Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Delivers On Promises AAA Titles Can’t Keep
Intro
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the standout releases of 2025. Developed by a 33-person team on a mid-size AA budget, this full-length, turn-based RPG arrives with zero bugs, a great score, and a story with surprising depth. In a gaming landscape crowded with bloated AAA titles and shallow storytelling, Clair Obscur offers more than meets the eye.
Story
The narrative blends philosophy, fantasy, and personal growth, following a group of characters whose journey is as much about self-discovery as it is about survival. Themes of mortality and hope anchor a story that lingers long after the credits roll.
The game centers on a band of unlikely heroes known as “Expedition 33,” named after the number painted on a distant tower each year by a mysterious figure called The Paintress. This number marks the age at which the people of Lumiere will die. Each year, a new expedition sets out to break the curse, and this year, it’s Expedition 33’s turn.
Among them is Gustauve, an aging engineer in his final year of life; Maelle, a red-haired orphan who’s always felt out of place in Lumiere; and Lune, a mage and the group’s lead researcher, driven by a desire to uncover the Paintress’s secrets.
Gameplay & Combat
Gameplay on the PS5 is smooth and completely bug-free. The game’s unique art style makes every area feel distinct, with fresh enemy designs and bespoke attack patterns. Unlike modern Assassin’s Creed clones or formulaic Soulslike titles, each enemy—even within the same species—fights differently. Take the Gestrals, for example: they may all be sentient paintbrushes, but the arena variants wield distinct attacks and parry timings, turning each encounter into a fresh challenge.
Combat blends classic turn-based strategy with real-time action. Every move counts, but so does your timing. Blocking, dodging, and executing attacks are fully interactive, transforming each battle into a kinetic performance. Each character’s unique abilities allow for creative combos and strategic flexibility.
Beyond combat, movement through the world is intuitive—hold R2 to run in both overworld and dungeon zones. Lune, in particular, stands out with her graceful gliding animation. There’s a map for the overworld, but none for the individual areas or dungeons. According to the developers, if the characters don’t get one, neither should you—a design choice that adds to the immersion.
Conclusion
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 seamlessly fuses elements from classic JRPGs with the real-time precision of modern Japanese action RPGs. The fluid parry and counter mechanics are unmatched, and the game’s aesthetic is vibrant. With compelling characters, a heartfelt story, stunning visuals, and top-tier voice acting, this title delivers a rare 10/10 experience. There’s nothing wrong with this game-Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 delivers on a promise it never made, and that AAA games can’t seem to keep.
Mario And Luigi Brothership Sinks Below Its Predecessors
Intro
Mario and Luigi Brothership is a decent entry in the Mario & Luigi RPG series, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of its predecessors, such as Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story. While it still retains the franchise's signature charm, humor, and engaging turn-based combat, a few aspects prevent it from being a standout game in this incredible franchise.
Gameplay & Mechanics
The core gameplay in Brothership follows the familiar formula of controlling Mario and Luigi in tandem, with each brother performing different actions and having separate moves. The battle system is fantastic; The game successfully implements new combo attacks between the brothers such as the “Thunder Dynamo,” where the player must hit the “A” and “B” buttons in rapid succession to unleash a game-breaking lightning strike against all enemies on the field. These new mechanics feel just as fresh and impactful as the unique mechanics in previous entries. The combat in Brothership reflects positively on the franchise as a whole, with each game adding something new and exciting to the series.
One area where the game feels underwhelming is in its puzzles. While the traditional RPG structure works well enough, the puzzles and platforming sections are simple and lack the complexity seen in earlier titles. Granted; this IS a game made for children. So, while I understand that the game is designed to be simplistic to appeal to the target audience (kids), I still have to take points off. Simplicity and a lack of difficulty can make for rather boring gameplay.
Story
The story of Mario And Luigi Brothership is certainly quirky, and fun and holds true to the RPG series’ trademark of adding something completely fresh. Mario and Luigi are stranded on a chain of islands (Concordia) and need help from the residents to get home. To receive this help, the brothers agree to link all the islands together by visiting various islands and “linking” the lighthouses to the main island. The premise of this story held much promise, and, While it delivers some humorous moments and solid character interactions, it feels more like a DLC expansion rather than a memorable adventure. I applaud the developers for not recycling an old story, but the overarching plot doesn’t offer the same emotional stakes or clever twists seen in Superstar Saga or Bowser's Inside Story. The franchise’s classic charm is still present in this entry, but some of the jokes can feel repetitive or drawn-out.
