This game sets the bar for me at a perfect video game experience. It's not any singular game mechanic or revolutionary idea that's implemented that makes Clair Obscur what it is, but rather a masterfully crafted sum of its parts. In my 30 years of video gaming, this game has hit like no other.
There are frustrations with timing windows (most likely user error though), and Gestral Beach Volleyball is atrocious, but I will do it again for the sake of the GOG achievement.
You'll read that it's overhyped; to the contrary I believe overhyped is appropriately hyped in this case. I bought and played "over there", and I immediately bought and can't wait to play here on GOG.
Do yourself a favor with this one, stop reading reviews, take the dive and go in blind.
One of the best soundtracks, beautiful environments, tight gameplay, and an *amazing* story. Truely, just a lot of fun.
Watch a video to see if the combat is a turn off and if it's not then do yourself a favor and play this game.
I admit it, I do not own a GOG version and I will not buy this game again for its full price. I have it on Steam and I spent with the game several nice dozens hours. I will eventually buy it on GOG - my favorite place actually - but maybe like for 50% off.
Clair Obscur is an unique game when it comes to its dreamy atmosphere and an unique battle system. However being unique does not automatically equal being good, let alone perfect. Clair Obscur is a cinematic game - it relies on cutscenes - however it tries to be sad in every bloody cutscene, in every bloody moment so awfully hard, that sooner or later it will get on your nerves. Yeah, the world ain't a happy place, but why the characters have to act as if the game was a soap opera? Everybody cries, everybody looks sad, everybody has a gloomy look. IMHO it's just too much for its own good. Yeah, Clair Obscur tries hard to be as emotional as it can get whenever it is possible, but it overdoes it.
The battle system, cursed yet interesting. IMHO if it is something turn based, it should rely on statistics, or vice versa, if it is action based, players' reflexes should be the main key to success. Clair Obscur wants to mix both worlds together while maintaining both worlds equally important. There had been turn based games when players' input mattered to some degree but it always was just to make the system a bit evolved, or to spice combat up. If you failed, it did not mean the end of the world. One example for all - The Legend of Dragoon. However, if you fail in an action segment in Clair Obscur, it often means death, or a significant damage to tell that real-time actions in a turn-based system aren't just an add-on. If only the action based parts did not have such a significant impact, I would have liked the combat much better.
Basically, the atmosphere and the combat are two things I wanted to comment on, because these are two key elements of the game. Otherwise, the game is pretty linear, it has not that much interesting level design, it contains optional superbosses, several awful minigames that feel totally out of the place (really, if your game is not a platformer, why is one of the minigames based on platforming?!) and several not that interesting (and frankly, pretty short) sidequests.
But to end on a positive note, the music here is absolutely phenomenal. Easily, one of the best soundtracks ever made for a video game!
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