Winner: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Writeup by Aleks Franiczek
“Good artists borrow; great artists steal.” And Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s designers stole and synthesized several appealing influences to craft a turn-based combat system that feels comfortably familiar and fresh at the same time. There’s the flexibility of Final Fantasy VIII’s stat customization in pictos, the cinematic flair of Lost Odyssey’s battle presentation, Persona 5’s gimmicky yet fun ranged attacks, and more all married to a soulslike focus on precision timing through the dodge/parry mechanics.
But it’s not just the systemic and mechanical depth that makes the game’s battles engaging. The animation—courtesy of a group of South Korean freelancers—is what makes it all shine. Every character attack animation comes with its own visual and tactile flair. Enemy attacks must be studied to be effectively parried. In the case of bosses, mastering your defense feels like growing to understand the character. Turns out that turn-based still rules.
Runner-Up: Hades II
Writeup by Matt Wardell
If you stripped the first Hades of all of its other fantastic components and were left with the combat alone, it would still be a great game. Hades II feels just as snappy and impactful as its predecessor, but Melinoë leads with her head rather than by reflex. The introduction of the Mana system and Omega attacks legitimized so many more diverse builds and playstyles than felt on offer in the first game, and the sole dash leading into a sprint when the dash button is held felt more thoughtful than simply dashing thrice as Zagreus to essentially teleport away from all danger. To take down the cruel titan of time in Hades II, one must master timing.