Length & Replayability
The game’s length is in line with the series, clocking in between 30 and 40 hours depending on how much you explore. While this is a decent length for an RPG, it feels a little on the short side in comparison to most modern RPGs. There’s still enough content to keep players engaged through to the end, but it never quite feels as expansive or rewarding.
Mario And Luigi Brothership offers some replay value, but it’s not particularly high. There are a few hidden secrets, mini-games, and side quests that will appeal to completionists, but these aren't enough to sustain the experience for those who’ve already been through other games in the series. It’s not as engaging as Superstar Saga, where the complex puzzles and varied environments create a much stronger incentive to go back and replay. Here, once you've seen the main story and done some of the extra content, there’s little else to draw you back.
Final Thoughts & Rating
In the end, Mario And Luigi Brothership is a decent entry in the series. With top-tier combat mechanics, new and eccentric characters, and a fresh story it boasts enjoyment for players of younger ages. And even though I didn’t find the overall story engaging, the positive aspects of this game outweigh the negatives. It has the usual charm and lighthearted tone that fans of the franchise will enjoy, it also builds on the innovative mechanics that made Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story so memorable. If you enjoyed previous Mario & Luigi RPGs, it’s worth playing, but don’t expect it to be a game-changer. That being said, I give Mario and Luigi: Brothership a 6/10.
Simulator’s Saga: Midblade II
Intro
Are you looking to watch your video games rather than play them, like one of those interactive DVDs from the early 2000s? Do you enjoy slow combat and non-existent boss fights? Do you like walking simulators? Well, get ready to rack up those steps, because that’s about all you’ll be doing in this “game.”
That’s right, everyone—I’m talking about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. This game is absolutely packed with… well, nothing. It’s a shame they forgot to add gameplay to the cinematic experience they created.
We’ll go over the gameplay (including combat and puzzles), the cinematography and audio design, and of course, the story—because what’s a review without it?
Cinematography & Effects
Despite the lack of substance in this six-hour feature-length presentation, the cinematography, visuals, and audio effects are on par with a Hollywood production. Honestly, this might be one of the best-looking games ever made. The emotion portrayed in Senua’s face, brought to life by actress Melina Juergens, is impressive. The acting, visuals, and sound design are all top-tier.
It’s immersive—but it’s also overwhelming. The cutscenes, gorgeous graphics, and pristine audio take up so much space that they overshadow the actual gameplay. It feels like two-thirds of the experience is just narration and cinematic sequences. It’s an impressive showcase of what the Xbox Series consoles can do… but unfortunately, that’s really all it is. A tech demo with an incredible production budget.
Gameplay
In this Norse drama disguised as a video game, you’ll mostly be pushing the left joystick forward. You may find yourself wondering, “Is there any actual gameplay in this extremely long cutscene?”
As you walk in a linear fashion that would make early NES titles proud, you’ll occasionally run into puzzles. Most of them require minimal thought—just line up symbols or focus on objects by holding RT. One particular puzzle involving a shared torch was mildly interesting, as it required you and a companion to light torches to progress. Still, the overall puzzle design doesn’t require much brainpower. Frankly, anyone could solve these “Where’s Waldo”-style puzzles.
Now for the combat—supposedly the highlight of most action games. Here, it's slow. Painfully slow. Every action feels delayed, from swinging your sword to dodging attacks. While this might be an intentional design choice to make combat feel more “realistic,” it ends up making it feel sluggish and unenjoyable.
Combat can be easily exploited early on. You receive an ability that slows down time (or enemies—it’s not really clear), and with this, nearly every encounter becomes a matter of locking on, mashing X and Y, and repeating. I didn’t even realize you could dodge until the end of the game. I spent most fights tanking hits or blocking until I could counter. The AI fights you one-on-one in arena-style segments while others stand around waiting their turn. While I appreciate not being overwhelmed, the combat quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.
And the boss “fights”? They’re barely fights. The first two major bosses are giants, and instead of battling them, you just run from point to point until they essentially collapse and die. No real confrontation, no excitement—just scripted sequences.
