there; it’s just about how the player uses them, and thus sequential efforts are made all the more rewarding when players experiment and settle on the right approach.
Tomorrow Comes
It takes talent to come up with the systems thatClair Obscur’s combat utilizes, not just in the individuality of its mechanics, but in how it connects to its greater gameplay loop. Pictos encourage not just player expression in battle, but exploration throughClair Obscur’s worldto find them. Some skill names or elemental affinities speak to the underlying narratives of characters, showing how its storytelling goes beyond plot. AsClair Obscurencourages players to try where they have failed before, it does so with respect to the world it has crafted. Failure is not the end, but a lesson for the future, cemented in the trailblazers of past Expeditions and the player’s own efforts.
