Sandfall Interactive’s smash-hit debut game,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, is still making waves across the game industry, and its momentum shows no signs of slowing. As a French love letter to the JRPG genre, this action-infused turn-based title has impressed many with its customizable and potentially execution-heavy gameplay, stunning visuals and music, and heart-wrenching story. It doesn’t hurt thatClair Obscur: Expedition 33represents a rare AA success story predicated on sustainable development practices, a trait that is becoming increasingly more desirable as layoffs continue to hit the industry.
Anyone who has already beatenClair Obscur: Expedition 33and can’t wait for its potential DLC is in luck, as there are more contemporary RPGs cut from the same stone as this newcomer. Sega plays host to several, including Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’sYakuza: Like a DragonandLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Being turn-based RPGs with integrated action elements andmature stories already givesLike a DragonandClair Obscura lot of common ground to stand on, but the nextLike a Dragonentry pursuing those connections could push it to even greater heights.
How Clair Obscur’s Gameplay Can Benefit Like a Dragon
Clair Obscur Already Feels Like The Next Step For LaD
LikeClair Obscuritself, the turn-basedLike a Dragonentries owe a lot to the games that came before them, which in this case include the many beat-’em-upYakuzatitles, and Square Enix’sDragon Questgames as an in-game justification for protagonist Ichiban Kasuga seeing battles as turn-based. With inspiration at their core, it would only make sense for one or both of these properties to borrow from the other, withClair Obscurlikely serving as the first donor.Like a DragonandInfinite Wealth’s customization and progression systems are deep enough for their needs, butClair Obscurreveals just how far they could go.
Progression inInfinite Wealthis fairly straightforward, with characters and jobs gaining new abilities as more jobs and weapon upgrades are gradually mixed in.Clair Obscur’s system of learning Lumina from equipped Pictos before being able to equip both in separate slots may seem more complicated and lessversatile than mixingLaD’s job abilities allows, but it actually makes for a more modular system with greater build variety.Like a Dragon 9will need to make some tweaks to an imported Picto system to ensure its many jobs are still supported, but successful results will keep players experimenting with their builds for a long time.
Like a Dragon’s Turn-Based Combat Has Something To Measure Up Against
However, the main thing inClair ObscurthatLike a Dragon 9should take inspiration from is how combat gets handled.LaD9gaining moreunique character play styles like whatClair Obscur’s partyandInfinite Wealth’s Kiryu enjoyed would be nice, but refining its action elements should take precedence. SomeYakuzafans still miss the days when action combat took precedent in the series’ mainline titles, and some tweaks to the current system could go a long way towards pleasing them. It’s a risky endeavor, butLike a Dragoncould be the ideal place to recreateClair Obscur’s parries.
Clair Obscur’s Action Mechanics Are Ideal For Like a Dragon
DespiteInfinite Wealthalready featuring perfect guards, a damage-nullifying parry could be extremely satisfying inLike a Dragon 9, especially if it guarantees counterattacks orClair Obscur’s fight-scoring system also carries over. Dodging attacks would also feel good, and could be reframed as a special position-changing action for certain jobs. Thetiming windows for all ofLaD9’s defensive mechanicsshould also have difficulty settings to matchClair Obscur’s. Adding as much kinetic gameplay as possible without disrupting the core turn-based gameplay could makeLike a Dragon 9the new standard for the franchise, and highlight the good thatClair Obscur: Expedition 33has done even more.
