Compare Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 vs Saros

Accessibility was mixed because attack QTE assists exist, but the lack of a defend option hurt accessibility.

Reviewers praised Saros for broad accessibility and difficulty-tuning options, including modifiers, visual recoloring, remapping, and ways to soften or intensify challenge.

Free aiming was seen as useful for targeting weak spots, though the same reviewer wanted the system developed further.

Aiming was generally considered forgiving and readable thanks to auto-aim and tracking, though some no-auto-aim weapons were harder to master.

Animation quality was split between beautiful motion and noted cutscene animation issues.

Animation comments were mostly negative, focused on stiff dialogue animation and odd or weak face animation outside stronger cinematic moments.

Art direction was highly praised for beauty, French-inspired style, surreal environments, and cohesive visual identity.

Art direction was a clear strength, with reviewers highlighting Carcosa’s strong, alien visual identity and memorable environmental design.

Atmosphere was praised for melancholy tone, dreamlike environments, and emotional connection to the world.

Reviewers repeatedly praised the unnerving, dread-soaked atmosphere, even when they disagreed about the story itself.

Bosses were praised for evolving patterns, superboss challenges, and meaningful tests of combat mastery.

Bosses were widely admired for spectacle, challenge, and memorability, though a few reviewers found some fights long or uneven.

Bug reports ranged from occasional jank and a bugged quest to a reviewer reporting almost no bugs.

Camera behavior was praised in combat for dynamic movements that enhanced counterattacks.

Camera controls were specifically praised as quick enough for combat without becoming disorienting.

Character development was praised for interesting party members, growth, humanity, and introspective motivations.

Arjun’s arc drew praise where reviewers felt his development became darker, more complex, and captivating.

The party roster was praised for distinct mechanics, focused cast design, and characters reviewers bonded with.

The cast received mixed reactions, with some reviews praising performances while others wanted more depth beyond Arjun.

The checkpoint system reduced frustration by preventing major progress loss after death.

Saros’ checkpoint-like structure and biome restart options were praised for reducing repetition and respecting time.

Combat was the most consistently praised system, with reviewers highlighting active dodges, parries, character-specific mechanics, and satisfying turn-based depth; a few found it divisive or demanding.

Combat was the strongest consensus point, described as thrilling, precise, tactile, and among Housemarque’s best work.

Reviewers praised collectibles, optional areas, bosses, secrets, and side content, with only minigames drawing a weaker reaction.

Several reviews found the game rich in sections, weapons, collectibles, and sights, though the content variety was usually discussed through exploration and spectacle.

Countering and timing were praised when they worked, but one review found the input window unexpectedly tight.

Controls were heavily praised for responsiveness, tactile feel, and precise movement/shooting, with only rare complaints about input conflicts.

One review directly called the layered combat and action elements an outstanding gameplay loop.

The core loop was usually seen as compelling and satisfying, though Polygon felt progression systems weakened the roguelike loop.

Crash stability was inconsistent across reviewers, from no crashes to a report of many crashes over 60 hours.

Dialogue was praised for natural conversations, believable banter, and strong character interactions.

Dialogue quality was mixed to weak, with several reviewers noting stilted conversations, unnatural backlog delivery, or long quiet stretches.

Difficulty was respected for challenge and balance by several reviewers, but tight QTE reliance and late-game balance drew criticism.

Difficulty balance split reviewers: many called it tough but fair and customizable, while some felt ganks, repetition, or modifiers could undermine balance.

Resource balance was praised for avoiding inventory tedium and excessive item hoarding.

Resource balance drew limited but mixed evidence, with one review noting balance concerns and another criticizing excess currency gains.

Reviews repeatedly emphasized the story’s strong emotional effect, from grief and melancholy to catharsis and tears.

Emotional impact was mixed, with some reviewers admiring ideas but others saying the narrative and characters did not fully move them.

Endgame content was praised as expansive and build-focused, opening into a fresh layer after the main story.

Endgame content was a limited concern, with one reviewer specifically wishing for a dedicated post-game activity.

Enemy variety was broadly praised for unique patterns, designs, and combat behaviors, though one review saw repetition in late-game enemy attacks.

Enemy variety was praised for diverse, escalating, and biome-changing threats that keep combat fresh.

Environmental detail was a major strength, with reviewers praising richly detailed regions, color palettes, distinct locations, and memorable areas.

Environmental detail was a frequent highlight, with reviewers praising Carcosa’s biomes, architecture, and alien spaces.

