Japanese publication Famitsu gives French JRPG Clair Obscur high praise in review
But the critically acclaimed game fell just short of a coveted Famitsu 40 / Edge 10 double
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been given a glowing review in respected Japanese magazine Famitsu.
The game, which was developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive, is described by many as a JRPG despite having not been developed in Japan.
While the game has received widespread critical acclaim among Western media, then, some have been curious to see how it would be received in Japan given its designation.
As reported by Ryokutya2089, Famitsu has scored the game 36/40, with its four reviewers each scoring the game 9/10.
The review praises the game’s music, presentation, plot pacing and difficulty adjustments, and says the map design is “miraculous” because players don’t get lost even though it feels like they might. It was also recommended to fans of Final Fantasy 6 or 16.
Despite the high praise from Famitsu, the 36/40 score means Clair Obscur has fallen short of becoming one of a handful of games to receive both a ‘Famitsu 40’ and a score of 10 in Edge magazine.
Only 30 games have received a perfect 40 from Famitsu, while just 28 (including Clair Obscur) have received a 10 from Edge. Only six games to date – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Bayonetta, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Grand Theft Auto V, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – have received both.
Last month, before its scored review, Famitsu wrote a lengthy write-up giving its impressions on Clair Obscur, describing it as “the best love letter from France to Japanese RPGs”.
Further reading
“This title is one of those so-called ‘foreign-made JRPGs’ that have been influenced by Japanese RPGs, and I think it’s a masterpiece that has been crafted with a level of visual quality and scope that rivals the biggest titles in the genre”, the report read (via machine translation).
“I don’t intend to delve too deeply into the definition of JRPG here, but personally, I think the key difference lies in the fact that Western RPGs often focus on ‘role-playing’ within a given world, while Japanese RPGs prioritise the characters created by the developers driving the story forward.
“In that sense, this game is unquestionably Japanese in its RPG roots, yet it goes beyond mere imitation to create something uniquely its own, infused with the developers’ sense of French culture and art.”
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was released on April 24, and has enjoyed widespread critical acclaim with a Metacritic score currently standing at 93 on Xbox Series X/S, 92 on PS5 and 90 on PC. The game sold 2 million units in its first 12 days.
