Chiaroscuro I was captivated from the first minutes of the dramatic prologue. A turn-based role-playing game in the style of the Belle Epoque, steampunk aesthetics and a dark world of monsters and magic? I know they say don't put a hat on a hat, but when it happens, it's… great. The story begins with the people of Lumiere celebrating their annual gathering, where the Artist, a weeping giant beyond the city's shores, engraves a number on a rock, and hundreds of spectators immediately dissolve into petals and smoke.
A grim cold leads our protagonists, Gustav and Mael, to join Expedition 33: a task force heading to the Artist's home to complete her annual ritual. The hero's journey quickly turns into an ominous death march that scratches many of my personal itches. Horror, emotional turmoil, bold, thought-provoking revelations. His story is encapsulated in the statement his characters repeat to themselves when they hesitate: “For those who come after” It's not only a reminder of the future they're fighting for, but also a grim reassurance that their goals will mean something.
Claire Obscurus oscillates between the dark and the optimistic, and, yes, sometimes even funny, but it's always unexpected. He defies convention, and his refusal to be the same results in more than just storytelling.
This was obvious from the moment I first encountered the enemy. Epic music plays and the combat system explodes onto the screen, bursting with talent and character. So far so familiar. In the same way, all the main elements of a role-playing game are collected here: attack, magic, special abilities. But the key difference is that you are protecting yourself from attacks in real time. Enemies make sharp thrusts and you need to dodge in time to avoid them.
In any case, this is a safe option.
The other path whispered sweet nothings in my ear, tempting me with a juicy risk-versus-reward parry system. I didn't expect the combat system, which looks like a cross between Final Fantasy and Persona, to have such a healthy dose of parries as Sekiro did. You only need to read mine Impressions of complete chaos knowing that parrying flips all the dopamine switches in my brain.
When the satisfying ringing of my first reflection rang out and I learned that flawless parry strings lead to brutal counterattacks, this cultivation consumed me. Learning the attack animations and reflex timings through several hellish fights was the moment this game became unforgettable. It attracted me to the obsessive pursuit of perfection, akin to a Souls game, and rewarded me for studying.
Each perfect block gave me extra AP, which enhanced my special abilities, allowing me to perform lethal moves that ended the fight in seconds. And once I developed this style of play, its development became my mission. I created my own Pictos sets, and the unique benefits of collectible trinkets allowed me to customize character builds that I could strategize around. In the end, AP became sweet nectar for me. My Pictos turned every chain of parries into a sea of ​​AP, which I funneled into Maelle so she could use Goku-level super moves in between quirky taunts with her British accent.
Claire Obscurus created a Frankensteinian mixture of intertwined systems and role-playing influences that I've written about all over the place. Its turn-based combat was strategic and allowed me to gain an advantage through tactical planning, but those plans relied on my honed Soulsborne skills in exploiting boss patterns and executing targeted deflections. It's one of my favorite turn-based combat systems to date because Clair Obscur isn't content with being any other RPG. Whether it's the story or the combat, it rips pages out of the rule book and rebuilds them into something new, and I can't wait for Sandfall Interactive to start tearing them out again.
Ollie: I can count on one hand the number of games whose stories have captivated me as much as Claire Obscurus. The first 30 minutes had already established itself as one of the strongest openings in any game, and the relentless twists and great characters seemed to get stronger as I progressed. There is a sense of loving craftsmanship everywhere you look.
