Stunned by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

IF you were told that there were only a few precious decades left in this world - and you could either try the impossible and attempt to stop it, or accept your fate and enjoy your last few years here, what would you do?

- Anusha Ganapathi (This economics graduate spends her leisure time preparing for the zombie apocalypse)

Now this isn't some sobering outlook on climate change, but actually the premise of "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33". To answer my own question, I would want to try to stop it, even if there's only an incredibly small chance of me succeeding. And that's probably why I love the game so much.

I'll admit the lore of "Clair Obscur" sounds a bit ridiculous when I describe it in a few short sentences, but you've got to give it a shot anyway, ok? Because it has one of the most riveting plotlines I've seen in a video game recently. You see, a French town called Lumiere seems to be the only piece of land inhabited by humans, after a catastrophic event occurred exactly 67 years ago.

Note the date. This is important. Every year since then, a mysterious number hovers in the sky in shining light (that's clair obscur in French), like a Lotto call out from hell. What it means is this: everyone above the age of the number would all perish during this now annual event called the "gommage".

And so, every year, a group of expeditioners who fall under the age category go on a courageous quest, to try and attack the entity behind the fatal "gommage" before they too perish.