Expedition 33 May Oddly Inherit the Best Combat Mechanics of Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 12, 2025 36 Views 7 Min Read
Expedition 33 May Oddly Inherit the Best Combat Mechanics of Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG



Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 boasts a stunning setting coupled with a dark story, but it seems to have taken inspiration from a surprisingly light source. Despite the mature nature of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, many are comparing the early glimpses of its combat to that of Nintendo’s Mario RPG and Paper Mario games.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut game by studio Sandfall Interactive, and seems to be kicking things off with a bang for the new developer. Based on trailers, early reviews, and even the prospect of a movie all speaking positively before the game’s launch, Expedition 33 is one of 2025’s most highly anticipated games. There could be many reasons for this, from the unique setting inspired by Belle Époque France to the mysterious story of the sinister Paintress, but one key to the game’s early success might be in its combat.

Gustave reaches for petal Clair Obscur Expedition 33

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Combat is Surprisingly Familiar

The turn-based combat of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t an unusual choice for an RPG, but it uses mechanics that may have been inspired by an unexpected source. Hands-on previews of Expedition 33 praise various aspects of the game, but one of the most highly talked-about inclusions is the quick-time based combat mechanics. Game Rant’s own Anthony Taormina specifically compares the combat to that of Super Mario RPG, explaining that “encounters require precise timing for the greatest success and offer a bit of strategy…”. Both Super Mario RPG and the Paper Mario franchise have included elements of quick-time based defense, where the proper button prompts allow for dodges and even counterattacks, something that few, if any, other RPGs have borrowed from Nintendo.

The implementation of quick-time events to aid in battle is certainly similar to the Mario games, but Expedition 33 seems to take it a bit farther. Unlike the plumber, who mostly uses this mechanic to dodge, the expeditioners in Clair Obscur have the choice to dodge, parry, or counterattack during the enemy’s turn, depending on the player’s timing. This more advanced version of the quick-time combat mechanic should feel right at home in a more mature RPG, giving Expedition 33 the best of both worlds when it comes to combat. The deep strategy that more advanced players expect is still present alongside the innovative controls from the more child-friendly Nintendo games.

The Revived Mario RPGs Could Return the Favor

After the recent success of the remakes of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it’s natural that this mechanic might be fresh in the minds of new developers. The game industry is at its best when companies, even strong competitors, can learn from each other, innovate on old ideas, and give players new experiences based on what has been successful in the past. That’s precisely what Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is doing by taking this mechanic from some of the best child-friendly RPGs and making it evolve. With Nintendo’s reputation for fiercely protecting its franchises and ideas, this could have been a risky move for Sandfall Interactive, but at this point Nintendo doesn’t seem bothered by Expedition 33‘s choice of inspiration. Hopefully, this will mean that Nintendo is open to borrowing ideas from other RPGs to better its own as well.

The recent Paper Mario games have received a lackluster response from fans, but this hasn’t stopped Nintendo from pushing further into new ideas for Mario and its other franchises. After seeing how much fans appreciated the remakes of their old favorite, it seems that Nintendo might be developing new RPGs again, and fans can only hope that their support of the old style of Mario RPGs over the new one speaks for itself. If Nintendo is able to lend its mechanics to more mature games, hopefully it can also borrow some of the excellent themes and ideas from games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to better its own RPGs in the future.

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