Exploration was generally rewarding through secrets, journals, bosses, and side areas, but several reviewers noted linearity, uneven depth, or trivial overworld movement.

Exploration was praised for hidden paths, secrets, and optional areas that reward revisiting biomes.

Facial presentation was mixed because voice and scenes landed, but lip-sync problems appeared in minor scenes.

Facial animations were a repeated weakness, especially outside cutscenes where faces could not match the vocal performances.

Reviewers generally felt Saros honors Housemarque and Returnal’s lineage while refining or expanding the studio’s formula.

Fast travel and biome teleporting were widely praised as major quality-of-life improvements that reduce tedium.

Frame rate reports were mixed: one review noted Quality-mode drops, while another reported steady high performance.

Frame rate was generally strong, with most reviewers reporting near-locked or rock-solid 60fps and only occasional dips.

The fun factor was high, with reviewers eagerly running into fights, calling the game a standout, and enjoying combat.

Fun factor was very high, with reviewers repeatedly describing the act of playing, replaying, and mastering Saros as joyful or addictive.

Reviewers praised the systems when they cohered, especially build synergies and tactical options, though one review found the turn-based-to-QTE blend disjointed.

Gameplay mechanics, especially the shield, parry, eclipse, and modifier systems, were praised, though one review felt the systems could overprotect players.

Graphics were widely praised as striking or phenomenal, with only minor pop-in or performance caveats elsewhere.

Graphics quality was praised across reviews for visual flair, PS5 showcase value, and striking Unreal Engine 5 presentation.

The game was praised for reducing grind through shared Picto learning and focused inventory systems, though one review still noted some padding.

Grind and repetition drew mixed-to-negative comments, especially around repeated boss attempts and artifact droughts.

Handheld suitability was mixed but workable in one review, which reported Steam Deck performance around 30 to 40 FPS on low settings.

Handheld or remote play suitability had limited evidence, but one reviewer said it looked and played beautifully on PlayStation Portal.

DualSense haptics and adaptive triggers were a standout, repeatedly praised as tactile, innovative, and deeply integrated.

Horror tension was supported through praise for dread, anxiety, cosmic horror, and the unsettling eclipse-driven world.

HUD clarity was a minor issue for one reviewer who struggled with small menu text on a TV.

HUD/readability comments were positive but limited, emphasizing that the intense spectacle remained coherent and not visually confusing.

Immersion was strong, with reviewers wanting to dig deeper, feeling invested, and describing the experience as lingering after credits.

Immersion was praised through tactile feedback, 3D audio, and audiovisual design that pulled reviewers into Carcosa.

Innovation was praised for contributing to JRPG traditions while still feeling unique and structurally distinct.

Innovation centered on the shield, bullet-as-resource design, haptic implementation, and a more flexible challenge structure.

The game was considered easy enough to start yet challenging to master, though one review found some systems overwhelming at first.

The learning curve was approachable for some but still initially demanding, with trial-and-error teaching and a tough early adjustment.

Level design ranged from hard-to-navigate areas to extravagant maps with rewarding side paths.

Level design was strongly praised for handcrafted chunks, biome structure, combat spaces, and a balance between freshness and mastery.

Load times had limited but strong evidence, with Digital Foundry praising nearly instant transitions.

The loot system was viewed as simple but supportive of weapons, elements, and customization.

Loot drew mixed feedback: some liked risky artifacts and weapon discovery, while others disliked artifact droughts or limited replacement control.

Lore depth was praised through expedition journals, wider history, and an intriguing world.

Lore depth was praised where reviewers enjoyed logs, mysteries, and hidden material that encouraged deeper digging.

Navigation was the clearest recurring complaint, with reviewers repeatedly wanting more maps, minimaps, or clearer tracking.

Navigation drew criticism from one reviewer who found objective direction poor despite liking the map.

Menu usability was a repeated drawback, especially when managing long Picto and Lumina lists.

Menu usability had limited negative evidence, focused on hidden information and unclear equipment-screen navigation.

Microtransaction impact was positive because a reviewer explicitly valued the lack of microtransactions.

Optional challenge-space design was praised as brutal but rewarding.

Monetization was praised through the absence of microtransactions and a lower launch price.

Movement drew a mild complaint for characters catching on floor geometry during exploration.

Movement feel was praised as smooth, nimble, precise, and joyful across several reviews.

Narrative quality was the strongest consensus point, with reviews repeatedly calling the story unique, compelling, mature, and emotionally resonant.

