If You Loved Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, These RPGs Actually Belong Next

Clair Obscur Left a Void in My RPG Rotation

Finishing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 messed up my backlog in the best possible way. When the credits rolled, I did that thing every RPG-obsessed player does: I opened my library, stared at dozens of icons, and realized almost none of them would give me the same feeling.

Sandfall Interactive accidentally raised the bar for modern turn-based RPGs. The blend of classic, menu-driven combat with real-time timed inputs. The Belle Époque-inspired, dreamlike Europe. The somber, almost funereal tone that somehow never tips into pure misery. It is a very specific cocktail, and most “similar games” lists just throw anything with turn-based combat at you and call it a day.

I am not interested in that kind of lazy recommendation. I care too much about this genre. I grew up on PS1 and PS2 RPGs, I lived through the Xbox 360 experimental era, and I’ve chased that feeling of tactical combat plus emotional storytelling for decades. So when a game like Expedition 33 hits, I take it personally. I want the next game to matter.

Not Every Turn-Based RPG Deserves the “Like Expedition 33” Label

To me, “games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” means at least one of four things:

• Combat that keeps you physically engaged with timed attacks, blocks, or inputs
• A somber, reflective tone about mortality, sacrifice, and fate
• Distinctive, cohesive aesthetics – especially Belle Époque, pseudo-European, or ruinous elegance
• Relationship-driven progression that makes you care about your party beyond their DPS output

The games below aren’t just random RPGs; they overlap with Expedition 33 on at least one of those axes, and I’ll be explicit about which. Some feel like direct mechanical ancestors. Others hit the same emotional nerve. A few share its decadent European vibes. All of them, in my experience, are worth your time if you were obsessed with Clair.

Key Takeaways Before You Dive In

• Lost Odyssey and The Legend of Dragoon are the closest mechanical cousins, with timing-based systems that feel like rough drafts of Expedition 33’s combat.
• Sea of Stars modernizes classic timed-input combat and keeps you just as engaged in every turn, even if the tone is lighter.
• Persona 5 Royal mirrors Expedition 33’s obsession with relationships, UI slickness, and stylish turn-based pacing more than it does its timing mechanics.
• Nier: Automata and Final Fantasy X are where you go if you want the same heavy themes about life, death, and fighting against inevitable loss.
• Lies of P nails the Belle Époque, grim-European energy and the “skill plus timing” combat philosophy, just in a more punishing Soulslike form.

Why Clair Obscur Hit Me So Hard

To explain why these specific recommendations matter, I have to spell out what made Expedition 33 special to me.

• Turn-based combat with real-time teeth: You are not just selecting “Attack” and watching numbers fly. You’re timing your strikes, tightening defensive windows, and learning patterns like you would in an action game.
• Immaculate, somber vibes: Not grimdark for the sake of it, but a kind of melancholic beauty. A world already half-lost, where every victory feels fragile.
• Belle Époque-inspired art direction: Twisted, ornate architecture, elegant clothing, and a sense of Europe in decay rather than high fantasy bombast.
• Relationships that actually matter: You don’t just grind levels; you deepen bonds and earn new abilities and synergies. It borrows the best tricks from social-sim-infused RPGs without turning into a dating sim.

I’ve played many “modern classic” RPGs that hit one of those points. Very few hit all four. The games below at least land one or two of them hard, and that’s why I’m willing to put my name behind each recommendation.

The Closest Spiritual Successors

Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility)

If I had to pick one game that feels like the secret ancestor of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it would be Lost Odyssey.

Mechanically, it is almost uncanny. Lost Odyssey’s Aim Ring system forces you to time a ring overlay as your attacks land, rewarding precise inputs with more damage. Sound familiar? Expedition 33’s combat feels like a modern refinement of that exact idea: you still get the comfort of a turn-based structure, but your individual inputs matter. You are present, not just queuing commands.

Beyond that, both games share what I can only describe as immaculate, somber vibes. Lost Odyssey leans into memory, loss, and the burden of immortality in a way that feels eerily aligned with Expedition 33’s preoccupation with inevitability and sacrifice. It is reflective, melancholic, and never afraid to slow down and let a moment hurt.

