A journey through darkness and hope.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a brand-new game that got a lot of attention right away after it was announced in June 2024. This turn-based RPG was made by Sandfall Interactive, a fairly new French studio. It combines old-school elements with new gameplay and a mysterious, interesting story.
This game feels like a well-crafted labor of love, even though it was made by a small team of only 30 people. It draws inspiration from classic RPGs while adding its unique twists. With a beautiful world, an interesting story, and new ways to fight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has solidified itself as one of the most ambitious games of 2024, showing that even small teams can make big ideas come to life.
When you start the game, you’re thrown into a world full of mystery and dread. The Paintress is a huge, mysterious figure that moves through time in the scariest way possible. The people of Lumiere live in constant fear of her. Her job is to paint a number on a huge rock every year. Anyone older than that number is wiped out in an event similar to the “Thanos snap”.
As the years go by, the number of paintings gets smaller, and people have less and less time. Few people have time left. They can either accept their fate or go on an adventure to stop the Paintress and end this cruel cycle. In the game, a team called Expedition 33 is trying to do something that many other teams have failed to do: face the Paintress and stop the cycle of death.
The story’s set-up makes the mood both dark and hopeful, and it keeps pulling you forward. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sharp, emotional writing that is full of secrets. The story builds the world well while also showing how the characters grow. This way, each person on the expedition feels like a unique person with their problems and goals.
Everyone in the story knows that their time on earth is limited, which makes the emotional stakes very high. Their journey feels both urgent and deeply human. The game’s pacing doesn’t waste time on unnecessary backstory because it has a small, focused cast. Instead, it lets the shortness of life determine how urgent the story is. You’ll be hooked from the beginning and can’t wait to find out what happens next.
In Clair Obscur, you’re always on the move, whether you’re exploring creepy, lush worlds or fighting the dangerous Nevrons that live there. The game stays true to its turn-based roots while adding real-time elements that make it more interesting. Action Points (AP) are used to power up each of your characters’ skills.
Fighting is all about timing, dodging, and countering. You can also set off quick-time events that will improve your attacks and make each turn feel different. The game is meant to keep you interested because you have to pay attention to enemy patterns, when you attack, and where you stand to stay alive.
One of the best things about the game is how it handles battles. Most turn-based role-playing games have fights that feel the same, but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes each fight feel different and fresh. You can dodge, parry, or counterattack in real-time, which adds a layer of strategy and makes you feel like you’re more a part of the battle.
You can even aim freely and hit the weak spots on the enemy, which isn’t something you usually see in turn-based games, but it works great here. The timing and accuracy are rewarded by this system, and it feels great to land an attack at just the right time.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has fun battles, and it’s clear that the people who made it got ideas from some of the best RPGs out there. Real-time combat and old-school turn-based gameplay are mixed to make each battle feel exciting and changing. To beat the tough enemies you’ll face, you’ll have to think quickly and time your attacks and defenses just right. Adding quick-time events makes the game even more exciting by rewarding you for doing moves perfectly.
Fights are great because they make you change and learn. Each fight is different, and the enemy patterns keep you on your toes. You’re not just spamming the same attacks. The mechanics for parrying and dodging are especially fun. At first, they might look scary, but once you learn how to use them, you’ll feel like a master of battle, pulling off tricky moves while your enemies fall apart.
The game is pretty hard, though, which might turn off some people, especially those who aren’t used to RPGs with a lot of complicated mechanics. If you don’t have quick reflexes, the parry and dodge mechanics can be very hard.
The game does, however, have three levels of difficulty, so a wider range of players can enjoy it. You can lower the difficulty if you find the timing-based combat too hard. This will let you enjoy the game without getting frustrated. However, the combat system will be very satisfying for players who like a challenge.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is all about making your character better, and the game does a good job of rewarding your hard work. When you beat enemies and finish quests, you’ll get XP. You can use this to make your characters stronger. You can change how each character plays and their abilities by using their skill tree. You can spend your money on different attributes to improve different skills, such as offensive skills, support skills, or utility skills.
The game also has a new feature called Picto that lets you wear items that give you stat boosts and passive effects. A separate resource system called Luminous can be used to level these up. This system adds another level of difficulty to character development.
It can be hard to understand at first, but it’s worth it once you do. Grinding doesn’t feel like work in this game because there are lots of side quests and treasures to find that reward your efforts to explore.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful piece of art to look at. When making the game, they looked at the French Belle Époque era and mixed realistic and fantastical elements. Once you enter the world, you’ll see beautiful scenes right away, from underwater ruins to strange, dreamlike landscapes. Because each area is designed differently, they don’t feel the same. The art direction is great, and each new area makes you feel like you’ve found something amazing.
The animation in this game is one of its best parts, especially during battle. Each fight feels like a show, thanks to the smooth, moving animations and flashy effects that don’t overwhelm the senses. The slow-motion, quick-time events are especially fun because they make the action feel like it’s in a movie. The world has a lot of little details, and it’s fun to explore, even if it means getting lost sometimes. This lack of a detailed map system may bother some, but it’s not a big deal in the big picture.
The sounds in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are great and give the game even more emotional depth. Dark piano notes make the music hauntingly beautiful and perfectly capture the sad mood of the story. Even though there aren’t many vocal tracks, they add to the tone of sadness and loss that runs through the game.
During the battle, though, the music really shines, with upbeat battle themes that fit the intensity of the fights. Also, the sound effects are great. Every attack and explosion sounds real. Voice acting is great, with great actors like Charlie Cox and Andy Serkis doing the voices. It makes the characters and their emotional struggles seem more real.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a great example of how to make an emotional RPG that people will remember. The game takes everything you love about turn-based RPGs and makes it better with new mechanics and a unique art direction.
The story is interesting, and the combat system is unique. The game’s dark themes tell a story of loss and hope while still making the gameplay fun and interesting. The beautiful graphics and moody music make the experience even better, making this an adventure that you should go on.
There’s something classic and new about this game at the same time. It takes inspiration from old RPGs while also making its own way. Even though the combat is hard, it’s very satisfying, and the way your character grows is deep enough to keep you interested throughout the journey. If you like RPGs, you have to play Clair Obscur. It’s not perfect, but it’s hard not to be impressed by what Sandfall Interactive has done with such a small team.
