Compare Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 vs Resident Evil Requiem

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

One reviewer praised the way difficulty and accessibility were balanced rather than treating options as a pure checklist.

Enemy behavior was often praised as eerie and strategic, though one review found a later stalker overused.

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

Aiming evidence was mixed: Grace’s shaky aim reinforced vulnerability, while Switch 2 gyro aiming was criticized as poor for horizontal aim.

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

Animation quality received positive evidence through praise for Leon’s reload animations.

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

Art direction was praised for grotesque beauty and an effective old/new visual mix.

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

Atmosphere was a major strength, with tense staging, lighting, audio, and Switch 2 presentation preserving the mood.

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

Boss design split reviewers sharply, from excellent and varied encounters to weak, forgettable, or underwhelming boss fights.

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

Bug frequency was praised by one reviewer who reported no bugs or wall clips.

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

Camera behavior was praised for making first- and third-person play feel effective, though the choice also shapes the experience heavily.

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

Character development evidence centered on Grace’s growth and consistency, with reviewers finding her arc effective.

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

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

Checkpointing drew criticism from one reviewer who reported being set back 30 minutes after dying.

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 drew broad praise for weight, weapon handling, Leon’s action toolkit, and entertaining encounters, though one review noted some harassment-style friction.

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

Content variety was praised for breadth, though some wanted the smaller experiences expanded further.

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

Controls were praised as responsive and purpose-built, with reviewers saying characters did what they expected and combat balanced heft with responsiveness.

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

Crafting was generally seen as strategic and interesting, especially the blood/injector system, though one reviewer found it weird.

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

Crash stability was praised in a performance review that reported no hard crashes.

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

Dialogue quality was mixed between enjoyable deadpan jokes and criticism that Leon could sound corny or caricatured.

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

Difficulty balance was mixed: some praised flexible challenge, while others felt the game had too much firepower or lacked a hardcore mode.

The motorcycle action sequence was praised as one of the most fun moments in the series.

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

Resource balance was praised for forcing tactical decisions about injectors, ammo, and room-clearing.

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

Emotional impact was a clear strength for reviewers moved by Grace, Leon, and the story’s legacy themes.

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

Endgame content was a repeated concern, especially the lack of Mercenaries or similarly meaningful side content.

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 through zombies with different retained behaviors and personalities.

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

Environmental detail was praised for corridors and spaces that felt time-worn and secretive.

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

Exploration and backtracking were praised when the layouts made revisiting spaces enjoyable rather than tedious.

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

Facial animations were specifically praised as increasingly impressive later in the game.

Faithfulness to franchise was consistently praised as a love letter or culmination that honors Resident Evil’s history.

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

Frame rate stability was praised on Switch 2 for a mostly consistent 60 fps with minor dips.

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

Fun factor was very strong overall, with reviewers repeatedly describing the game as exciting, entertaining, and highly enjoyable.

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 were usually praised for combining survival horror and action cleanly, with Grace’s sections singled out as especially strong.

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

Graphics quality was consistently praised across platforms, from PS5 presentation to Switch 2 fidelity.

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

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

Handheld suitability was praised because the Switch 2 version looked and ran well both docked and handheld.

Horror tension was broadly praised, especially Grace’s early sections, though some reviews found the scares frontloaded or less intense than past entries.

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

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

Immersion was praised through Grace’s vulnerability and how strongly it affected player behavior.

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

Innovation drew praise where reviewers saw Requiem as a step forward or ambitious new baseline for the franchise.

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

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

Level design was a major strength, especially the care center’s loops, agency, and interconnected mansion-like structure.

Load times received strong praise for being nearly nonexistent.

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

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

Lore depth was praised for giving long-time fans a lot to sift through.

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

Map and navigation design was praised as a useful tool for tracking rooms and missed resources.

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

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

Microtransaction impact was praised indirectly through the absence of greedy monetization practices.

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

Monetization fairness was praised because the game was described as free of greedy practices.

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

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

Narrative quality was polarized, with some calling the story strong or captivating and others finding it disappointing, messy, or thin.

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

Onboarding was praised for easing players into story and lore without demanding deep series knowledge immediately.

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

Originality was mixed: reviewers liked the structure and perspective split, but several felt the game was safe, familiar, or too referential.

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

Pacing was the most discussed tradeoff: many praised the action-horror balance, while others found the character split lopsided or jarring.

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

Performance optimization was generally strong, with multiple reviewers calling performance solid or flawless.

Platform-specific support was criticized on Switch 2 for not meaningfully using mouse, touchscreen, or useful gyro features.

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

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

Polish was praised in reviews that saw Requiem as a polished, confident fusion of old and new Resident Evil.

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

Leon’s progression system was viewed positively as a fairly fleshed-out way to build out his arsenal.

Gustave was singled out as a likable protagonist.

Protagonist appeal was strong where reviewers called Grace the standout lead.

Puzzle design landed unevenly: one review liked the body-part riddles, while another said puzzles lacked focus overall.

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 mixed: several reviewers liked unlocks and repeat runs, while others lamented thin post-game offerings or weaker second playthroughs.

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

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

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

Sound design was repeatedly praised as a major driver of fear and atmosphere.

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

Soundtrack quality was praised for tracks that complemented Leon’s action-heavy sequences.

Stealth was mostly praised for making Grace’s routes tense and tactical, though one reviewer found stealth options limited.

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

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

The upgrade system received positive evidence for its weapon-upgrade structure and replay incentive.

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

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

Value for money received direct positive evidence from a reviewer who called the game super worth it.

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

Visual effects quality was praised through the game’s extreme gore and violent presentation.

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

Voice acting was mostly praised, especially Grace’s performance, but one review found her delivery manufactured.

Weapon balance was praised because different weapons had clear uses and opportunities to shine.

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

World-building was praised for making the setting feel grotesquely alive.

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

Writing quality drew strong praise from reviewers who felt Requiem delivered some of the series’ better character work.