My Passion for Clair Obscur Nearly Faded in Act 3

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Alright, so Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s kinda wild how this game first popped up on my radar at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase. I didn’t expect to vibe with it this much, honestly. Now, I’m seriously considering it as one of my all-time faves. But you know, Act 3? That almost had me throwing my controller. No joke.

Oh, and MAJOR SPOILERS ahead. If you haven’t played through it yet, maybe come back later. Just saying.

Anyway, everything was cruising along nicely until the end of Act 2. Then boom, here comes Act 3, and suddenly I’m like, wait, what’s happening? Esquie can fly now, and the world just opens up like crazy. Tons of new places — but they’re crawling with these nightmare-level enemies. And folks say they’re kinda lost and overwhelmed, which I totally get. You’re trying to beat Renoir, right? And instead, you keep smashing into walls that make the final boss fight look like a warm-up.

You ever play a game where you’re just not powerful enough to win? Usually means you gotta grind. Not here, though. Clair Obscur’s combat system lets you dodge and parry most attacks. Basically, if you get good with those moves, you’re golden. Sure, it takes ages, but hey, you can totally out-skill your enemies.

Now, the story. This is where it gets messy. Up until Act 3, it’s this epic saga, right? Emotional gut-punches and all that. I mean, they took out Gustave, who you think is the main guy, pretty early on. I was like, “Whoa, anything can happen here!” But alas, we hit Act 3, and suddenly it’s like — none of this is real. Seriously? Turns out the whole world’s just a “Canvas” with painted versions of people. Kind of a bummer.

It made some powerful scenes feel, I dunno, less meaningful. Like, Gustave’s tragic moment? Reduced to another multiverse story. Yeah, I rolled my eyes a bit. The multiverse thing’s done to death, y’know?

Even so, I’m not ditching Clair Obscur. It’s still a top pick for Game of the Year for me, alongside a couple of others. The story grabbed me hardcore in the beginning, and the game’s super fun to play. I’m going for that 100% completion, though those expedition journals were way cooler before knowing it’s all a facade.

So, there you have it. Clair Obscur: wild ride, but not without its bumps.