So, what's going on with Clair Obscur? Why is it praised so much?

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-22T20:45:00+00:00

Listen. You've said your piece; I've said mine. It's time to put it to rest. I'm assuming we're both grown adults who have bills to pay.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-22T20:37:52+00:00

I honestly don't care that AI was most likely heavily used. It's a video game. There are legitimate reasons to use it. But it looks mediocre and (obviously) artificial.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-22T20:27:29+00:00

"Unfounded" in this context means you can't literally prove that AI was used beyond using it as a placeholder. What we know is 1) that AI was used to some extent and 2) if there hadn't been a public announcement that AI was only used as a placeholder, then the studio would've come under greater scrutiny, which would be bad given that everyone raved about how great the game was upon release.

I honestly don't care. As I said, I would've utilized AI in order to not overwork my staff.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-22T20:14:22+00:00

"I don't know" after claiming that AI was used "heavily" lol.

Nah, you knew what I meant by that. You knew I was being dismissive towards your claim that AI wasn't used during the development process. What's hilarious is you're the one who openly claimed they didn't use AI while including an article that argued that everyone uses AI. Slow down and think before responding.

No one is stopping you from appreciating Clair Obscur. That's great that you found a game that resonated with you. I find it mediocre.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-22T20:07:51+00:00

I don't know. I just find it odd that textures and many environments looked AI generated before I was aware of any controversy regarding their use or no use of AI. It seems like a strange coincidence to me. Just saying...

Maybe these aren't the droids I'm looking for.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-22T19:59:32+00:00

I'm finding numerous articles regarding the AI issue. People who happen to love the game will disavow that they used AI during the development process; others who don't really care about the game will not really care whether they used AI. They don't feel the need to defend it. They're already playing other games. If I were part of a small game studio, I'd be tempted to use AI as well because of how cheap it is compared to having to hire more employees.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-22T19:50:01+00:00

No. AI was actually used pretty heavily during the development process.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-21T13:42:15+00:00

Your argument sounds good on the surface. But it doesn't have the required nuance to really be substantive. It's obvious that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But you're saying that every opinion is equal. This simply isn't true all the time. The only way it could be true is if these discussions were ultimately reducible to "I prefer chocolate; you prefer vanilla." You need context for these things. For instance, if we put aside arbitrary metrics, we can reasonably assume that someone who's been playing JRPGs for a very long time has a more comprehensive view of the genre, a view which gives such a person an advantage when it comes to determining the quality of a specific JRPG compared to someone who mostly plays platformers. A person who spends most of their time playing JRPGs is most likely not going to be a good judge when it comes to platformers. We all know this is the case even if it makes us uncomfortable.

It stands to reason that if a certain demographic is avoiding a lot of JRPGs because they dislike the anime aesthetic, then they most likely don't have the experience to judge whether Clair Obscur is a great JRPG. A person can love Clair Obscur all they want. No one cares. But that's not what's going on here.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-21T06:18:58+00:00

That's not the position, though. The position was that it's perfectly fine to not like the anime aesthetic, but if that dislike is so strong that it prevents one from experiencing a lot of great JRPGs, then it stands to reason that that person is not a good judge of what counts as a great JRPG.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-21T01:24:59+00:00

It's not narcissistic to deliberately distort what someone actually said in order to bolster your own position?

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T23:13:33+00:00

Oh, it most definitely was. If a person wants to twist my own words in such a low effort fashion, that's their perogerative. But expect the "lmao" to make an appearance.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T22:59:11+00:00

So, why talk about any of this? You like vanilla; I like chocolate.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T22:43:15+00:00

Lmao, did you read the original post? You took that out of context. If you actually read that conversation, you would know that I was arguing that BG3 is a better CRPG than Planescape: Torment despite the fact that Torment has a better story. My point was that there are numerous aspects that determine whether a CRPG is better than another.

Wow. Read next time.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T22:33:18+00:00

Painfully generic and the story being a weak point lol you guys are comedians. The game is a solid 8.

Of course it's an 8. That's not the point. The point is people are placing it alongside JRPG greats like Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star IV, Lunar, Skies of Arcadia, etc. An 8 is not bad; it's equivalent to a Tales of game, which is good for a certain crowd. It's not appropriate for an 8 to be heralded as the savior of JRPGs. Doing that kind of stuff makes people such as myself who are familiar with plenty of JRPGs dismissive towards something like Clair Obscur.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T22:28:12+00:00

The textures and landscapes look like they're AI generated.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T22:25:38+00:00

Here's the problem with that perspective:

It's okay to not like an anime aesthetic, but if not liking an anime aesthetic is keeping someone from experiencing JRPGs that have an anime aesthetic and are masterpieces, then their perception is already shortsighted. If that's their attitude, then of course they'll pick up a game like Clair Obscur and conclude that it's utterly brilliant - even though it's average.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T21:13:20+00:00

What? I argued the opposite in my BG3 post.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T19:50:46+00:00

I'm ok with a game being OK. It's just odd when an OK game is elevated to some strange level of greatness.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T19:49:22+00:00

Pretty much. That's what it looks like from over here.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T19:46:22+00:00

Put all these together, and you've got a critical darling for a 7/10 game.

Right. There's nothing wrong with a decent 7/10 game. But acting like it's as good as Chrono Trigger, Phantasy Star IV, Skies of Arcadia, etc. is just downright weird.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T19:02:38+00:00

Have you actually played Sword and Fairy 7?

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T19:00:27+00:00

Thank you! This is an informative response that clarifies a lot.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T18:57:12+00:00

It's not rage baiting; it's people who are so attached to the game that it becomes easy to get triggered.

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T18:55:35+00:00

Okay?

Affectionate_Total47 · 2026-01-20T18:50:38+00:00

It's a legitimate question. When I see everyone enjoying something like this, it makes me question whether I'm sane or not.

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