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As soon as I stepped into the picturesque yet bizarre world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, I realized it didn’t hit as expected as other turn-based RPGs. The skeleton of the genre is there. An eclectic group of people is banding together to take down a danger looming over innocent people. However, Clair Obscur does many things that make that familiar skeleton morph into something completely new. Its combat is unlike any other, with as much depth as you want it to have. The world you explore is brimming with things to do, and it has to be one of the most unique in recent years. But most importantly, it delivers everything in one cohesive package tied by an outstanding narrative.
One More Expedition
Instead of a world-ending meteor or the thousandth revival of an evil lord, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 focuses on stopping the Paintress. This entity wakes up every year and paints a number on a monolith. People of that age disappear. Think of it as a Thanos snap but with roses—and way more beautiful. To prevent that from happening, each year, an expedition leaves for the land where the Paintress resides in an attempt to stop her. So far, there have been dozens of expeditions, all of which have failed to stop the gommage (erasing). Now, it is the turn of Expedition 33 to attempt to take down this threat once and for all.
One of the strongest points of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the expedition itself. After landing on dangerous shores, you start playing as Gustave, one of the genre’s best protagonists. Lune, the powerful and inquisitive mage of sorts. Maelle, the rapier-wielding youngest of the bunch, who, no, won’t cast Guidance (Baldur’s Gate 3 players will get the reference), Sciel, card-wielder, and Monoco, everyone’s favorite Gestral.
While the story doesn’t reach the 100-hour mark, this 30-hour voyage was more than enough to bring a solid ensemble capable of evoking laughter, joy, sadness, and other emotions that will overwhelm you in seconds. Overall, the cast does a fantastic job of elevating the game. This is thanks to the fantastic voice actors behind every character who give their all in every line they deliver.
Yet, the story is equally great. Since it is on the shorter side, I can’t talk much about it without spoiling. But I can say that it is unforgettable and has so many plot twists I did not expect, and when they landed, they did so flawlessly.
Another important part of Clair Obscur is how it sticks to its sense of urgency. Yes, there are many optional quests you can pursue. Some go from defeating a monster to running a parkour course to obtain a swimsuit. However, they are optional and never break the plot’s pacing, which I’m thankful for. One of my biggest gripes with any RPG is how the summer vacation episode is always there mandatorily and eliminates all sense of urgency. Here, however, it doesn’t happen. Still, I strongly recommend pursuing these side objectives, as they are as creative as they are memorable.
Impactful Turn-Based System
Lately, many old-school franchises have adopted a more action-oriented approach to combat. A few justify this by saying turn-based combat is becoming stale or lacks dynamism. Well, you can hold on to your berets because Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is here to prove everyone wrong.
Most have seen the trailers, but if not, Clair Obscur is a turn-based RPG through and through, but with many new additions that make it feel impactful, dynamic, and fast-paced. When it comes to familiar systems, you have a timeline that reflects turn order. There’s an AP system instead of mana (thank you, Sandfall Interactive) and elemental weaknesses to exploit. However, what makes combat in Clair Obscur so addictive and never dull is the addition of quick-time prompts.
Whenever your character performs a skill, you’ll get a button prompt you must hit to either do more damage or cast the skill. This only occurs with skills, though. Normal attacks and ranged shots do not have prompts. The same thing applies to defending yourself against attacks. Initially, you can only dodge or parry. The former is easier, and the latter more challenging. However, if you pull off a successful parry, you can deliver a devastating counterattack. Yet, some enemies will require you to parry the full combo before attacking back. After that, you’ll also unlock dodging by jumping, which will also let you counterattack, and even Gradient abilities that you can use after filling up a bar or avoiding an enemy’s own Gradient skill.
On top of that, there’s the Picto and Lumina system. Pictos are items that grant passive skills to your characters. For instance, one Picto can make it so that all ranged shots have a chance to set the enemy on fire. A few are tailored toward playing. When you fight four battles with an equipped Picto, that passive ability will be available for everyone. You can then unequip the Picto and use your Lumina points to equip it while also freeing that Picto slot for a new ability.