The best part: it is still fully playable today on modern Xbox hardware, runs well, and its age mostly shows in visuals, not in design. If you finished Expedition 33 and you have access to an Xbox, this should honestly be your first stop.

• Play this if: You loved the timing-based combat and the heavy, reflective storytelling.
• Avoid if: You are allergic to older visuals and a slightly slower early-game pacing.

The Legend of Dragoon (PlayStation, PS5/PS4 re-release)

The other obvious mechanical cousin is The Legend of Dragoon, a PS1 relic that suddenly feels prophetic after Expedition 33’s release.

Its Additions system was one of the earliest mainstream attempts to fuse turn-based combat with timing challenges: your normal attacks trigger a combo-style prompt, and hitting the timing windows extends the combo and boosts damage. Clunky by today’s standards? A little. But you can practically see the evolutionary path from Dragoon’s experiments to Expedition 33’s smoother, more readable inputs.

The story is pure late-90s JRPG excess – big, melodramatic, occasionally messy – but it absolutely nails the “group of warriors on a doomed-feeling mission” structure that Clair fans will recognize. With its modern PlayStation re-release, it is finally easy to play without hunting down physical copies or ancient hardware.

• Play this if: You want to see where timing-based turn combat really started to take shape.
• Avoid if: You have zero patience for PS1-era pacing and polygon-era presentation.

For Players Who Fell in Love with the Combat

Sea of Stars (PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox)

Sea of Stars looks nothing like Expedition 33 at first glance. It is bright, lovingly pixelated, almost cozy by comparison. But mechanically? It is one of the strongest modern peers to Clair’s combat design.

Almost every offensive or defensive action in Sea of Stars involves timed inputs. Tap at the right moment to get extra hits, reduce incoming damage, or trigger additional effects. Different skills demand different timings, and bosses are built around learning patterns and responding with well-executed turns. That same feeling of your attention being rewarded is absolutely there.

The tone is lighter, yes, but it still respects your time. It avoids excessive grinding, keeps encounters interesting, and doesn’t bury its combat under bloat. If what hooked you in Expedition 33 was “turn-based, but never brain-off,” this is one of the cleanest next steps you can take, regardless of platform.

• Play this if: You want timing-based combat that stays engaging without the same oppressive mood.
• Avoid if: You specifically want something just as bleak and somber in tone.

Lies of P (PlayStation, Xbox, PC)

Yes, Lies of P is a Soulslike, not a turn-based RPG. And yet, I cannot ignore how closely it resonates with Expedition 33 in both aesthetics and combat philosophy.

Both games are drenched in a twisted Belle Époque aesthetic – decadent architecture, ornate cityscapes, elegant fashion all rotting from the inside. Walking through Krat in Lies of P feels like stepping into a harsher, more hostile cousin of Clair’s abstract France. If that visual language was what captivated you, Lies of P is basically non-negotiable.

Mechanically, it is all about skill, pattern recognition, and timing. Perfect guards, dodge windows, reading enemy tells – it is the real-time extreme version of what Expedition 33 asks you to do with its turn-based timing prompts. You trade strategic menus for raw execution, but the mental loop is surprisingly similar.

• Play this if: You want Belle Époque horror and punishing, timing-heavy combat that rewards mastery.
• Avoid if: Soulslikes have never been your thing and difficulty spikes kill your enjoyment.

For Players Who Craved the Heavy, Philosophical Storytelling

Nier: Automata (PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Switch)

When I think about games that share Expedition 33’s emotional temperature, Nier: Automata is one of the first that comes to mind.

Both games drop you into bleak, ominous worlds where the protagonists are essentially the last hope against an encroaching oblivion. Both fixate on life, death, purpose, and what it means to struggle when the outcome may already be written. Nier pushes that to absurd, meta extremes, but the core feeling is the same: you are small, fragile, and your actions might matter more emotionally than cosmically.

Combat-wise, Nier is pure action, but it still shares Expedition 33’s commitment to keeping you actively engaged. You weave between bullets, juggle enemies, and swap weapons in real time, but the emotional payoff is unmistakably RPG-like. If you want your next game to hurt, in a good way, this is a brutally strong choice.

• Play this if: You want existential themes, gorgeous music, and a story that lingers for weeks.
• Avoid if: You insist on strictly turn-based combat for your next pick.

