After pushing for Arc Raiders to win GOTY over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, former FPS pro Shroud admits the J'RPG is actually pretty good after finally playing it

Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek, former FPS pro player and noted Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hater, is finally coming around on the JRPG-inspired game. After putting some hours into the fantasy adventure, he's conceding that, yes, it's actually worthy of all the plaudits it's received.

The revelation came during a livestream where he dug into Sandfall Entertainment's multi-award-winning release. "Dare I say, Asmongold was right," Grzesiek states. "He said, if I play this game after it wins Game of the Year, I'm gonna enjoy it."

He's referencing The Game Awards, where Clair Obscur took home the biggest prize of the night, the coveted Game of the Year, after winning eight other categories in an incredible and record-breaking streak. Having been a vocal critic of the game, Grzesiek was roundly challenged to check out Expedition 33 should it do what we all expected. It did, he has, and here we are.

"Is it too soon to say that?" he asks, bargaining with his own taste. "I mean, the game can't get worse, it's going to only get better." He'd been a cheerleader for Arc Raiders to take all the glory, another worthy candidate. Cognitive dissonance can be hard to navigate, but I think it's perfectly OK to concede this and enjoy the game, pal.

No doubt he's one of many at the moment who're diving into Clair Obscur. Though the RPG was massively successful beforehand, taking so many statues at the Game Awards no doubt encouraged a flurry of players to see what all the fuss is about. Welcome to the party, I say to Grzesiek and anyone else, and if you enjoy this, might I suggest some Dragon Quest, Tales of, or Phantasy Star?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead says the secret of the J'RPG's success is to "not care too much about the players" – "if you care about your game, it means you care about the players ultimately."