It’s no great secret thatClair Obscur: Expedition 33is inspired by theFinal Fantasyseries. Its developers were constantly gushing about their love and admiration for classic RPGs, and, as someone with similarly strong feelings about theFinal Fantasyseries, it was one of the things that first got me interested in the game. To my satisfaction,Clair Obscurdid immense justice to the legacy of turn-basedFinal Fantasy. As I said in myreview ofClair Obscur, “If I were to make a wishlist of everything I wanted out of a turn-based RPG, it would tick every box.”
[Warning: This article containsmajor spoilers for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33and Final Fantasy 7.]That, of course, covers the big things, like a small, focused roster ofwell-developed characters with unique combat mechanics, creative world design, and a moving, evocative soundtrack that draws inspiration from a wide variety of musical styles while still sounding like a cohesive whole.But it also extends to the little things, the elements of gameplay you might missif you’re not spending enough time exploring each time you unlock one of Esquie’s new traversal abilities. One of my favoriteClair Obscurmoments relates to a tiny detail I discovered after a pivotal story moment.
Clair Obscur Introduces Ridiculous Mini-Games At The Most Inappropriate Times
Renoir Got You Down? Try Some Volleyball!
The biggest twist inClair Obscur(well, at least until its ending) is thatthe character presented as its protagonist, Gustave, dies very early on in the narrative. He’s killed by the mysterious old man Renoir, in a decidedly tragic moment accompanied by lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Gustave serves as a father figure toMaelle, who takes over protagonist duties, and is a close friend to the rest of the cast at this point. His shadow hangs over the remainder of the game, and is a major motivator for everything that’s to come.
However, almost as soon as you finish watching the cutscene and exit back to the world map, you’re confronted withClair Obscur’s silliest, most ridiculous mini-game: Gestral Volleyball. This is a real-time challenge in which you stand on one floating wooden platform, and a large Gestral stands on another. He repeatedly punts smaller Gestrals in your direction, which you must swat back. Your goal is to destroy the Gestral’s platform by hitting it with Gestrals before he destroys yours.
By beating the three levels of the Gestral Beach Volleyball mini-game, you may win a Resplendent Chroma Catalyst, along with swimsuit costumes for Lune and Sciel.
It’s fast-paced, cartoonishly violent, and downright absurd to its core - the introduction ofGestral Beach Volleyball is enough to give you tonal whiplash. But it’s not an unprecedented shift, and it actually does the overall story ofClair Obscura great service.
Clair Obscur’s Mini-Games Evoke The Original FF7
Final Fantasy Has Similar Tone Changes
As a matter of fact, the originalFinal Fantasy 7pulled a similar stunt - and I mean “stunt” quite literally.FF7includes the original permanent main character death in a turn-based RPG: Aerith’s death is arguably more shocking than Gustave’s inClair Obscur, as such a thing was largely unheard of in video games up until that point. In a similar manner, Aerith’s spirit hangs over the rest of the game - it may do so in a more literal way in the remake trilogy, if you believecertainFF7 RemakePart 3theories.
But, if you play the game linearly,Aerith’s death is almost immediately followed byFF7’s snowboarding mini-game. It’s not quite as outwardly absurd as Gestral Beach Volleyball, but it represents a big shift in mood from what comes immediately before it.
FF7isn’t the only game in the seriesto balance big, serious story moments with low-stakes mini-games, either.FF10includes several moments of, “sorry your entire village was destroyed by Sin - let’s Blitz!” whileFF8has “oh, you’re adopted? Wanna play cards?” I can’t be sure that the developers at Sandfall Interactive included the same kind of tonal shift inClair Obscurintentionally - all I’m saying is, they’re clearly genre-literate, and are probably aware of the trope.
Mini-Games Are Important To Clair Obscur’s Story
Melodies Of Life
Now, you might think that frivolous mini-games like Gestral Beach Volleyball would cheapen the major story beats they’re juxtaposed with. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. For one thing,moments like these giveClair Obscur’s storysome much-needed breathing room. They give you a moment to think about what transpired, to mourn Gustave, to wonder how the Expedition can go forward, without having to process additional story beats on top of all that.
But more importantly, I’ve found that big RPGs that include silly mini-games always feel more epic in scope, becausethey’re able to portray a multi-faceted view of life in the worlds they inhabit. Awful tragedies occur in just about everyFinal Fantasygame, but they’re rarely all doom and gloom (and when they are,they’re criticized for it). Instead, they paint a bigger picture of the human experience: the triumphs and failures, the highs and lows, the fun and the funerals.
Clair Obscurachieves that to a T. Its world is full of terror and tragedy, sure, but it’s also full of whimsy and wonder. That makes it a joy to explore, each reveal a revelation, big or small. As a result,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33succeeds not only at paying homage toFinal Fantasy, but also at being an excellent, ambitious RPG in its own right.
