I love the best RPGs as much as the next PC player, but turn-based games usually aren’t my thing – I much prefer the immersion of real-time action. However, it didn’t take long for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to quickly become my favorite role-playing game of all time, with an incredible story that is broken up by engaging and flashy rounds of combat. If you want to see why everyone is shouting from the rooftops about this game being amazing, Fanatical is giving you a chance to grab it for just $1 – if you’re lucky.
Making a debut title so brilliant that it immediately makes its way onto our best PC games list isn’t an easy task for any studio, but, somehow,
Sandfall Interactive managed to do just that with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Taking inspiration from the best JRPGs ever made, but blending it with a grounded narrative that’s as dark as it is hopeful, and as painful as it is beautiful, makes for an incredible experience that few games have ever matched.
There’s Earth-shattering stakes at hand here, but Expedition 33 isn’t just about saving humanity; instead, it’s also about dealing with grief, the unknowns of the future, and the fear of failure. In an effort to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that a godlike figure known as The Paintress paints a number every year on a monolith, and anyone who is that age or older perishes. It’s up to those under the age of 33 this time around to put a stop to the incoming extinction.
The narrative alone makes it worth investing your time into, but taking turn-based combat and sprucing it up with mechanics from the best action games makes gameplay even more intense. Rather than sit back and watch your characters perform their combos, you also need to parry or dodge enemy attacks, as well as complete button presses during your attacks for higher damage. No relaxing on the job: you have a mission to complete.
Honestly, it’s worth paying full price for, but I can understand the worry about spending your hard-earned money on something you may not like. Fortunately, the Fanatical Mystery Gem bundle gives you the opportunity to buy gems (or Steam keys, in reality) starting from $1 / £1, and while every key is a guaranteed game for your library, there’s a chance you could get Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and other triple-A games too, making it ridiculously cheap if you’re fortunate enough. The other games you could get are:
- Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
- Dune Awakening
- Silent Hill f
- Hell is Us
- Cronos: The New Dawn
If you’re hoping to get more gems, you can actually buy more and save. For example, buying 25 gems is just $16.69 / £16.69, as opposed to the typical price of $25, and you’ll also avoid getting any random keys you already own. However, you might get duplicates if you buy multiple packs of gems.
Fortunately, if Expedition 33 isn’t for you, Fanatical does plenty of mystery bundles featuring plenty of new games. Or, if you prefer something a little more flashy and slashy, the best action-adventure games have plenty of intensity along with great narratives.
You don’t have to go on a life-threatening expedition to join a community of other RPG fans like yourself. All you need to do is click on this link to our PCGamesN Discord and share why Gustave is one of gaming’s best characters. I won’t allow any other conversations.
