Even if one finds this time of year cringey, it’s still important to share in the holiday spirit of what matters most.

Maladaptive coping mechanisms and trauma induced humor, for example

Having finally launched myself into Expedition 33 (E33), after ruminating on when the time was right to commence such an endeavor, I figured ending 2025 on what many in the community have loudly praised as the de factor experience of the year seemed like quite the obvious play, all things considered. In my world, it is never about which game to play, it is always about where to find the time to fit any particular game in. As has become lowkey the unofficial mantra of Active Time Event: one has time for anything, not everything, so one must pick accordingly. However, utilizing this very rationale, I feel as if one would have to go out of their way in attempting to explain why one wouldn’t engage in the overwhelming winner of a bevy of game of the year awards, so the path forward remained ridiculously ripe for the reaping.

Reaping, an ideally applied word for E33, as I had covered yesterday, a game that seems delightfully drawn to the macabre, focused on those that draw their final breath, and the fleetingness of life itself, as the narrative is heavily predicated upon the theme of death and impermanence. Not that I am ever in the business of wanting to be slapdash with spoilers, but this level of energy directed at such heavy subject material, most certainly puts me on high alert in being mindful about discussing the title in its entirety on the regular, in avoiding spoilers all willy nilly like. A task I had too quickly assumed may be a fatal blow to my ability in waxing poetic about the overall experience, as most RPGs are so narrative heavy, with so little else in the way to speak of, discussing much that isn’t related to the plot has one expounding upon character dramas and ideological espousments of the in-game world’s inner political workings, which makes for more of an essay on fictional history lessons more so than game deconstructionism, at least, where bread and butter design breakdown is concerned, and the virtual metaphysics that follow suit.

I will say, while I’m sure E33 has a myriad of qualities about it that has so powerfully engendered itself to the gaming masses at large, having already noticed a number of strong standout sublimations worthy of hoisting praise upon, my initial posit and early broadcasting of why E33 has generated such energy from the old guards of the gaming groups en masse, likely relates to the games dyed in the wool proclivities of conjuring up an idyllic sense of old school wonderment in the vein of classic Final Fantasy, as in, before the original creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi moved on, placing the aforementioned evoked spirits from deep within the depths of E33’s metaphysical essence circa late 90’s and early aughts. I’m no fool: gamers are a spongey, soft messy lot, moistened by there sense of yesteryear, and any project that reminds them of a childhood they so dearly miss, but has long since been gutted and thrown into the grinder of days gone by will be welcomed with furiously fervent open arms. E33’s ability to incite such aggressive feelings related to the more classically remembered way of doing things makes sense: when one considers how absolutely every inch of the E33 experience is drenched in a fuzzy glow of nostalgically imbued energy, from how the turn-based battles play out, to impeccable mood set by over the top, beautifully swelling score reminiscent of Nobuo Uematsu’s work on the FF series music, E33 most certainly carries the torch of Final Fantasy in ways that likely makes Square Enix weep in proud shame.

Though, I suppose I should also grant E33 an extra grace, as it is quite easy for a game to be all pomp and circumstance in rekindling the flames of the past, and actually having those fires burn brightly with an authentic warmth that makes the soul glow in a fond fashion. To wit; E33, at least, as far as the first few hours have revealed to me, seems to be no false prophet in the matter, and has a genuine thrust of authenticity to it, from how the characters come to life through interacting with each other, to how one goes about navigating the battles, even in their charmingly “retro” approach, the developers of E33 are quiet obviously, massive fans of the shoulders of the giants they now stand upon, in resetting the table with a familiar aesthetic, but an earned right in flying the equivalent of rightly earned colors in a flag of remembrance that waves powerfully in the winds of historic reverence.

Perhaps my playful sense of linguistics is laying it on a little thick, but I regularly play the skeptic here on Active Time Event, and have absolutely no scruples in reinforcing the notion that much like there are no free lunches, cheap praise is as greasy and embarrassing as one caught stealing from a wishing well. Perhaps my mood is just charitable, but as someone who like many others I have referenced in this article about enjoying the standards of what old school Final Fantasy represented, I definitely get the desire to return to what was, to escape the modern day madness of cheap knockoffs and dime a dozen ripoffs that plague the land, and it comes as a suprising shock so few have come before E33 with so little fanfare in succeeding failing where this game seemingly succeeds so stylishly so.

I think one of the elements of what thankfully sets E33 apart, not just from its contemporaries, but to the games it so directly pays tribute to, is that even though E33 is most certainly an rpg within respects to a classic sensibility, the title does in fact, offer up some interest in the ways of more dynamic turn based battles, with not just timed button presses, which enhance some attacks power, but also a parry and dodge mechanic, which have splendidly precise timing attached to them, dodges more forgiving, with parries being harder to pull off, but far more rewarding when executed. As someone who finds himself more regularly within the realms of games like Elden Ring, a welcome addition to what is otherwise a much too easy going genre.

Alas, that is all the time I have with which to gush about E33 for the moment. I look forward to energizing myself on the experience in the days to come, and all of the articles that accompany the play sessions thereafter.

-Pashford