Story
I’m sure the story could be fantastic, if you cared enough to pay attention to it. I found the story itself to be a lot like the land it is set in: “Mid”-Gard.
The game picks up after Senua stows away on a slave ship—continuing the narrative from the first title. Storytelling is handled through a mix of narration and lore posts you can interact with along the way. These wooden posts require you to focus on a symbol to trigger some exposition.
For such a linear game, the story delivery feels poorly structured. In games like Dark Souls, lore is fragmented but intriguing enough to explore after playing. Hellblade II didn’t compel me to dig any deeper. I had YouTube playing in the background through most of it because the gameplay loop was so dull.
The voice acting is phenomenal, and the sound effects are crisp and powerful—but none of it was enough to keep me engaged in the narrative.
Conclusion
I can’t recommend this game. Six hours of walking, sluggish combat, and a disengaging story wrapped in pretty visuals just doesn’t make for a worthwhile experience. I understand that Ninja Theory wanted to create something “cinematic” and “lifelike,” but the result is more of a simulator than a game.
From the clunky puzzles to the lifeless combat, everything moves slowly. Every minute feels stretched out. I nearly uninstalled it halfway through out of boredom. You’ll spend more time watching than playing. Honestly, they should have just made this into a movie.
Don’t waste your time, money, or console storage space.
The Cons
Minimal gameplay
Slow, clunky combat
Extremely linear design
Feels like a tech demo
The Pros
Stunning graphics
Crisp, immersive audio
Excellent voice acting
The Captain’s Rating: 3/10
Lost In Dead Space: A review of the Dead Space Remake
OVERVIEW
This review is from the perspective of a gamer who is new to the “horror” genre of the video game world. I came at this game with skepticism due to my disdain for the “zombie culture” that resides in much of today’s media. However, from the… jump, I was enthralled by this adventure. It tells the story of one Isaac Clarke. A young space engineer who crashes into a stranded ship with two of his coworkers. The U.S.G Ishimura.
This is where much of the game takes place. On a nearly destroyed space vessel. The crew has been turned into zombies and you and two of your coworkers have to figure out how to get off of this godforsaken ship. Your character does all of the work and heavy lifting of course. Can’t have a side character doing main character things, now can we?
I mentioned above that I had a disdain for “zombie culture”, but that isn’t at all what this game is about. Basically the crew of the Ishimura succumbed to the cult-like teachings of unitology and then parasitic lifeforms (that came from the colonies that the ship orbits) began controlling the minds and bodies of those crew members. Your job as the main character is to perform engineering tasks all throughout the ship and get out of dodge. That becomes quite the task as you constantly have to find new parts or fix something sabotaged by one of the game's main antagonists: Challus Mercer. Mercer is consumed by his religion and does everything in his power to keep you from leaving the ship. This character is an excellent antagonist because of how he only appears at the most inopportune times for Isaac, like in chapter five: Lethal Devotion, when Mercer unleashed the Hunter on Isaac.
The Hunter is another main antagonist within the game. From Chapter five on, the Hunter stalks you throughout the ship and appears towards the end of several different chapters. Usually with a horde of weaker Necromorphs. The Hunter appears several times throughout the game because the creature is unkillable. Eventually landing on a planet, your character realizes just how mad he’s gone being in… Dead Space.
GAMEPLAY
The gameplay (for the most part) is solid. The only two issues I found were the running and how inconsistent the combat was. There were times when I could easily stomp out a Necromorph’s skull, and other times when it took 8 or 9 stomps (I counted). The running mechanic wasn’t the worst I had seen in gaming, but it did feel clunky. Other than those two things, the gameplay was excellent. I felt immersed in my battles and the jump scares from random enemies in dark corridors were a nice touch. The controls are simple and effective.
Boss fights were made relatively easy due to these simple controls, however, what made the game challenging is the scarcity of in-game funds (credits). Either credits would drop en masse or ammo. Never both. Whatever credits you received had to go to Med Packs because those were few and far between. The simple mechanics made the game much more fun than I had initially anticipated. It also happens to be a shorter game with only about a 12-hour gameplay length.
Overall, this game gets a solid 8/10. The replay value is high for me due to the short gameplay length, the simple controls, and the fact that it was the most fun I have had with a new-gen game in a long time. I highly recommend at least one playthrough of this game.