Clair Oscur: Expedition 33is no longer the highest-rated game of 2025 on Metacritic, having been usurped earlier today.Expedition 33previously took the number one spoton the site fromBlue Prince, a unique indie roguelike puzzle game.Expedition 33took the industry by storm when it released in April, receiving particular praise for its narrative, characters, unique take on turn-based combat, and stellar soundtrack. Despite it no longer being number one on Metacritic based on its Metascore, it still holds the highest user score rating of all time on the site, with a 9.7 rating after almost 16,000 reviews.
According toMetacritic’s best games of the year page,Clair Obscur: Expedition 33has now dropped to third place after spending over a month in the number one slot. Now,the Switch 2 Editions ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomandBreath of the Wildhold the top two spots, withTotKhaving a 95 score andBotWtyingExpedition 33with a 93. It’s worth noting, however, that there are far fewer critic reviews of the re-releases of theZeldagames, compared toExpedition 33’s 84 reviews.
TOTK On Switch 2 Has Beaten Clair Obscur As The Highest-Rated Game On Metacritic
The Switch 2 Editions Of The Zelda Games Are Seeing A Lot Of Praise
The Switch 2 Editions ofTotKandBotWare being praised for theirimprovements over their original releases on Switch 1. Critics are taking particular note of how well the open-world gameplay holds up years later, the games' creativity and sense of freedom, the games' puzzles, and the games' improvements,like running at 60 FPS and the upscaled-from-1440p-4K resolutionwhen playing the titles in docked mode on Switch 2.
It’s not perfect, though. Some critics note frustrations with theZelda Notes app additionfor the Switch 2 version. The app can guide players to various Shrines, act as a checklist, allow for instant weapon repairs, and provide other quality-of-life improvements for the games. However,the app is only available as that: an app for your phone, and is not integrated into the games themselves. The controversial pricing of the games is also garnering some criticism, withBotWpriced at $69.99 andTotKpriced at $79.99, for potential players who do not have the original version of the game.
Our Take: While The Zelda Games Are Great, It’s Unfair For Them To Be Above Expedition 33
The Zelda Games Are Years Old At This Point
With so few reviews for bothZeldagames, and them both being general remasters that don’t add a lot to the original experience,it seems unfair that they are both now aboveExpedition 33on Metacritic. All three titles are great games, butExpedition 33gave a lot of people, including myself, an experience we had been waiting years for: an engaging, narrative-driven, high-graphic-fidelity turn-based RPG that takesinspiration from the greatsand creates something powerful.
WhileExpedition 33’s drop on Metacritic might disappoint some fans, it’s probably a good time to remind ourselves that reviews are just opinions, and fans can and should enjoy whatever titles they wish, regardless of what score the game has.Clair Oscur: Expedition 33may no longer be number one on Metacritic, but it will surely remain a lot of fans' favorite game of the year, even as more games release.
