I've played so much Stardew Valley since it released, and Animal Crossing, and Harvest Moon, and I found myself bored of them eventually, until I stumbled upon this game. It's a perfect mix of all the games I've mentioned, with a lot of improvements and fantasy elements.

You can jump and swim, which makes exploration a lot more fun. Your default movement is a lot faster than what I'm normally used to. The art style is unique, very similar to Sailor Moon, which gives it some nostalgic feelings. The sprites are charming. The customisation options are great. You can change your outfit and entire face for free, any time, and even switch between presets. Every item has multiple colors/color combinations. The dragons took my heart, the NPCs feel unique to each other with their own character. Interesting perk system, fun combat, magic. Adorable animal interactions, adorable petting animations, you can put hats on your cows and chickens, your personal pet that you can also change any time any day. Your pet is helping you with resources. Dozy is ADORABLE. Interior design of every building is great. Every NPC has seasonal outfit. A lot of events, great music. You can see NPCs talk to each other and join them on their group conversations, it adds a lot to the feeling that the city is really alive. You can see on a map where every NPC is. The map is HUGE. A lot of mechanics are given to you early, like the Mill, Blacksmith, Mining, etc. Museum is really similar to that museum that you have in Animal Crossing. The UI is easy to read, easy to understand. A lot of useful tutorials, great if it is your first game of this genre. A lot of unlockable customisation options (new shirts, skirts, pants, accessories, hair). I have not seen a single issue so far. Not a single bug or a glitch. All of this while the game still remains in early access. I genuinely cannot find a single reason to complain. I guess the only one would be this: please add names of the buildings on the map. Say, if I hover my mouse on a Blacksmith building, show a pop-up message with the name on it. And maybe being able to sell things directly to the NPCs without waiting a whole day for shipping for fast cash.

I cannot wait to explore even more of this game, I can imagine myself sinking hundreds of hours already. Give this game a try. Don't be threatened by the ''EA"' mark. It's so worth it, especially for this price.

PS: The fact that Olric is not a romanceable NPC is a crime. I forgive you, though.

This was probably the most gut-wrenching, heartbreaking experience that I have had when it comes to games. And that, ironically, is what makes the game so good.

It's an extremely beautiful game, with a great merge of realistic and fantasy art style, followed with a fantastic soundtrack, incredible voice acting, and innovative game designs. People who turn against this game just because it is a ''turn-based combat'' should, in my opinion, widen their horizons and experience this game. Its not just a slow, boring turn-based combat: it's fast, it's difficult, it's exciting. The parrying, the gradient attacks, the combos you can do, the insane builds you can achieve. So many ways to play, none of them are wrong. Just learning to be good at this game feels so rewarding and satisfying. The animations are fantastic, the visual and sound effects never tipped me off. Every scene, every cut scene just begs to be screenshotted and used as a wallpaper or a poster.
The exploration feels rewarding, you actually want to walk around and snoop in every corner of the game. There are puzzles, easter eggs, collectables, plenty of things for you to do and experience.
And the story... I can't even begin describing this. I have seen people calling the storyline boring and dull, to which I am actually experiencing genuine anger towards. I have cried so many times during the game, I cheered and I grieved for the characters. Every one of them felt real, with their own character, I wanted to know more about every companion in the game. The nerve wrecking feeling when you thought the game is over and everything is fine, before the game throws you back into this emotional turmoil. It's sad, it's bittersweet, it's thought-provoking, it's everything I want in the story and more. It's hard to say more without diving into the spoilers, but I swear, story-wise, this game might be in my top 3 of my 20 years of playing story rich games. It has it's own plot-twists, some may be more obvious than others, but it does not mean it is any less satisfying. It only means that the developers did a good job in story telling and delivering hints through characters' body language, facial expressions, and thoughts.
The story portrays grief in the most realistic way I have seen, while still putting it in the fantasy world. Grief consumes you, grief makes you do things you might regret. Grief is love that has nowhere to go. This story did an amazing job exploring these points.

This game is full of love and care. Every detail, every thought behind it, you can feel how much the team cared to deliver a good game, without any micro-transactions, predatory mechanics, battlepasses, or thousands of DLCs. This game is one of it's kind. I thought after Baldur's Gate 3 it will be hard to find something that could potentially sway me away even more, but I think this game did just that.

Clair Obscur and Baldur's Gate 3 have officially ruined gaming for me, in the best way possible. I have played so many newly released games ever since I have discovered Clair Obscur, and so far none of them hit as close to home as Clair Obscur did.

This should be a standard, this is how the game development should be: full of passion, excitement, thoughts and love, without constant chasing for bigger revenue and easiest way to earn a quick buck.

Sven, from Larian Studios, was definitely talking about this game when he was announcing the game of the year. There's no doubt in my mind - this is the game he was referring to.

This is my Game of the Year. In story, in soundtrack, in visuals, in everything you could think of - this game is insanely worthy of all the possible rewards it can get. If this game doesn't win, there will be no end to my disappointment.

Thank you, Sandfall, for this masterpiece.

For those who come after.