10 best turn based RPGs to play if you liked Clair Obscur Expedition 33

Time of India

29-04-2025

Image via: Kepler Interactive
If You're captivated by the turn-based depth of
Clair Obscur Expedition 33
with its heaviness of storytelling and full-bodied drama character-driven, you are not alone. Within the rich lore of RPGs, Clair is reminiscent of an "age-old tradition" in terms of the early days when the genre combined fantasy storytelling with strategic combat inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. Today's turn-based RPGs offer an array of themes and styles and run across numerous platforms-from sword and sorcery to wild sci-fi adventures. Here are ten of the most amazing turn-based RPGs capturing the essence of Clair: games where strategy and story walk hand in hand.
1. Persona 5 Royal
If you enjoy the aspect of inner conflict brought about by external danger in Clair, then
Persona 5 Royal
promises to give a twisted maze of turn-based diving and teenage life management. High school friendships during the day are disrupted by surreal places that compel the player to wrestle for hearts at night. The whole social simulation directly imports combat power; therefore, each relationship is tactical as well as a psychological journey.
Persona 5 Royal Review
2. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
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Unlike the standard gym badge quest format, Pokémon Legends: Arceus breaks the mold by embedding a historical construct in the Pokémon world. The combat is turned-based and yet streamlined and satisfying, with dynamic encounters and open-world exploration. It's a game about the discovery of creatures, but also about discovering oneself in the same way as Clair unravels his identity through action.
3. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age
This one's for you to experience classic turn-based RPG design at its best. Dragon Quest XI S will give you comfort peppered with surprises. It has everything a player could hope for out of a well-told tale in a fantasy world: richly drawn landscapes, and an engaging story line with nostalgic gameplay that appears to be time-tested.
4. Metaphor: ReFantazio
The brainchild of Persona 5, where the stakes are thrice higher. It transports you into an arcane fantasy realm where the choices you press shape the kingdom and conscience. It features a multipronged turn-based mechanic around some "Archetypes," and it encourages you to slug it out with inner demons as well as outer foes. It's a spiritual cousin to Clair, though, one that trades modern angst for medieval uncertainty.
Metaphor: ReFantazio - Official Launch Trailer
5. AFK Journey
AFK Journey is an idle RPG with powerful visuals and tactical depth of party customization, nothing short of a joyous experience for the casual player. It is more relaxed than Clair, yet maintains a smart balance between Strategic Depth and narrative-time, making you develop connections with characters across rivaling factions in a world on the verge of collapse.
6. Sea of Stars
From the makers of The Messenger, this RPG is a love letter to old-school RPGs such as Chrono Trigger and takes the retro gameplay and gives it a shiny coat of modern graphics. This combat system rewards you for timing and synergy, and the story speaks of friendship and sacrifice. Like Clair, it understands that nostalgia is not enough-the story and timing matter equally.
7. Golden Sun
If you have enjoyed the dichotomy of magic and technology present in Clair, then Golden Sun lets you enter a tightly knitted fantasy world filled with puzzles, elemental powers, and psychic mysteries. It was ahead of its time in melding exploration with tactical spellcasting, and it somehow still manages to feel fresh many decades later.
8. Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 is a tactical RPG that allows unprecedented freedom to shape a story. Every choice reverberates against your party's relationships, the political tensions of its world, and the outcome of turn-based skirmishes. Like Clair, it is a game of consequences-moral, personal, and strategic.
9. Honkai: Star Rail
MiHoYo's free sci-fi RPG will leave you into a masterclass in sleek presentation and addictive, turn-based combat. Actually, it doesn't cost cents but gives itself to cinematic storytelling, character arcs, and punchy and smart battles. Perfect for Clair fans who want a futuristic interpretation on well-known subjects.
Honkai: Star Rail Two-Year Anniversary Special Animation: On the Journey
10. Expeditions: Rome
If political tensions and personal duties made Clair attractive, then Expeditions: Rome would sound like a natural progression. As a Roman legatus, you balance the weight of empire with loyalty to your comrades in a game that combines battlefield tactics with branching narrative decisions.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 proved that turn-based RPGs can still tell important tales while also putting people to the test. These ten games-from indie darlings to AAA masterpieces-each carry a part of what made them special: character-driven drama, thoughtful battle system dissection, and world-building baited with emotional assets. Whether you are new to the genre or returning once more, you shall find rich turn-based worlds lying in wait for your exploration.