Gaming

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reimagines turn-based combat

Makes it more active

Published

March 3, 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 immediately caught my eye when it was first showcased during an Xbox Preview show. It had the “look” of your typical action adventure AAA game. But then they showed off combat and it was turn-based. I have been meaning to get my hands on it ever since.

Active turn-based combat

The developers weren’t shy in sharing that they took a lot of inspiration from the JRPGs from the 90s to the early 2000s. Another obvious inspirations are the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games from Atlus.

I have poured significant hours into Persona 5 and a few more to Metaphor ReFantazio. While Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s general layout resembles those games a lot, it’s not a blatant copy. The game adds a few wrinkles unique to it adding depth and tension to the combat.

The wrinkles are parry and dodge mechanics that can turn the tide of battle in an instant. Parrying lets you counter. So, instead of taking damage, you deal damage on the opponent’s turn. But not everything can be parried, thus, the dodge option.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me walk you through a combat encounter.

Combat Walkthrough

The Demo begins with what I suppose is an abridged cutscene of a major incident that takes the player to the first area where there are plenty of possible combat encounters.

You enter combat once you encounter enemies during exploration. If you manage to strike the enemy in exploration using the R1/Right Button, you will enter combat with a First Strike advantage. But if the enemy gets the jump on you, they gain the turn advantage.

That’s pretty par for the course in modern turn-based combat. What I was surprised by was when I thought the enemy hadn’t spotted me so I leisurely walked up to a loot first. When I turned around the enemy was right there waiting to pounce. It was a near-jumpscare.

Once you enter combat, you’ll immediately see the Persona-like layout for the commands. I might be mentioning Persona a lot because Persona 5 is the game I spent the most hours on with a similar layout.

Like in Persona, your characters can fire guns without it costing a turn. Plenty of enemies have weaknesses that can be exploited with a gunshot. Others are entirely weak to them and can be taken out just by shooting.

Once you Attack, use a Skill, or use an Item, that’s when a character consumes a turn. Some attacks build towards a stronger Skill effect. And some skills won’t be available to you unless you’ve built up enough levels by attacking.

Like in RPGs, there are also elemental affinities that you have to consider. They are pretty standard too if you’re familiar with them. So far, I encountered Fire, Ice, Thunder/Lightning, and Wind.

But what keeps things exciting and the tension high are the abilities to Parry and Dodge.

Impeccable timing required

Parry and Dodge aren’t new combat mechanics. But it’s rare to see them implemented in a turn-based style of combat.

As mentioned earlier, Parrying an attack lets you counter which deals massive damage to your opponent. In this section of the demo, the attacks are actually telegraphed. You’re given a prompt on the enemy’s attack speed: slow, normal, quick. But even with these prompts, it’s not always easy to get the timing down. However, that might just be a skill issue on my part.

Dodge requires the same level of skill and timing. Some attacks cannot be parried so you’re better off trying to evade than taking a hit.

I vaguely remember a tutorial note on which attacks should be parried and which one should be dodged but the actual detail escapes me. From experience though, I was not able to parry magic attacks. But physical ones that will hit your entire party can be parried. That means your entire party will also retaliate for an even bigger damage towards your enemy.

Some attacks also offer the opportunity to add more damage with QTE or Quick Time Event moments. I cannot emphasize ‘quick’ here more. You have to carefully time button presses to deal heavier damage. It’s another way that the game keeps turn-based combat even more active.

It’s such an engaging combat experience and I can’t wait to experience more of it once we do our review.

Skill trees, weapons, exploration, and more

Lune. Your mage

Like many RPGS of its ilk, Expedition 33 has more than its fair share of progression trees. There’s the usual Skill Tree for each character. Each character is their own archetype. Main man Gustave, voiced by DareDevil’s Charlie Cox, is your swordsman, damage dealing MC. Lune, who looks absolutely stunning, is your mage and more.