Final Fantasy X (Almost Everything: PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC)

Final Fantasy X is not a timing-based game, but I still consider it essential post-Expedition 33 homework, especially if the themes grabbed you more than the mechanics.

Both games are obsessed with mortality, sacrifice, and destiny. FFX is built entirely around a pilgrimage toward an ending everyone is quietly dreading; Expedition 33’s journey toward its own inescapable cycle echoes that same quiet doom. The tone is contemplative rather than edgy, and that is exactly where Clair lives too.

The battle system is pure turn-based, but sharply designed: readable turn order, distinct party roles, and meaningful swaps keep you thinking every turn even without timing inputs. At around 40–60 hours for a main run, it is also a very manageable commitment compared to some modern monsters.

• Play this if: You want a classic, emotional JRPG about fate and sacrifice that still holds up mechanically.
• Avoid if: Tidus’s early-game energy and the PS2-era presentation are deal-breakers for you.

For Players Who Loved the Relationships and Style

Persona 5 Royal (PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, PC)

Sandfall has been pretty open about it: Persona 5 Royal fed directly into Clair Obscur’s DNA. You can see it the moment you start navigating Expedition 33’s UI – the snappy transitions, the stylish menus, the sense that even menuing is part of the fantasy.

Mechanically, Persona is more traditional turn-based (no timing inputs on attacks), but it absolutely mirrors the relationship-driven progression at the heart of Expedition 33. Deepening bonds with your party and confidants unlocks new abilities, passive perks, and even entire combat systems. You are not just leveling; you are connecting, and the game pays you back with more tools, more options, more synergy.

If Clair’s character interactions and emotional beats hooked you, Persona 5 Royal is the natural next obsession – just know what you are getting into. This is a 100+ hour behemoth if you let it be, and it is perfectly happy to spend a full in-game week letting you hang out, study, or go on awkward almost-dates between dungeon crawls.

• Play this if: You want maximum style, incredible music, and rich relationship mechanics tied into combat.
• Avoid if: A long runtime and heavy slice-of-life elements feel like a chore rather than a reward.

How I’d Plan a Post-Expedition 33 Play Path

Everyone comes to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for slightly different reasons, so here is how I would actually sequence these games depending on what you loved most.

• If you were obsessed with the combat: Start with Lost Odyssey to see the clearest mechanical ancestor, then jump to Sea of Stars for a modern, breezy counterpart. If you are open to action, cap it with Lies of P as the timing-heavy, Belle Époque-flavored challenge run.
• If the themes broke your heart: Go straight into Final Fantasy X, then dive into Nier: Automata once you are ready for something weirder, more experimental, and emotionally brutal.
• If you fell in love with the characters and UI style: Make Persona 5 Royal your next long-term commitment. It will scratch that “live with this cast for months” itch better than almost anything else on the market.
• If you love seeing the lineage: Back-to-back The Legend of Dragoon and Lost Odyssey create a fascinating “evolution of timed turn-based combat” mini-marathon that makes Expedition 33 feel like the natural next step.

TL;DR – My Honest Take on “Games Like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33”

Most recommendation lists water this down to “turn-based RPGs with a dark story.” That is not good enough. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is specific in what it does: timing-focused combat inside a turn-based shell, a somber and elegant aesthetic, and character relationships that tangibly shape your toolkit.

• Lost Odyssey is the most direct mechanical and tonal match – the one game I would call a true spiritual sibling.
• The Legend of Dragoon and Sea of Stars carry the torch for timing-based turn systems, each from a different era.
• Persona 5 Royal mirrors Expedition 33’s love for stylish UI and relationship-based power growth more than its timing mechanics.
• Nier: Automata and Final Fantasy X are where you go to chase that same sense of melancholy, sacrifice, and inevitability.
• Lies of P is the Belle Époque nightmare route – aesthetically adjacent, mechanically harsher, but philosophically aligned in how it rewards precision.

I play a lot of RPGs, but only a few feel like they live in the same neighborhood as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. If you pick from this list based on what you personally loved most about Clair – combat, themes, aesthetics, or relationships – you will not just be filling time. You will be continuing a conversation that Expedition 33 started, across different eras, studios, and systems.