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Shop Watch May 2025

By Russ | May 4, 2025 at 10:37 pm

Oh, that’s a much better Obscur than the one I was thinking about.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was recently released to a lot of people having fun. One of these people described it as a FJRPG and I kind of want to punch myself after hearing that moniker. Not only did I instantly comprehend the point they were trying to make; but French Japanese Role-Playing Game seems like a lot.

Many fans of RPGs got their start on console RPGs, the majority of which were turn-based RPGs made in Japan. And after Dragon Quest IV and Final Fantasy IV released in Japan with a focus on the narrative, more push for the narrative happened to emulate the success of those titles. And honestly, narrative with turn-based mechanics defined Japanese RPGs for years. The narrative plus turn-based function also set it apart from Western RPGs such as Ultima, Wizardry, etc. due to these games focused more on party composition. The difference between Japanese RPGs versus European and North American titles is the same difference between Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy IV.

Anyway, Clair Obscur is a RPG made in France using turn-based mechanics and has a focus on narrative. I’mma call it a game. And it’s out. Enjoy.

Elden Ring Nightrein sees release at the end of the month. This is a co-op expansion to Elden Ring and plays a little differently from the main game.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time sees a release on multiple platforms this month. Always nice to see a level 5 title, especially a sequel to a well-received 3DS title.

Bethesda dropped The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remake. I guess Skyrim needed competition for all of the available platforms. I kid; it’s a solid game.

There are other titles, but as RPG mechanics have been absorbed into everything ‘video game’, it gets harder and harder to tell which is a thing and which is a sell. If you enjoy the game, though – you enjoy the game.

Have fun.

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