The Game Awards 2025 was held a little while ago, and it was one of the best ones in history. Indie games absolutely dominated the awards, especially Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. After playing the game for the first time, I was absolutely certain that this was going to be Game of the Year 2025.
It even managed to become my favorite game of all time, and I have been gaming for as long as I can remember. It was an absolute masterpiece and deserves the most prestigious award, one hundred percent. However, as the biggest fan of this game, I do not think it deserves the Best RPG award.
The game is an RPG, but it does not feature enough elements to win the award. On the other hand, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, the best RPG game released this year, deserved it more.
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Is A Solid RPG
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. The game features solid RPG elements that Expedition 33 does not, and that does not sit right with me. In this game, your actions and decisions truly matter. You have to choose dialogues that can make or break your relationships with other characters.
Your choices have consequences, and they can be either good or bad. The main character develops with each interaction, as well as the relationships you form. Your decisions pave the way for the type of ending you will get. This makes you want to be careful with your dialogue selection, as you want to build meaningful relationships with certain people.
The world design is realistic and heavily inspired by the medieval era. The armor, combat, and social systems all fit perfectly with the world, which greatly enhances immersion.
I do agree that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a beautiful world and a skill progression system. However, it may not compare to the skill progression system in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. You are not simply handed skills; you have to work hard to earn them. You need different training methods and must master certain styles to learn specific skills.
Also, the world in this game feels alive. It remembers what you have done, which is why I said actions have consequences. Now, it is not like if you punch an NPC, they would remember the exact act. Your reputation, however, is known by the town. If you have a bad reputation for obvious reasons, you will be treated differently by the people. Even if you commit a crime, it will be remembered, and unless you pay a price, there is no escape.
It Deserved The Best RPG Award
I won’t argue about any other Expedition 33 won. It was almost a clean sweep. However, even as its biggest fan, I don’t think the game deserves the Best RPG award because a game with solid RPG elements existed. Even the developers officially tweeted on Twitter/X that they have been robbed of the Best RPG award, which totally makes sense to me.
Don’t get me wrong, Expedition 33 is an RPG. It is, in fact, a pretty good one. However, it leans heavily on the narrative-driven experience. The game also holds your hand as it is linear for the most part. On the other hand, in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, there is pretty much less hand-holding. You get to know about what to do through the dialogues, and sometimes even they are vague.
In both games, you start weak and grow stronger. However, in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, your growth depends on how you live in the world. You are rewarded for playing a certain role, giving you the feeling of becoming the character.
Again, I love Expedition 33, but it is more approachable and cinematic. That is not a bad thing at all, but the Best RPG award should be given to a game that rewards depth and commitment to the role-playing systems. Unlike many RPGs, KCD2 emphasizes simulation-based systems. This means that whatever skills you want to improve, whether it be swordplay, archery, or crafting, you will have to practise.
Even in combat, you cannot button-mash. Timing and accuracy matter a lot. Also, there are no repeated tutorials, so you are not being spoon-fed. Oftentimes, you have to figure out a lot of things yourself.
What “Best RPG” Should Actually Mean
The best RPG is a game that respects the player. Such games trust the players without hand-holding. However, as there would be very little hand-holding, players are bound to fail. So such games allow failure and recovery as part of the experience. Another thing it does is it rewards patience, curiosity, and mastery. Now, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 features all of that, and it still lost.
The game was also quite popular, but it seems like the hype and popularity of the French RPG crushed it. In the end, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 destroyed the competition and won in almost all of the categories it was nominated for. It didn’t just win at The Game Awards; it did a clean sweep at the Golden Joystick Awards, which just made almost everyone more certain that it is going to win GOTY 2025.
While the ultimate RPG and my second-favorite game of this year lost, I would have loved for it to win, even though I enjoyed Expedition 33 way more. Still, what’s done is done, but given the amount of hate the media has received, I don’t think such a misstep will happen again.
For more interesting news and features, please check out the links below:
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Obaid Ur Rehman is a lifelong gaming enthusiast with a deep passion for writing about video games. While he enjoys all genres, he specializes in RPGs and Soulslike titles. After tackling some of the toughest bosses, he often unwinds with a cozy game to relax. Outside of gaming, Obaid enjoys watching anime, bingeing TV series, or staying active at the gym.
