Seventeen years is a good run for any champion—unless you’re the reigning king of Metacritic and a new challenger has just stormed the throne room, swinging both a sword and the adoration of gamers worldwide. The tale of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t just about industry accolades or heart-throbbing fandom, but also about how a little-known DS game once climbed to meteoric heights on nothing but laughs and community mischief.
A Meteoric Rise from Montpellier
Back in June 2024, during the Xbox conference at the Summer Game Fest, hardly anyone in the gaming world was placing bets on Sandfall Interactive’s upcoming release. Who could have guessed, sitting through endless trailers and surprise reveals, that a studio from Montpellier was about to send shockwaves through the industry?
- In just a year and a half, Sandfall Interactive became the envy of every aspiring game maker.
- At the Game Awards, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 didn’t just show up—it transformed into a trophy magnet, nabbing an eye-watering nine different awards.
- Among them: the deeply coveted “Game of the Year.” Not bad for a studio that, mere months before, was barely on the map!
The journey was not entirely scandal-free, of course. The game had one of its accolades revoked after it was revealed that artificial intelligence was used at a very early stage of development. Yet, Sandfall Interactive and its passionate followers barely blinked. Community feedback and buzz—not trophies—kept this title front and center.
The Clash of Titans: When a Joke Gets Out of Hand
So, what did Clair Obscur conquer to reach the top spot at Metacritic? Was it a classic RPG, a moody indie darling, the sort of game your cousin claims changed his life? Not quite. The top dog for years was none other than a 2008 Nintendo DS gem—a licensed title based on Disney Channel’s “Cory in the House.”
No, really, stay with me. Back then, this game had a reception so frosty you’d think it was set in Antarctica. Critics panned it for nearly every reason imaginable, and it languished in obscurity. That is, until gamers decided to make it the centerpiece of an elaborate joke.
- The community on 4chan and ResetEra united in their goal: make Cory in the House the highest-rated game of all time on Metacritic.
- It worked—absurdly well. By 2013, it boasted a near-mythic 9.7 average.
- Years later, this joke-turned-phenomenon remained a thorn in the side of Metacritic’s legitimacy, with new reviews still rolling in.
Clair Obscur’s Community-Driven Surge
Fast-forward to today, and the playing field has changed. Despite Cory in the House’s rating slipping slightly to 9.3, it continues to joust for the community’s crown. Enter Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, buoyed not only by developer passion but also by a swelling, adoring player base.
Currently, the title stands proud as the best-rated video game by users on Metacritic, holding a striking 9.5 average score from 23,623 reviews.
- The competition has become fierce—almost comically so, as players revisit the old joke and rally to send Cory in the House back to the top.
- But this oddball rivalry highlights something deeper: how a game’s place in history can hinge on the passion (or pranks) of its audience.
Battle for the Crown—or a Commentary on Community Ratings?
While watching this back-and-forth jostle for digital glory is entertaining, it’s also a gentle poke at the state of community-based ratings. For all its usefulness as a barometer of player satisfaction, Metacritic’s system doesn’t account for how much time a person actually spends with a game before sharing their “definitive” opinion.
Some of those sky-high reviews? They might be heartfelt. Others are likely there for the meme, posted by those hungry for the next inside joke or viral moment. It certainly raises the question of just how reliable crowd-sourced scoring actually is when it comes to figuring out what games deserve the place of honor at the top.
So next time you see a DS game about a White House teenager going toe-to-toe with a critically acclaimed modern epic, take a moment to smile—and maybe question if your favorite game is just one good prank away from immortality.