Narrative quality was the most mixed major attribute, ranging from gripping and coherent to underdeveloped, opaque, or overambitious.

The opening was widely praised for establishing stakes quickly and delivering unusually strong early context.

Onboarding was mixed: some reviewers said mechanics ramped up well, while one felt the many systems were poorly communicated.

Originality was a major strength; reviewers repeatedly called it fresh, unique, and unlike anything else.

Originality was mixed, with praise for bold changes and criticism that Saros repeats Returnal-like beats with minimal variation.

Most reviewers praised the focused pacing and lack of filler, while one found some areas padded.

Pacing drew mixed responses, from tighter run pacing to complaints that story, repetition, or traversal could drag.

Performance was mostly positive on tested PC hardware, but stutters and Unreal Engine issues were noted.

Performance optimization was praised overall, especially on PS5/PS5 Pro, with only minor dips or loading-related hitches noted.

Platform-specific support was praised through PS5 showcase features, Pro upscaling, DualSense use, and 3D audio.

Platforming was a recurring weak spot, described as awkward or very finicky despite being mostly optional.

Platforming precision had limited but positive evidence around precise jumping, dodging, and reduced geometry snagging.

Polish was mostly praised, especially production cohesion, but one review noted minor stutter and visual glitches.

Polish was praised frequently, with reviewers calling Saros smooth, refined, and consistently excellent.

Progression earned strong marks for build preparation, Pictos/Lumina, customization, and viable options, with only occasional complexity caveats.

Progression was usually praised for meaningful permanent upgrades, though one reviewer felt it overemphasized numbers over skill.

Gustave was singled out as a likable protagonist.

Protagonist appeal was mixed: several reviewers found Arjun compelling or well-acted, while one found him unpleasant by design.

Optional quests received praise for classic-RPG flavor and meaningful rewards.

Replay value was supported by optional content and New Game Plus, though one reviewer doubted many players would replay.

Replay value was strong, with reviewers saying they wanted to dive back in or keep running even after credits.

Save/run continuation quality was praised via suspend, leave-and-return, and day-one roguelite quality-of-life comments.

A side character was praised for hiding darker motivation beneath an upbeat personality.

Side character depth was a common weakness, with reviewers describing the supporting cast as shallow, disposable, or stock.

Skill trees and character building were praised as concise but deep, enabling strong identities without overwhelming every reviewer.

Skill-tree depth was mixed, from exhaustive and satisfying to more of a limited trunk than a deep build system.

Sound design was praised in combat and timing feedback, though one review criticized mundane traversal sounds.

Sound design and 3D audio were praised for intensity, dread, positional clarity, and haunting effects.

The soundtrack received overwhelming praise, often framed as one of the game’s defining strengths.

The soundtrack was praised for oppressive, unnerving, and complex music that supports Carcosa’s tone.

Tutorials for new character mechanics were praised for making complexity easier to absorb.

Tutorial quality had limited but positive evidence, with reviewers noting trial-and-error teaching and encounter design that prepares players for bosses.

Weapon upgrading was described as a useful part of the broader equipment loop.

The upgrade system was praised for making attempts feel worthwhile and improving approachability.

The user interface drew criticism for clutter and painful Picto/menu navigation despite stylish presentation.

User interface design had limited mixed evidence, with one reviewer finding it good enough but imperfect.

Value for money was strongly praised through the $50 price, Game Pass availability, production value, and overall recommendation strength.

Value for money had limited but explicit support from one reviewer who said they would pay full price.

Visual effects were praised for stylish flourishes and flashy battle presentation.

Visual effects were a major highlight, especially the particle-heavy combat fireworks and colorful VFX.

Voice acting drew near-universal praise for emotional performances, natural delivery, and a strong cast.

Voice acting was widely praised, especially Rahul Kohli’s performance, with the broader cast also receiving positive notes.

Weapon balance was mostly positive for variety and viability, though some weapons or no-autohit variants frustrated reviewers.

World-building was praised as distinct, rich, and central to the game’s identity.

World-building was praised through Carcosa’s mysteries, logs, lore, and thematic environmental storytelling.

World interactivity had limited evidence, mostly around movement-reactive effects and environmental destruction.

Writing was praised for maturity, comedy, thematic intelligence, and character nuance, with one review noting melodrama and messiness.

Writing quality was mixed, with praise for logs and media-literate storytelling but criticism of hollow or unclear themes.