Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Bridges the Gap Between Real-Time and Turn-Based Action Perfectly
Out of seemingly nowhere, Sandfall Interactive launched its debut, a sophisticated and wholly entertaining RPG that is equally intellectual as it is fun to play, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Beyond the layers of thought-provoking and heart-wrenching story beats, though, and past the excellently written characters and rich, vibrant world-building lies something I find incredibly alluring: a combat system that effectively marries real-time with turn-based combat in an incredibly satisfying and unique way.
While other role-playing experiences have delivered combat systems that are reminiscent in some shape or form, like 2014’s Child of Light, for instance, which blends active elements with a classical turn-based system, I think the Montpellier-based outfit has seriously outdone themselves with Expedition 33. Not only is it a fantastic amalgam of traditional, time-honored mechanics intermixed with the new and the bold, but it’s just so perfectly executed, I’d love to see it explored even further by other developers in the genre.
[...]
