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25 Years of Grief in Gaming: Final Fantasy X (2001) vs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025)

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How has grief in gaming changed over the last 25 years? In this video, I compare two landmark RPGs separated by nearly a quarter of a century: Final Fantasy X (2001) and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025). Both games deal with loss, memory, and mortality, but they approach these themes through very different lenses - one through the lens of a beloved JRPG classic, the other through a haunting, surreal, gothic vision of the future of the genre.

Final Fantasy X, developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2, is one of the most iconic JRPGs ever made. It tells the story of Tidus, a blitzball star pulled into the world of Spira, and Yuna, a summoner burdened with the responsibility of saving her people. Their journey is a pilgrimage filled with love, sacrifice, and the inevitability of tragedy. From unforgettable moments like Yuna’s Sending ritual to the devastating farewell at the end, Final Fantasy X is remembered as one of the most emotional video game stories of all time. With its themes of impermanence, memory, and destiny, it continues to resonate with players decades later. For anyone looking back at classic JRPGs, Final Fantasy X remains a masterpiece of emotional storytelling in gaming.

On the other hand, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, releasing in 2025, represents the evolution of narrative-driven RPGs in the modern era. Developed in France, it blends surreal gothic visuals with strategic turn-based combat, creating an atmosphere that feels both painterly and nightmarish. Set in a dreamlike world cursed by an endless cycle of death, each year an expedition of 33 individuals sets out, knowing their fate is sealed. Unlike the hopeful melancholy of Final Fantasy X, Clair Obscur leans into existential dread, inevitability, and the crushing weight of memory. Its haunting art direction, its themes of despair and mortality, and its bold reimagining of the RPG formula position it as one of the most anticipated upcoming RPGs of 2025.

Together, these highlight how video games continually evolve as a storytelling medium. Final Fantasy X explored grief through love, sacrifice, and the fragile hope of memory, while Clair Obscur presents grief as an unavoidable confrontation with mortality and despair. By comparing them, we can see how games, whether classic PlayStation 2 JRPGs or cutting-edge gothic RPGs of 2025, continue to tackle the timeless human struggles of loss and remembrance.

If you’re a fan of story-driven RPGs, emotional narratives, or deep video game analysis, this video will offer insight into why these games matter and how grief remains one of gaming’s most powerful themes. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share for more in-depth explorations of the best video game stories ever told. Keywords: Final Fantasy X analysis, FFX story explained, Tidus and Yuna tragic love story, Square Enix RPG classics, PlayStation 2 JRPGs, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 explained, 2025 RPG preview, upcoming gothic RPGs, surreal art games, narrative-driven video games, emotional storytelling in games, grief in gaming, RPGs about death, video game story analysis, JRPG history, best video game stories.

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