Check out the rest of the characters:

Outside of the skill tree, there’s also the ability stats. It’s not too complicated here. You have a stat that affects attack power, how fast the character earns a turn, defense, how much health they have, and their critical hit rate.

You gain skill and ability points after every combat encounter.

The menu screen doesn’t look too busy but because of its presentation and style, it might feel like so. It can be a lot to take in at first. I think it could have been designed better but maybe that’s just because of the limited playtime of the demo.

This is not an open world. It’s a pretty linear path with little branching areas here and there for items and weapons you can pick up. The world itself is pretty lush and is a sight to behold. But outside of the scenery, there’s not much going on, at least in the areas available in the demo.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

As for what the story of Clair Obcur: Expedition 33 is about, I’ll just put here what’s been shared in some marketing materials so far.

Here’s the game’s brief synopsis:

Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed number. And everyone of that age turns to smoke and fades away. Year by year, that number ticks down and more are erased. With only one year left to live, join Gustave, Maelle, and their fellow Expeditioners as they embark upon a desperate quest to break the Paintress’ cycle of death. Follow the trail of previous expeditions and discover their fate. Get to know the members of Expedition 33 as they learn to work together against impossible odds.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be playable on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (available day one with Xbox Game Pass), and PC via Steam. The release date is on April 24, 2025.

Related Topics:Bandai Namco Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Expedition 33 Sandfall Interactive

Gaming

Life is Strange: Reunion now available on consoles and PC

Max and Chloe return for an emotional finale

Published

March 27, 2026

GadgetMatch

Bandai Namco Entertainment Asia and Square Enix have officially launched Life is Strange: Reunion, the latest entry in the narrative adventure series. Developed by Deck Nine Games, the title is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. A physical PlayStation 5 edition is also available across Southeast Asia.

The launch comes with an official trailer, marking the return of one of the franchise’s most beloved storylines.

A long-awaited reunion

Set 11 years after the original events, Life is Strange: Reunion brings back Max Caulfield and Chloe Price as they reunite to solve a new timeline-spanning mystery. This time, the stakes center on a devastating inferno threatening Caledon University–Max’s workplace as a photography teacher.

Returning from a trip, Max discovers the campus engulfed in flames, with lives lost across the university. She survives only by using her Rewind ability, a power that allows her to reverse time.

The situation takes an unexpected turn with Chloe’s sudden arrival–an outcome tied to the timeline-merging events of Life is Strange: Double Exposure. Now dealing with fractured memories and an unstable sense of reality, Chloe once again finds herself relying on Max.

Dual perspectives, new gameplay dynamics

For the first time in the series, players can take control of both Max and Chloe, switching perspectives as the story unfolds.

Max’s Rewind power lets players revisit decisions, reshape conversations, and manipulate environments to solve complex, time-based puzzles. Meanwhile, Chloe brings her signature Backtalk ability, allowing her to push conversations in her favor and access situations Max cannot.

This dual-character approach expands both narrative depth and gameplay variety, offering different ways to uncover clues and influence outcomes.

A character-driven finale

Life is Strange: Reunion continues the series’ focus on grounded, emotional storytelling, with choices that carry meaningful consequences. The game builds toward a dramatic climax that aims to close out Max and Chloe’s journey.

As the final chapter in their story, Reunion positions itself as both a continuation and a conclusion–tying together years of narrative threads while delivering a new mystery shaped by time, loss, and choice.

Gaming

Nintendo will make it cheaper to buy digital games than physical

Physical releases will have the same price.

Published

March 26, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The days of lining up for a newly released game are well and truly over. Though some games still experience shortages in brick-and-mortar stores, such as the widely successful Pokémon Pokopia, gamers can get their titles digitally. Now, Nintendo is making digital releases more enticing by offering a tempting discount on the eShop.

Starting in May, Nintendo will start charging different prices for the physical and digital releases of first-party games. While physical releases will still have the same prices going forward, digital releases via the eShop will enjoy a discount.

