The Game Awards (TGA) is perhaps the most anticipated event of the year to award the best video games. Held on the 11th of December, 2025, one game stood out among the rest, winning an outstanding total of nine awards. This includes the prestigious Game of the Year award. This is none other than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. They made history as the game that won the most awards at TGA.
Ever since the awarding finished, many gamers have been debating whether Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 deserves the awards that it won. Many have mentioned that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (KCD 2) deserve the Best RPG and Game of the Year awards. While both games are great, I believe that Expedition 33 is exemplary due to the following reasons.
Strong Character Design and Performances
I believe that this is one of the best reasons as to why Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received its well-deserved awards. There are millions of games out there, but not a lot of them are able to capture the audience through the game’s characters, world, and lore.
However, Expedition 33 was able to captivate its players by connecting them with outstanding characters such as Maelle and Gustave. We were taken on a journey through their eyes, with each character carrying weight and depth. None of the characters even felt like just a side character, and people will grow attached to them.
The voice actors were also part of this magic, evident from how Charlie Cox was nominated and Jennifer English won the Best Performance award at the TGA. However, each and every character in the game feels like they do carry a life of their own.
A Soundtrack That Carries the Experience
There’s no question that Clair Obscur Expedition 33‘s soundtrack is amazing. The music that a game has greatly impacts a player’s experience, and I can say that it enhanced my playthrough. Monoco’s theme is absolutely epic, and only one of the many great tracks in the game. And the Lumiere theme had been stuck in my head for months. Even just exploring the world and going through each area is never boring with such good music.
Emotional Storytelling and Mature Themes
I get easily distracted, which prevents me from staying put and playing through only one game. However, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 got me to sit down and actually finish the game. Even during the beginning of the game, I was curious on what was happening. It definitely doesn’t lay it gently on the players since we are hit with emotional damage from the get-go.
Combat That Reinvents Turn-Based RPGs
As a fan of turn-based RPGs, I could say that Expedition 33 does reinvent itself and stand out in a very saturated market. It was quite fresh to have the parry system, along with the customization of the move sets or skills and the ability to have custom builds. I am quite familiar with gacha games as well, so it was nice to be able to customize what Pictos, Luminas, and weapons to have.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 won multiple awards at The Game Awards 2025 (TGA). However, there were some controversies surrounding the game and the use of Gen AI for placeholders which resulted to them being disqualified in the Indie Game Awards. This does not completely deny that Expedition 33 is a great game that will hold a special place in many of its players.
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