“For those who come after” is a motto etched into the minds ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s protagonists, a reminder in every corpse they see strewn about the main continent. The flags of expeditions before them are a telling signpost of the dangers they have yet to face, though some warnings are too little too late. That is the case for the crushing cavern, an apt name for the home of the Giant Sapling, whose design and gimmick are yet another example ofClair Obscur’s excellence in environmental design. As the ground crumbles beneath them and the expedition falls into its lair, they must contend with exhaustion and damage output to save themselves from a crushing fate.
Glowing eyes betray the silence ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Giant Sapling, who stands menacingly within the crushing cavern’s depths. It takes Verso mentioning that it’s an ambush for players to adjust their eyes to the surrounding darkness, seeing the corpses littered at their feet, blending in to the rocky ground beneath them. Two walls stand in stark contrast to the rest of the cavern’s jagged edges, and it’s these walls that were Expedition 45’s own downfall; luckily for Expedition 33, the right setup keeps them from meeting a similar fate, tying into a clever boss fight that considers status ailments and the AP system to take down the Nevron before meeting their untimely demise.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Crushing Cavern Shows Environmental and Combat Design Blended to Great Effect
A Crushing Time Limit, Sapping Strength
Timed boss fights aren’t exclusive to real-time combat alone. As the walls on either side of the Giant Sapling gradually close in on Expedition 33, every action counts within the limited moves they can make. The Sapling must know this, as it utilizes the exhaust mechanic to restrict the team from gaining the AP crucial for the skills necessary to take it down.Clair Obscurplayers can dodge the ailmentwith proper reactions, though that doesn’t keep them in the clear just yet; having to deplete the Sapling’s shields while maintaining enough damage output is still a matter to contend with, relying both on the amount and strength of the hits they deal.
AP, Powering Up
Unlike other RPGs that notoriously keep bosses from suffering ailments themselves,Clair Obscurkeeps status conditionslike Burn and Break at the forefront of its combat design. In the Sapling’s case, stacking its burn counter is a great way to keep the damage up, though there are other ways to get around its shields. Verso’s ability to deplete his current Perfection rank to give AP to his teammates is one viable strategy, which works in favour of Lune’s Elemental Stains and Sciel’s Foretell mechanics as they power up their own skills. There’s also Maelle, whose skills offer a wealth of resources for taking down shields, among other heavy-hitting attacks.
A Different Perspective
Clair Obscur’s nuance in combat makes it so that there are always strategies to look for, both within and outside of battle. Because there isn’t a need to defend against the Sapling, players can rethink their approach entirely; the ability to divide points into itscharacters' stats is one aspect ofClair Obscur’s RPG expression, and using a recoat is another viable strategy of its own. Moving points from vitality to attack power, for example, can dramatically increase a character’s damage output, making the Sapling much less of a threat.
When the Sapling is defeated and players are free to explore the rest of the cavern, they will inevitably come acrossCassandra’s journal entry. She warns of the Sapling as the only survivor of her expedition, though with her legs crushed and bleeding out, players can easily surmise her fate. Had the ground not given way, perhaps her note would have reached Expedition 33 in time; instead, players were introduced to a clever boss fight that showsClair Obscur’s many design considerations, woven into its gameplay with great care.
