No really. Is more of a traditional, linear story driven, turn-based JRPG, set in alternate France, that incorporates dark-souls dodge and parry mechanics in combat.

So much fun in a completely different way.

It's a very good narrative focused game, but the balance is pretty bad. The game can seem impossible at times, especially when new, or you can make a build one shot the hardest bosses. If you over level towards the end of the game, you can miss out on cutscenes that happen in the middle of battle. Or miss out on ridiculous boss mechanics (throwing a building at you or forced party wipe mechanic). The music should win all the awards this year. You can listen to the whole OST on YouTube or Spotify, or buy on steam or bandcamp; it's 154 tracks, about 8 hours total.

They are often compared because they have great writing and are made by passionate independent directors. Passionate independent teams really. And they share three voice actors. The female lead is phenomenally voiced by Shadowheart's actress.

And both games feature (very different) turn based combat which has been deemed outdated by "the industry".

But the story of Clair Obscur is very linear. But not less awesome. And there are already talks about a movie and I'm really curious how they tackle that because you can tell this tale from so many angles.

Hot take: I think E33 is better than BG3. They are very different games, though. BG3 shines on the micro level in my opinion. Flexibility and player creativity in dealing with specific encounters or problems, especially in Act 1. The many ways of tackling the goblin camp is the classic example.

E33 is a linear JRPG. There is not much choice involved, but it's a gripping and interesting story told beautifully and with great cinematography. The combat is a fresh feeling mix of turn-based and Souls-like. The music and art direction are absolutely top quality, the script is written well and voice acted immaculately, whether you chose English or French.