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 Last Fantasy, or does it lean extra towards Darkish Souls?
The Last Fantasy Comparability Makes Sense… As much as a Level
It’s a simple comparability to make, but additionally a deceptive one. And the truth that this debate retains resurfacing says lots about how fashionable RPGs are evolving.
At first look, Clair Obscur appears to face between two giants. On one facet, the cinematic legacy and turn-based DNA of Last Fantasy. On the opposite, the oppressive tone and philosophical weight many affiliate with Darkish Souls.
However decreasing the sport to that dichotomy oversimplifies what it’s actually making an attempt to do. As a result of Clair Obscur shouldn’t be making an attempt to be both of them.
The affect of Last Fantasy is inconceivable to disregard. The turn-based fight, the concentrate on occasion composition, and the extremely stylized presentation instantly name again to basic JRPGs.
There’s a clear emphasis on planning, timing, and synergy, quite than pure mechanical execution.
Visually and structurally, Clair Obscur additionally leans into the concept of a grand journey, one thing Last Fantasy has refined over a long time. Characters are designed to be emotionally readable, with clear motivations and conflicts tied to a bigger risk that goes past the non-public.
Nevertheless, the place Last Fantasy typically leans into fixed escalation and spectacle, Clair Obscur chooses a special path. It’s not 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 towards 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 demise and repetition.
So why does the comparability persist? It largely comes all the way 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 shouldn’t be handled as a shock right here. It’s one thing anticipated, nearly accepted, and that modifications how all the expertise feels.
That philosophical weight is what triggers the Soulslike affiliation. The sport asks uncomfortable questions and doesn’t at all times provide 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 Last 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 Evaluation
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Evaluation – On this assessment we’ll cowl Story, Setting, Gameplay, Fight, Artwork Route and extra!
Extra just lately, Elden Ring blurred style boundaries so successfully that comparisons turned 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 individuals to succeed in 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 stress 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.
In contrast to Darkish Souls, failure right here shouldn’t be about participant talent, however about narrative inevitability. And in contrast to Last Fantasy, victory doesn’t at all times really feel like a real triumph. That’s exactly why it stands out.
Why This Debate Really Advantages the Recreation
Paradoxically, this ongoing dialogue could also be the perfect factor that would 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 route the expertise leans.
Some will arrive anticipating a basic JRPG. Others will likely 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 Last Fantasy or Darkish Souls. It exists within the house between them, alongside a brand new technology 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 depend 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 motive 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 must hold evaluating each new RPG to Last 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 method represents the way forward for the style, or is it only a passing pattern?
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 beneath.
