I don't care what has already come out, or what comes out the rest of this year. This game deserves every ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ award it conceivably qualifies for. Hands down.

Incredible, from the art design, to the direction, the immaculate storytelling, the wonderful if sometimes frustrating combat, the soundtrack, the character designs, voice and motion acting, just everything. Nigh on perfection across the board.

No in-depth review, because truly this is a game to be experienced yourself. I will say that it does take some time for it to really hit, and you do need to be prepared to lose a lot, but nowhere near as much as a Souls-esque game. You do need to get reasonably good at the combat mechanics but really aside from some optional encounters you do not need to be perfect, and it does try its best to make the experience as easy as possible with native settings to make things easier. But if you cannot get enough of emotional, deep, impactful storytelling, then you will hopefully adore this game as I have and do.

As I sit here, in tears, because of what I've just played and how much its affected me, I can't express enough that this game is worth the score I am going to give it. More than that, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will stay with me for a long time. YMMV, but I for one cannot get over thinking about the experience I just had.

All I can say is play it.

10/10