Game of the Year is fast approaching, and there are talks of possible winners already. Expedition 33 is deservingly in the conversation, but its most likely opponent at the moment is Hollow Knight: Silksong.
Personally, for me, Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year. At least that’s just my own opinion. I’ve been playing video games for over 25 years, and there aren’t many games in recent years that have captured me the way Expedition 33 did.
I’ve always been a fan of turn-based combat, so this spoke to me anyway, despite the added mechanics of parrying, dodging, jumping, and whatnot. There was so much more to it than just standing there and being hit. It added an element of skill rather than building a character, although that element does help as well. It’s not often in turn-based games that I feel like I am being challenged. Expedition 33 did exactly that. It added a brand new audience for the genre, which is always a positive sign for the future, even possibly for Final Fantasy.
I played through the game twice. Both in the normal traditional way, and then I went immediately into New Game+ after finishing the story. I didn’t even wait. As soon as it ended, I loaded up New Game+ and went again. There aren’t many games I’ve played where I’ve been able to do that. Red Dead Redemption 2, in recent years, is the only game I can think of (that didn’t have New Game+, though, so I started fresh).
The story as well, my God. The twists, the turns, the unpredictability of it, it was a literal masterpiece. When I realized that Charlie Cox was cast as Gustave, I genuinely thought he was going to be there until the very end, but nope. He just dies. Within a couple of hours.
Throughout this experience, I felt so many different emotions. I felt sad (on multiple occasions), I felt happy, I felt hyped (when Monoco didn’t take much convincing as an example), and every other emotion possible. It’s a game that I truly disconnected from reality and immersed myself in this experience. It takes a lot for a video game to do that for me, although I play games almost every other day, Expedition 33 was a pleasure.
The ending has 2 choices. The thing is, there isn’t a right or wrong either, but those who choose Verso will make that decision and die with it. It’s great to see so many reasons as to why either ending was chosen. It’s what makes the game so special. I absolutely love the fact that the fans and community for this game don’t hate on each other for the decision that they made. It’s brought a lot of gamers together; it’s a special feeling.
I chose Maelle’s ending…
Can we just talk about this scene for a moment:
The reason why I wanted to post the above video is to discuss the OST. The music in this game is the best in video game history, period. The scene above is the second Renoir fight, and as soon as the music hit, I felt things I’ve never felt before in a game. This is literally just one of the many incredible songs. They’re always perfect for the moment as well.
When you bundle just the stuff I’ve discussed so far, it’s so clear for Game of the Year. I could sit and write about this game for hours on end.
Let’s have a brief chat about the character builds. The things that make this game so unique are the lumina points you can earn. This allows you to effectively unlock bonuses in the battle itself. What you can do with all of those skills is essentially limitless.
I had a Verso build that felt like he had unlimited AP. There are so many different character builds, and there’s something to suit everyone. I was playing this game at the same time as my younger brother, and we both had something completely different. As there are 5 playable characters (with 3 on the field at any time), each with so many different playstyles, it’s almost down to the player as to how they want to play. That’s what makes it so unique. You can play the same team but have a completely different style of play.
This isn’t a game that you complete within 8 hours, and it becomes forgettable. For me, anyway, it’s a game that’s added memories for a lifetime. This is why I believe it should receive Game of the Year.
I just seriously hope that the Clair Obscur franchise continues due to their success with Expedition 33.
