I started playing Clair Obscur after hearing some praise for it from a gaming podcast I listen to. It was (and still is) on Xbox Game Pass and that’s how I played it, though I’ve since canceled my Game Pass Ultimate subscription after the 50% price jump. I then picked up a physical copy so I can revisit it and perhaps play through a New Game+ at some point. I think it will be a while until I do come back to it.

I say that because I played this game while going through a very difficult time this summer. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and things happened very quickly. We lost her in early July. I started playing the game a little after she was diagnosed, but don’t hold me to any details. After she passed I didn’t play it again until a few weeks ago, at which time I went ahead and completed the game’s story.

It was an interesting game to play when I did, and I’m glad for that. I’m not going to say that it made things easier or even provided significantly more comfort than the normal ways that immersing yourself in something can help you get through some things, but I do think it played a positive role in how I endured (and continue to endure) a terrible experience.

I say all that to provide context for my high opinion of the game. I absolutely adored it. Things I thought I’d dislike (dodging & parrying in particular) became some of my favorite parts of the game. The turn-based combat (and really the game in general) felt like a love letter to Final Fantasy without coming across as some pale imitation. The fights were often challenging but doable, and if they felt unwinnable, I could go explore other things for a little bit and come back with enough improvement to win. I don’t think I ever really did any grinding (not that I mind doing so).

I loved the characters, who all felt like real people trying to make the best of a remarkably bleak life and future.

I haven’t done enough writing in recent years and I feel out of practice and unable to express myself as clearly as I’d like, so I’ll not say much more for now. But I’ll conclude by saying that Clair Obscur was, for me, more than the sum of its parts. It does many, many things very well and has few shortcomings as I see it. But in a time that has been particularly difficult for reasons explained above and (frankly) the upsetting and scary state of things in the USA right now, it rose above “great game” status to truly weave itself into my life, and it was a wonderful way to both help distract me when I needed it and help me process things when I needed that. The folks responsible for this game accomplished something pretty special, I think, and they should be proud of their work.