Initially, I thought this would overwhelm me, but it never happened. Instead, it provided me with ample build options. At one point, my Maelle was a tank who’d heal herself by killing enemies. Lune was my top DPS who’d restore AP by breaking enemies, and so on. Furthermore, every weapon in the game is impactful. Some have passive bonuses, like one for Lune that reduces the AP cost on fire spells. Also, if you get a copy of a weapon you already have, instead of cluttering your inventory, it will level up that weapon. The same happens with Pictos.
Overall, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has the perfect turn-based combat system. Enemies are challenging and will put up a fight, yet the game gives you all the armaments to counter them and beat the picturesque crap out of them. Itemization is highly engaging, and the build options are superb, with the game also having a respect system in case you want to try something different. It is incredibly accessible for new players and goes deeper than a rabbit hole regarding builds.
The World is The Pièce de Résistance
While everything in the game is terrific, the art style is pure visual delight. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 takes place during Belle Époque France, albeit with bizarre enemies, a world-threatening event, and so on. Yet, its beauty is prominent in every level, area, sequence, and act of the game. From the streets of Lumiere surrounded by floating debris to areas trapped underwater that let you walk freely, and a gorgeous overworld map, all of it is a marvel.
Beyond the beautiful color palettes, the art direction also does a flawless job of bringing that beauty to the actual production. Every cutscene of the game has the quality of an art film. A few even change the aspect ratio to give it a more classical look that helps with storytelling. Naturally, this also applies to gameplay aspects, like combat. Pulling off moves is as cinematic as it can get. Even if Gustave was calling down lightning for the tenth time, I never got tired of looking at it. Everything in Clair Obscur enthralls you from its opening scene to when the credits roll.
Regarding exploration, the overworld and the major and minor levels are incredible. There isn’t a compass or mini-map that clutters your screen, so most of the exploration boils down to how well you remember landmarks and paths, at least in actual linear levels. In the overworld, you have a map showing you the next destination, but you can go off the beaten path if you want to. This structure is outstanding, as it encourages players to look for hidden spots in and outside of the overworld. On many occasions, I saw an unlikely landmark and discovered a secret boss. In others, I discovered a secret path inside a linear level that led me to unlock a new cosmetic or a powerful weapon.
When it comes to level design, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 executes it perfectly. They are jaw-dropping but not too large to burn you out while exploring. My only very minor complaint is that movement can feel a bit janky outside of combat. Making my character jump correctly was an unexpected added challenge in a few parkour courses. Yet, something minor doesn’t stain the flawless tapestry Sandfall Interactive has created.
A Flawless Debut
For the unaware, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut game of Sandfall Interactive, and it knocked it out of the park. We’ve seen so many RPGs lately, but this is an instant GOTY contender. The narrative is superb, the visuals are stunning, and the gameplay is as accessible as it is challenging, depending on the player you are. Furthermore, its playtime is something that will bring many gamers on board. While I don’t mind the 100-hour adventure, having something condensed, beautiful, well-written, and memorable is always welcome.
Undoubtedly, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the biggest surprise of the year. It takes a genre we’ve all played at least once and revamps it considerably. It takes a classic combat system and overhauls it in the flashiest and most interactive ways. The art style is unlike any we’ve seen before and one I wish more developers adopted. Overall, it is a perfect RPG and one that will stand the test of time as one of the most memorable new IP debuts in quite a while.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC Review)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterful RPG. It brings a stunning art style that stays front and center throughout this 30-hour journey while also revamping a classic combat system into something engaging and accessible. It's an easy contender for GOTY and a terrific debut for Sandfall Interactive.
Pros
- Superb storytelling.
- A unique and gorgeous art style.
- An excellent take on the turn-based system.
Cons
- Movement can feel a bit janky when exploring
