Since its reveal, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sparked a query that feels each acquainted and deeply divisive amongst RPG followers. Is it nearer to Remaining Fantasy, or does it lean extra towards Darkish Souls?
The Remaining Fantasy Comparability Makes Sense… As much as a Level
It’s a straightforward comparability to make, but in addition a deceptive one. And the truth that this debate retains resurfacing says lots about how trendy RPGs are evolving.
At first look, Clair Obscur appears to face between two giants. On one aspect, the cinematic legacy and turn-based DNA of Remaining Fantasy. On the opposite, the oppressive tone and philosophical weight many affiliate with Darkish Souls.
However lowering the sport to that dichotomy oversimplifies what it’s actually attempting to do. As a result of Clair Obscur isn’t making an attempt to be both of them.
The affect of Remaining Fantasy is not possible to disregard. The turn-based fight, the deal with get together composition, and the extremely stylized presentation instantly name again to basic JRPGs.
There’s a clear emphasis on planning, timing, and synergy, relatively than pure mechanical execution.
Visually and structurally, Clair Obscur additionally leans into the thought of a grand journey, one thing Remaining Fantasy has refined over a long time. Characters are designed to be emotionally readable, with clear motivations and conflicts tied to a bigger menace that goes past the private.
Nevertheless, the place Remaining Fantasy typically leans into fixed escalation and spectacle, Clair Obscur chooses a unique path. It isn’t in a rush to impress. As a substitute, it slows issues down and lets inevitability sink in.
The world feels worn, fading, and formed by the quiet understanding that point itself is working in opposition to you. That lingering discomfort is strictly the place comparisons to Darkish Souls start to floor.
Why So Many Individuals Carry Up Darkish Souls
Clair Obscur doesn’t play like Darkish Souls. That must be clear from the beginning. There isn’t any stamina administration, no real-time dodging, and no punishing loop of loss of life and repetition.
So why does the comparability persist? It principally comes right down to tone. Very like Darkish Souls, Clair Obscur is deeply involved with mortality, cycles, and acceptance.
Its world doesn’t really feel doomed by a single dramatic occasion, however by an unavoidable rule that everybody has already come to phrases with. Demise isn’t handled as a shock right here. It’s one thing anticipated, nearly accepted, and that modifications how the whole expertise feels.
That philosophical weight is what triggers the Soulslike affiliation. The sport asks uncomfortable questions and doesn’t at all times supply comforting solutions. For a lot of gamers, that’s sufficient to attract parallels, even when the mechanics don’t align.
One thing comparable occurred with NieR: Automata, a title whose emotional weight led to comparisons that by no means absolutely match.
Clair Obscur Is Not Alone in This Id Disaster
This type of debate is nothing new. We noticed it with Persona 5, which some gamers described as a “stylized Remaining Fantasy,” regardless of having a really completely different construction. We noticed it once more with Baldur’s Gate 3, which reignited discussions about what it actually means to be a “pure RPG” in 2025.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Assessment
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Assessment – On this evaluation we’ll cowl Story, Setting, Gameplay, Fight, Artwork Course and extra!
Extra lately, Elden Ring blurred style boundaries so successfully that comparisons grew to become inevitable, even after they weren’t at all times correct.
Clair Obscur goes by way of that very same course of. It’s a sport that doesn’t match comfortably right into a single class, and that pushes folks to achieve for acquainted reference factors.
What sort of RPG does Clair Obscur wish to be?
The reply feels pretty clear. It’s a turn-based RPG that values ambiance as a lot as mechanics, narrative pressure as a lot as participant company, and emotional penalties over pure energy fantasy. Fight is strategic, however by no means disconnected from the story it serves.
Not like Darkish Souls, failure right here isn’t about participant talent, however about narrative inevitability. And in contrast to Remaining Fantasy, victory doesn’t at all times really feel like a real triumph. That’s exactly why it stands out.
Why This Debate Truly Advantages the Recreation
Paradoxically, this ongoing dialogue could also be the perfect factor that might occur to Clair Obscur. Video games that spark these sorts of debates have a tendency to remain within the cultural dialog longer. They appeal to gamers from completely different backgrounds, every curious to see which path the expertise leans.
Some will arrive anticipating a basic JRPG. Others shall be searching for one thing darker, heavier, and extra contemplative. Most will uncover that Clair Obscur is doing one thing of its personal. And that’s the actual hook.
Clair Obscur doesn’t want to decide on between Remaining Fantasy or Darkish Souls. It exists within the area between them, alongside a brand new era of RPGs that care much less about labels and extra about how they make gamers really feel.
Whether or not that connects with you or not will rely upon what you might be searching for in an RPG. However one factor is for certain. This isn’t a sport that fades quietly into the background. And for that purpose alone, it’s price speaking about.
Now the query shifts to the participant. Did Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hook you with its turn-based fight and extra conventional construction, or was it the darker tone and its obsession with mortality that left the strongest impression?.
Do we actually have to hold evaluating each new RPG to Remaining Fantasy or Darkish Souls, or have video games like this already confirmed they will stand on their very own? And most significantly, do you suppose this extra introspective strategy represents the way forward for the style, or is it only a passing development?
If you wish to know extra particulars about quests, builds, and extra, don’t forget to take a look at the WIKI. And be at liberty to go away your feedback under.
