The French indie sensation that redefined turn-based combat takes on the stylish titan that ruled the genre for nearly a decade.
For years, Persona 5 Royal was the undisputed benchmark for turn-based RPGs — flashy UI, incredible music, addictive combat, and a 130-hour journey that never dragged. Then Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 arrived in 2025 and did something nobody expected: it made turn-based combat feel like a Sekiro boss fight.
The Clair Obscur devs have openly cited Persona 5 as a direct inspiration. But the two games offer radically different experiences despite sharing a genre. One is a 40-hour cinematic sprint. The other is a 130-hour life simulator. Here's how they compare.
| CATEGORY | CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33 | PERSONA 5 ROYAL |
|---|---|---|
| Combat★ Clair Obscur | Turn-based with real-time dodge/parry inputs. Every battle demands active engagement. Characters have unique combat identities. Feels like Sekiro meets Paper Mario. | Traditional turn-based with Baton Pass combos. Stylish and fast but menu-driven. Elemental weakness exploitation is the core loop. |
| Story & Writing= TIE | Impressionist fantasy world. Emotional, high-stakes narrative about mortality. Shorter but more focused. Multiple endings. | Modern-day Tokyo with a supernatural twist. 130 hours of school life, social links, and dungeon crawling. Deeper character relationships. |
| Style & Presentation= TIE | Unreal Engine 5 photorealism meets surrealist art direction. Stunning environments that look like paintings come to life. | Unmatched UI design. The most stylish game ever made — menus, transitions, everything drips with personality. Jazz-infused soundtrack. |
| Length & Pacing★ Clair Obscur | 40-70 hours. Tight, focused, no filler. Three acts with escalating stakes. | 100-130 hours. Incredible depth but can feel like a slog during middle palaces. The extra Royal semester is worth it. |
| Post-Game Content★ Clair Obscur | Extensive — Endless Tower, chromatic bosses, Dark Shores, secret boss fights. Real endgame depth. | New Game+, challenge battles, DLC boss fights. Solid but not as robust. |
| Value★ Persona 5 Royal | $50 for a complete, polished experience. 40-70 hours. | $30 for 100-130 hours. Regularly on sale for $20 or less. Insane value. |
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