10 Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that helped influence its timing focused turn-based battles

We can't blame you if you're desperate for more games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – the debut game from Sandfall Interactive (made up of former Ubisoft devs) is a stunning first game for the studio. Charting the quest of a group of adventurers setting out to save their world from The Paintress, who is deleting the population of a fractured world with an annually declining age limit, this is a mature and emotional tale. It also has an incredible battle system that mixes slick strategy with skill-based timing inputs for power-us and parries.

In our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review, we made it clear that this is one of the best RPG games we've ever played. Heck, given the inspirations proudly proclaimed by the developer, it might even be one of the best JRPG games we've played – it's heavily inspired by the specific systems popularized by Japanese developers in particular. If waiting for the new game releases on the horizon isn't enough and you want another journey like this one, we've pulled together 10 games like Clair: Expedition 33 that influenced its timing focused turn-based battles. It's drawing from, and evolving on, a fantastic legacy!

10. The Legend of Dragoon

Developer: Sony
Platform(s): PS1, PS3, PS4, PS5, PSP, PS Vita

The Legend of Dragoon came to PS1 in 1999, the same year as Final Fantasy 8 – a period where it felt like chasing higher fidelity graphics meant that JRPGs might get more grounded (a direction Final Fantasy has continued to go in). This gritty fantasy tale is reminiscent of the tone of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but it's the battle system where it feels closest. Here, attacks can be powered up with Additions – essentially having you press a button in time to converge shapes on screen to keep chain attacks going. The more powerful the moves you unlock (including, eventually, the Dragoon form), the longer the sequence of Additions to boost hits. Other contemporaries, like Vagrant Story, have similar systems.

9. Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

For many years, the Yakuza games were action RPGs with brawler combat. The switch to turn-based for the seventh entry, alongside introducing Dragon Quest fanboy Ichiban Kasuga as a protagonist, was originally an April Fool's joke. Who could imagine a series with quick fights turning the pace right down? Which is exactly what they did with Yakuza: Like a Dragon – but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio ensured plenty of interactivity would keep the sense of high-impact action intact. When enemies attack, you can time a button press to help negate some of the damage, but more importantly, every skill has a short, snappy QTE unique to each move to enhance damage.

Learn more in our Yakuza: Like a Dragon review, where we praised its "impactful new RPG fighting system"

8. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Developer: Square
Platform(s): SNES, Nintendo Switch

When you think of Mario, you might think of jumping first and foremost, but the red-clothed plumber has turned his gloved hands to almost every gaming genre. Yes, he's drifted, golfed, and rocked the dance stage – but he's also starred in several extremely good RPGs, starting out with Super Mario RPG. Rather than turn the twitchy jumpman into an entirely sedate JRPG, almost everything you can do can be enhanced with Action Commands. Time button presses with your attacks to increase damage, and with enemy attacks to decrease damage; building up power while you do so to do even more damage. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is similar, though better telegraphs its prompts. Many RPGs are directly inspired by Super Mario RPG, like the more recent Costume Quest, and has evolved throughout the Mario & Luigi series as well.

Read more in our Super Mario RPG Switch review where we said it's "legendary for a reason"

7. Shadow Hearts

Developer: Sacnoth
Platform(s): PS2

Inspired by the likes of HP Lovecraft, the supernatural horror themed JRPG Shadow Hearts has a very unique, often quite gothic aesthetic. Main hero Yuri is able to transform into demons mid-fight, which would be unique enough – but it's the Judgement Ring system that makes Shadow Hearts so memorable. Actions require you to press a button as a pointer twirls around the clock-like face to successfully pull off the attack, enhancing the power in certain areas (it's even used to barter in shops). Equipment and other items can even modify the Judgement Ring, sometimes making its timing windows narrower to enhance damage.

6. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout

Developer: Gust
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch

The chill vibes of Atelier Ryza, and indeed the Atelier series a whole, couldn't be more different from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. However, the snappiness of the series' combat systems do mean there are similarities between the two. Varying quite a bit from game to game, for me Atelier Ryza's fusion between real-time and strategic elements remind me of it the most. Specifically in how Atelier Ryza revolves around building up strength over time with its Tactics Levels. This mirrors some of the AP systems in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, where you gradually get the ability to use stronger moves each fight, and are likewise able to generate more AP to keep the damage going.

5. Earthbound

Developer: HAL Laboratory, Ape Inc
Platform(s): SNES, Nintendo Switch (previously available on Wii U and 3DS)

Like the above, the quirky Earthbound series (known as Mother in Japan) has very different vibes to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Yet, it's timing-based battle system is one of the most influential battle systems in RPGs – often mimicked, hardly ever matched. And, in some ways, for good reason – its fights are just so unique. Every battle has its own odd battle music, which, when you press attacks to the beat, allows you to chain hits. Featuring notoriously difficult rhythms to master, and a distinct lack of guidance, this is the difference between easily beating enemies or having the worst time of your RPG career. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 thankfully has more accommodations, but it's just as important.

4. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Developer: FromSoftware
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't the first RPG to allow you to reduce battle damage by timing button presses. But, unlike the others in its genre, it takes more cues from the likes of FromSoftware's Sekiro in execution. In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 you're rarely timing one solid hit from a foe, more frequently a whole rhythmic chain of attacks. Likewise, you're not just reducing damage, but completely negating it. It's just like how you trade blows in the action-focused Sekiro, allowing you to completely upend any encounter if you're just that skilled.

Find out more in our Sekiro review where we said that it has “genius combat and a world that begs to be explored”

3. Persona 5 Royal

Developer: P-Studio
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Look at the Persona 5 Royal battle menus. Now look at Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Then back to Persona 5. Then back to me. It's so closely inspired by the excellent menu work in recent Atlus games that the inspiration from Persona 5 (and Metaphor ReFantazio) couldn't be clearer. While Persona 5 doesn't feature much in the way of timing elements beyond getting the jump on enemies for a first attack, it does have a unique gun system that allows you to use bullets to supplement standard attacks. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has its own take on this with Free Aim, allowing you to actually point and shoot at hidden weak points by spending AP.

Learn more in our Persona 5 review where we said it has "style for miles"

2. Final Fantasy X

Developer: Square
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS3, PS2, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is obviously influenced by a lot of the Final Fantasy games, even though each in this anthology series has its own distinct vibes. Outside of the timing elements, though, Final Fantasy X's battle system shares a lot of the same feel as in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. From the fluid way your party members jump in to attack, to the easy-to-understand yet tactically vital turn-order view on the side of the screen. Final Fantasy X battles are chunky, quick, and make you feel a lot of the impact in each strike. Additional shoutouts have to go to Final Fantasy 8, where Squall's gunblade can be powered up with a well-timed button press, Final Fantasy 15 for its 'modern fantasy' aesthetic, and the more mature tone fronted by the action-heavy Final Fantasy 16.

Read more in our Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster review where we noted that the "excellent gameplay still holds up"

1. Lost Odyssey

Developer: Mistwalker, Feel Plus
Platform(s): Xbox 360 (Backwards compatible on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One)

We put this at the end because the perennially underrated Xbox 360 exclusive hidden gem, Lost Odyssey, is the one that most reminds me of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. You can't tell me it isn't, because the immaculate, somber vibes of Lost Odyssey could always be better appreciated than it is. On top of similar vibes, the active nature of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's battles take a page from Lost Odyssey as well, with its Aim Ring system that has you time attacks with overlapping rings to enhance damage. There's even a learnable skill mechanic you can expand with Seed Slots, like the Pictos and Lumina abilities (which is also a bit like Final Fantasy 9). If you loved Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and somehow managed to miss this one, then Lost Odyssey is a real must-play.

Check out our best games of 2025 list for more to play! Looking for a different RPG flavor? How about games like Final Fantasy?