Clair Obscur: Expedition 33stands out when compared to other RPGs thanks to its engagingaction prompts that interweave seamlessly with its turn-based gameplay. On top of this, the abundance of French cultural inspiration, packed soundtrack, and unique approach to the age-old apocalypse narrative - it’s borderline impossible to find a game that feels just like it.
However, there are a few titles that share different elements of Clair Obscur. So, if you’ve finished the impressive RPG adventureand you’re looking for something similar, but refreshing at the same time, then there are a handful of options to consider depending on what exactly you’re looking for.
While the narrative is an important aspect of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, there are relaxing stretches of gameplay where you’re free to explore sprawling areas and just enjoy the combat. If you like this meditative side of Clair Obscur, and you want a turn-based game that has the same feel, then Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is a perfect choice.
While Shin Megami Tensei does have an important narrative, this is by no means the primary focus of the game, and you’ll have plenty of time to just roam the world and experiment with the refined turn-based combat gameplay.
The tones of Clair Obscur and Mario & Luigi: Brothership could not be any further apart, but one core gameplay element that the games share is their approach to turn-based combat. The Mario RPG subseries is actually one of the longest-running RPG series to combine action prompts and turn-based gameplay, starting with the original Super Mario RPG, and continuing with every entry in the Mario & Luigi series after.
While any entry in this lighthearted RPG series is a perfect starting point since there isn’t an overarching narrative, Brothership, the entry on the Nintendo Switch, has a stunning cell-shaded art style that makes it a beautiful game to look at.
Even though it’s natural that certain aspects of RPGs will go out of fashion eventually, it’s still sad that we don’t get to see over-sized characters exploring a miniature overworld between settlements and dungeons as often anymore.
It’s fantastic to see this tradition have new life breathed into it by Clair Obscur, and another modern RPG to utilize this style is the Bravely Default series. The first entry is the best starting point, and the Brave and Default battle system it introduced was influential enough to be carried into other popular turn-based series like Octopath Traveler.
If you’ve finished Clair Obscur and you loved the combat and exploration, but you’re now looking for something that feels similar, but leans more into the action side, then the second entry in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series is a top pick.
While it’s worth playing the first game in the trilogy before, the second has a style of semi-open world exploration that feels most similar to Clair Obscur. Both share clear classic RPG inspiration, but if you want something with a little more gameplay variety and a slightly more lighthearted tone, then Rebirth is perfect.
A distinct aesthetic choice for Clair Obscur is its modern and refined approach to a magic system. If you liked this style, then Immortals of Aveum is similar, albeit with a different genre of gameplay.
Immortals of Aveum switches the bullets of a traditional FPS with magic projectiles, and it’s the perfect shake-up for the oft-stale genre to make it feel new. While it’s first-person, the linear level design with opportunities for exploration feels similar to Clair Obscur as well.
While at first glance Eternights and Clair Obscur don’t seem to have that much in common, the intense tone of their narratives and the focus on interpersonal bonds, too, make them end up feeling pretty similar.
Eternights is definitely a more condensed experience, with only a handful of characters and an action-RPG story that only takes about 10 hours to complete. However, this only serves to make it an even more fitting candidate for something more bite-sized after the much meatier Clair Obscur.
While it’s not marketed as such, when you’re getting into the depths of Clair Obscur, the battles start to feel like rhythm games as much as they are turn-based, especially with the more aggressive enemies.
If you loved this test of your memory and rhythm, and you want a charming game that focuses more on this aspect, then Rhythm Thief for the 3DS is a great choice. While you might think the rhythmic aspect is all these games share, they also both take heavy inspiration from the French capital of Paris in their designs, with Rhythm Thief being a little more on the nose, literally taking place in the city.
Part of what makes Clair Obscur so impressive is the palpable atmosphere it creates in each of its levels thanks to an expert combination of aesthetic and audio design. This isn’t something that’s easy to achieve, so it’s pretty rare in the genre, but it’s an aspect that NieR: Automata revels in.
While NieR is more action-focused than Clair Obscur, the slightly unnerving yet equally relaxing feeling of exploring a beautiful and mysterious post-apocalyptic world is almost uncanny in both.
Even though Clair Obscur has its moments of levity, for the most part, it’s an RPG that takes itself seriously. So, if you’re looking for an equally in-depth turn-based RPG, but one that perhaps has lower stakes, then the Atelier Ryza trilogy is a great palette cleanser.
Atelier Ryza, like the rest of the Atelier series, has a strong focus on its alchemy system, but this only serves to enhance the interesting approach to turn-based combat, similarly to the Pictos and Luminas in Clair Obscur. Sometimes it’s nice to trade an apocalyptic threat for a cozy alchemy adventure.
Metaphor: ReFantazio and Clair Obscur have quite different structures, with Metaphor adapting Atlus' tried-and-tested Persona-style calendar system, while Clair Obscur goes for a more traditional JRPG style, but aside from this, the pair end up feeling quite similar to play through.
With a strong focus on building bonds between party members and a seamless connection between dungeon exploration and turn-based combat, the two RPGs are bothmemorable games that will stick with you long after they’re over. However, it’s worth noting that Metaphor: ReFantazio is a much more intense undertaking than Clair Obscur, taking twice as long to complete.
