Although it has broken new ground for gaming, there's something delightfully old-school about New Game Plus too, for those who are brave enough to suffer constant heartbreak all over again.

There's plenty of side content, optional mini-bosses, and little secrets to uncover throughout the game, from Act 1 all the way through to Act 3, but the bulk of this optional content doesn't become available until the end of the main story, when Esquie unlocks his final traversal option. The game isn't afraid to throw in some tough areas far before players are ready to take them on, with the Abbest Cave probably claiming a few unsuspecting beginners as it did me. Surprisingly, this continues even in Act 3, and taking on these optional bosses too early is also a mistake.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the ending of Act 2 and beginning of Act 3 of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Clair Obscur's Act 3 Allows Expedition 33 To Take To The Skies

It's Finally Time To Fly Air Esquie

Act 2 ends in a shocking way, revealing the truth behind the world, the fracture, and The Paintress all at once while wiping out almost the entire cast, but during all this chaos, Verso gives Esquie the stone he needs to fly again. When players are brought back to the Cavas and reunited with Expedition 33, the story presents players with the seemingly time-sensitive task of stopping the real Renoir before he destroys the Canvas. Of course, the game moves to the time of the players, and astute players will have noticed that areas are finally accessible with Esquie's flight.

The Paintress' real name is Aline Dessendre, the mother of Verso, Clea, and Aline.

With the game's final, climactic fight around the corner, players might be tempted to go exploring, which is what I did at first: excited to see everything the world had to offer, but this was a mistake. My party was floating at around level 50 by the time Act 2 ended, with Verso leading the pack at level 53, which I found was more than adequate to beat The Paintress and continue the story. This was not adequate to complete most of the side content, with me quickly discovering that the option content is probably best left for the post-game.

Optional Bosses Are More Difficult Than The Final Boss

And Beating The Optional Bosses Makes Expedition 33 Too Powerful For The Final Fight

While being around level 50 felt perfect in of difficulty for Act 3's Lumière, it was not anywhere near high enough to take on optional bosses that one-shot my party before learning their attack patterns. Although I had access to the Painted Power Picto, I couldn't hit hard enough to make a sizable dent in the enemy's health bar before they came with to end my Expedition early. After going to Lumière and taking on some of the enemies, I quickly realized that these optional fights were not for the late-game, but for the post-game.

Of course, I had the option to grind and level my Expedition until they could take on these optional bosses, but had I done that, the final area would have felt far too easy, possibly losing the gravity and intensity that it had when I was around level 55, by the time I got to Renoir. Once you reach Clair Obscur's ending, it puts players back to the Expedition flag before the boss arena, and from there the party can return to The Continent to take on all the extra challenges it has to offer. This felt more natural as far as challenges go.

Clair Obscur's Optional Content Can Take Hours

And Renoir's Battle Is Narratively Time-Sensitive

Although the main story took me around 28 hours, there are dozens more hours worth of side content, from new interactions to boss fights and dungeons. With Maelle insisting that Renoir needed to be stopped quickly before he destroyed the Cavas, it does feel odd to then spend hours grinding, taking on optional bosses, and so on. Sure, the game doesn't rush players into fighting Renoir, but it does feel a little strange, especially when being the right level for this content makes the Expedition far mightier than they need to be to face Renoir.

Strangely, some of the optional content does have a bearing on the story and with the way the game ends, it is obviously done before the Renoir boss fights as far as the narrative is concerned. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 gives players plenty to do if they're not ready to leave the world just yet, after the story breaks them in two, but this is meant to be done after the Renoir fight. Don't make the mistake I made and get annihilated by a random mini-boss after flying air Esquie for the first time.