We’ll circle back to the plot, though.

First, the excessively ornate battlin'.

But each character is sort of playing their own version of the game.

Two characters facing off against a large reddish boss in an undersea area in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Kiddy fencer Maelle changes stances as she performs skills, shuffling between sets of buffs and weaknesses.

You’ll want to ensure she’s in the right stance for the occasion, especially during pattern-based bossfights.

(The PRs included a glossary with our screenshots.

A character landing a big swirly attackon a giant golemy creature with red hair in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Thanks, PRs.)

Clair Obscur might sound quite experimental, and it is, but it’s also deeply nostalgic.

I remember that period in game design broadly as one of expansionist tinkering with the fundamentals of turn-based combat.

A pulled-out view of a huge undersea structure in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with columns of weed to either side

Much as I like Valkyria Chronicles, I’m not sure anybody ever pulled it off.

you’re able to tailor your characters in certain ways to minimise the need to match any prompts.

Still, it sounds like you’ll be missing out on something integral if you do so.

A woman’s face in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Mechanics aside, Clair Obscur wants to rediscover the look of games like Lost Odyssey.

Not that Clair Obscur is exactly “realistic”, beyond its preference for naturalistic human bodies and attire.

Each year, she daubs another number on her Monolith, causing everybody that age and older to perish.

It’s a novel narrative premise that could skew either tragic or goofy.

There’s a touch of memoir to it all.

“Why 33?”

“Because I’m turning 33 next year.”

But there’s also a more calculating element of audience symmetry.

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on Clair Obscur.

In the shorter term, who’s up for some Lost Odyssey?