The discount, of course, will likely depend on the title itself. Nintendo has already given the upcoming Yoshi and the Mysterious Book as the first example. The new platformer will cost US$ 70 from retailers. However, it will cost only US$ 60 on the digital eShop.

The company says that the new pricing scheme “simply reflects the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format.” With the prices of chips skyrocketing, it’s no surprise that the physical release is more expensive than the digital one.

To be more technical about it, Nintendo has started skipping a physical game card for a while now. The physical release of Pokémon Pokopia, for example, has only a game-key card or a code to download the game. In this format, physical releases are just pretty cases you can display on your shelf.

Also, digital releases do carry the added risk of getting delisted on the whims of the developers, the publishers, or Nintendo itself. It is, however, still a cheaper option, especially in a world where getting any discount is a welcome thought.

SEE ALSO: Nintendo sues the United States

Gaming

Razer Blade 16 (2026) packs more cores, faster memory

Razer’s thinnest gaming laptop yet

Published

March 26, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Razer has officially unveiled the 2026 version of its Blade 16, doubling down on what it does best: squeezing high-end performance into an ultra-slim chassis.

This year’s refresh focuses on meaningful internal upgrades. That includes a new Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, faster LPDDR5X memory, and NVIDIA’s latest RTX 50 Series laptop GPUs — all while keeping the Blade 16 as the thinnest gaming laptop in Razer’s lineup.

Performance gets a serious bump

At the core of the new Blade 16 is the Intel Core Ultra 9 386H, featuring 16 cores and up to 4.9GHz boost clock. Razer claims a 33% increase in core count versus the previous generation, translating to stronger performance across gaming, content creation, and AI workloads.

There’s also an integrated NPU capable of up to 50 TOPS, enabling faster on-device AI tasks like image generation and live translation.

Memory gets a notable upgrade too. The Blade 16 now supports up to 64GB of LPDDR5X-9600MHz RAM, which Razer positions as the fastest available in a laptop today. The result: quicker responsiveness for heavy multitasking, creative apps, and AI-assisted workflows.

On the graphics side, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 50 Series (Blackwell architecture) brings DLSS 4 and enhanced AI capabilities for both gaming and creator use cases.

Display and design stay premium

Razer isn’t fixing what isn’t broken. The Blade 16 retains its signature CNC-milled aluminum chassis, measuring just 14.9mm thick and weighing around 2.14kg.

The display remains a highlight. You get a 16-inch QHD+ OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, now brighter and certified for VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 1000. It supports full DCI-P3 coverage, Calman calibration, and NVIDIA G-SYNC, making it just as suited for creators as it is for competitive gaming.

Battery life and efficiency improve

Despite the performance gains, Razer is also pushing efficiency. Thanks to Intel’s newer architecture and system-level optimizations, the Blade 16 can hit up to 13 hours of productivity use and up to 15 hours of video playback under ideal conditions.

That’s a notable improvement for a machine in this class, especially given its slim form factor.

Connectivity and audio step up

The 2026 Blade 16 gets a future-ready connectivity suite, including Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.0. There’s also a full set of ports, from USB-A to HDMI 2.1 and an SD card reader.

Audio gets an upgrade too. The six-speaker system now supports THX Spatial Audio+ with virtual 7.1.4 surround, aiming to deliver more immersive sound both on speakers and headphones.

Price and availability

The Razer Blade 16 configured with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (16GB VRAM) and 32GB LPDDR5X-9600MHz RAM is priced at US$3,499.99 / €3,599.99 MSRP.

It is available now, exclusively via Razer.com and select RazerStores worldwide.

Still the Blade, just sharper

At a glance, the 2026 Blade 16 doesn’t reinvent the formula. But under the hood, it pushes performance, memory speed, and efficiency forward in ways that matter.

It’s still the same idea: a no-compromise gaming laptop that looks like it belongs in a minimalist workspace — just faster, smarter, and a bit more future-proof this time around.