This is a great take, imo. Sums it up for me. Took a bit for the world building and gameplay to hook me in, but it became worn out fairly quickly after that. The story and gameplay became a slog rather than a revelation. Don't regret playting it through, but I figure I'll never touch it again.
I personally think it's a comfortably above average game for what it is, but I do agree that people declaring it one of the all time greats are probably running on an abundance of exuberance that will temper itself with time.
I didn't particularly care for the game mechanics. Combat was truly meh for me, I don't really like dexterity based games all that much. Build system was kinda meh for me as well.
But the story. Oh my god. The story is the best I've experienced in a very long time. It was just so unorthodox and unlike so many things we recently saw. It was refreshing to see an original script not based on a book or something. Truly great experience
The story was very good imo, but it gives the game zero replay value. Giving only bad endings (just to varying degrees) and the plot revolving around letting go of fictional worlds and not engaging with them anymore doesn’t leave me wanting to go engage with that fictional world anymore.
Well, yes, I only played E33 once, did a bit of side content, and I haven't touched it since. But the time when I did play through it was one of the most unique experiences I have had, and it is the only game I have played that has made me cry, and I think that includes all forms of media. Didn't spend nearly as much time on it as I did KCD2, which I have played 3 times, I believe, but I still probably would rank E33 over KCD2 simply because of how much I enjoyed the story. Truly no replayability factor for me, though.
I don't understand how people doesn't like Expedition 33. The story was unique and good, gameplay was awesome for a turn based game, world was very good, gameplay was fun with so many different builds to do, they had cool mini games to break away from the main story, the music was fantasic, etc. This deserved game of the year last year for sure! My guess a lot of people are younger and don't enjoy the turn based combat. I am 39 years old and I grew up playing some great turn based games like Final Fantasy 3!
Edit: I haven't been so emotionally connected to video game characters in this game ever since The Last of US 1.... So good man.
Disagree with the gameplay. This hybridization gives you the worst of both worlds in my mind, turn based gameplay that depends exclusively on timing and locked in no movement nature of it sucks.
"My guess a lot of people are younger and don't enjoy the turn based combat. I am 39 years old and I grew up playing some great turn based games like Final Fantasy"
You would be wrong. I'm 41 and love Final Fantasy games, Baldur's Gate games, Wastelands games, and pretty much any turn based games. This one was a pure miss for me. The story seemed interesting, but I'm not playing a game system I hate for hours on end just for the story.
I mean Baldur's Gate 3 won game of the year before that and some people hated that style of game. My opinion doesn't make it not a great game, I just hate timing attacks strictly on that alone. Frankly I preferred FF7 remake's combat system if you aren't going to use full turn based.
>My guess a lot of people are younger and don't enjoy the turn based combat
Oh shush, don't be an assumptive prat about it. BG3 is turn based and sold millions of copies, however, it has far better turn-based tactical decisions, in fact, that goes for nearly *all* turn based games, including older titles like Fallout 2/NWN/Icewind Dale, fuck it, go earlier, Chrono Trigger showed how it was done in 1995. E33's was so limp-dicked and dull for a turn based combat game, it has barely any decision making that you could turn your brain off every fight and what's worse, it's so easily made utterly inconsequential (I did a parry build and for some reason just started one shotting everything 1/4 of the way through, no idea why they made it so fucking broken)
It sounds like you don't. Why wouldn't it be possible that other people do? I've even cried at games before. People aren't lying about how hard a game hits them.
No I get mad at performative bullshit that’s the difference enjoy the game. Don’t go on a say you had to just sit in silence and contemplate your existence because Clair was amazing. And yes people were glazing that hard for it.
and that's where you're wrong, because you are incapable of feeling these same emotions you truly believe no one else does either and are just being "performative". the last time you had a any piece of media touch your heart was when you were 5 years old before your parents destroyed your mind. turns out suppressing all emotions except anger actually does fuck you up and make you miss out on large portions of human experience, but you're convinced you're whole and it's everyone else who must be faking it
Because it is performative full stop. It’s karma farming that’s all it is. You can enjoy art you can be moved by art hell you want to cry in a video game go fucking nuts. Just don’t be performative idiot about it.
everything i said was just performative, i didn't mean it, you're actually a cool level headed dude. being able to empathize is a human weakness, you and me are on the same page
I really disliked it because of the story. It pulls the rug out from under you too many times and loses all its significance in the process. All the original commitments are made irrelevant, and all the reasons I started becoming attached to the game and its characters are just made... empty, nullified.
The music is alright and I kinda liked the combat because it reminded me of FFX.
Yep, this right here - the story had a lot of potential, but they sabotaged the connections you'd have to the characters and the outcomes too many times. Story telling is hard, and while there were unique aspects of this story, I too felt the whole thing was nullified and pointless (didn't bother finish playing - just watched the endings on Youtube and was glad I saved that time).
I heard someone say it's a turn based rpg for people that don't like turn based combat and it kinda fits. I despise quick time events but love turn based tactics and rpg so it wasn't for me. (You might have other issues with it though...)
Someone put it together in a movie format on YouTube. After trying to enjoy the game and failing miserably, then realizing early on what the ending was going to be, I watched the yt movie version and that was good enough for me.
Agree, game has way too much dialog, and it doesn't even immerse you in the story. You could probably play for an hour with the only gameplay being the tutorial. Terrible performance as well, at least when I played it.
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u/Ebolaswag420 Aug 19 '26
Claire obscure: expedition 33