As a turn-based RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has its fair share of reactionary gameplay elements. Fans of action games will be just as enthralled by battles as traditional JRPG aficionados, but what is it about the combat system that makes it so satisfying?
Offense and defense have defined parameters
Save for a few exceptions like flying enemies, all attacks, Free Aim shots, and skills in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (both yours and enemies’) will hit their intended marks. The inclusion of quick-time events (QTEs) to increase the effectiveness of skills also adds a sense of urgency. Coupled with immersive sound design, these guaranteed attacks make attacking enemies feel deliberate and rewarding.
Since all attacks are guaranteed to hit, proper defense is required to avoid taking damage. You can stick to dodging and jumping over attacks, but incorporating parries, counters, and Gradient Counters into your repertoire will increase your chances for counterattacks. The latter defense options are riskier, but they can give you more chances to attack and use skills. Since offense is guaranteed and defense is tied to your reaction skills, you feel less randomness when engaging with the combat system.
There is still some randomness to combat – it’s just not as evident
While the core of the combat system has solid rules, there are still random elements present. Attack order, status effects, critical hits, etc. have numerical coefficients that determine their outcome. You can influence their probabilities somewhat (for instance, adding points to a party member’s Agility attribute increases their chances to attack first), but there is no guarantee that you will get what you want every time. Though it can be frustrating when you fail to land a critical hit or an enemy manages to inflict a status effect on you, your offense and defense options will still be available for the most part.
Given how well-defined the combat system is, it can become an issue whenever a particular enemy breaks the rules. As an example, one of the hardest bosses in the game has a couple of moves that cannot be dodged, jumped, or parried. Instead, players have to take the attacks and work around the enemy’s moveset. While this adds an extra layer of complexity and problem-solving that some can appreciate, these enemy moves and attributes can feel unfair at times. Still, there are only a few exceptions to an otherwise consistent gameplay experience, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s combat system is one that even players who don’t usually favor turn-based games will enjoy.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is available for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S.
