Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Review

Initial release date: April 24, 2025

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Microsoft Windows

Developers: Sandfall Interactive, Sandfall S.A.S.

Engine: Unreal Engine 5

Genres: Role-playing video game, Action game, Adventure game

License: proprietary license

Publisher: Kepler Interactive

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT!!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Amazing turned based combat
• Great story that’s mature
• Great cast of characters
• Great antagonist in Renoir
• Vibe oozes with style and audacity lol
• Amazing orchestral musical score
• 25-30 hours main story
• Great art-style
• Easy GOTY contender
• Janky walking, jumping and running animations
• Linear maps with pedantic exploration
• Classic turned-based RPG end-game fly around world map unlocked
• Super cinematic stylized turned based combat
• Dark fantasy belle epoque setting
• Great cinematography
• Visuals good but could’ve been better
• Esquie is the best
• I absolutely hated Maelle’s ending and knew I should have chosen Verso’s but didn’t fml

Introduction

*Claps* Wow! Brilliant first game Sandfall Interactive. Goodluck on topping Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with your next title. Seriously, I hope they succeed in the latter as a gamer. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 released the same week as Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered.

I watched the internety gamerz be all concerned and worried for Expedition 33 which was warranted. Me? I just go with the flow and believe all things are supposed to happen that happen. And as we can all see, It didn’t matter what released near Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Expedition 33 was was going to go gang-busters regardless. From it’s media scores and sales it became a universal success for Sandfall Interactive and rightly so. Personally, I can’t remember a video game I played that fit my generation X mindset with it’s writing, vibe, style, turned based combat and ages of it’s cast of characters.

With that typed is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a perfect video game for all gamers? Of course not, no game is. No game is because it’s all subjective media at the end of the day. I will let you know the game was perfect for me however. Just saying.

Presentation

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s presentation strengths are in it’s bold aura, style, brashness, overall vibe in regards to it’s gameplay and beautifully macabre mature story. I can see past video game franchises in Expedition 33 such as Devil May Cry and Persona.

I played this on my Xbox Series X via GamePass. I must say Clair Obscur is one of those games I would like to own physically inside a box unsealed. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has that aura, it’s special and a little bit different compared to many video games I have played over recent years.

Technically there weren’t any bugs or glitches that stood out to me other than one random crash out to Xbox’s dashboard. Other than that one instance I would say the game is polished in it’s overall presentation.

Story

The story starts off dark and bleak as you watch the main starting antagonist the Paintress erase Sophie from existence much like Thanos’ snap (protagonist’s love interest). Expedition 33 main plot involves Expedition 33 stopping the Paintress’s cycle of erasing people from existence in the city of Lumiere.

The story is mature in it’s writing and how all characters interact in a realistic manner while dealing with the reality of being erased by the Paintress in a year. I found myself very engaed due to the overall circumstance of the situation and wanting to know who the Paintress was and why she was doing what she was doing.

Gustave starts off as the leader and main protagonist of Expedition 33 who dies by the hands of a powerful old man named Renoir. Being old is a rarity to begin with and why was he killing the Expedition and helping the Paintress to begin with.

In-game as you travel you discover past audio logs of past Expeditions who all failed to stop the Paintress and why. The Painters are people (or Gods if you will) who possess the power to create and destroy entire worlds on their paint canvas.

The Paintress (Aline Dessendre) is the main antagonist who you initially stop to save Gustave’s world. Furthermore The Dessendre Family are all Painters and some are in conflict with one another for various reasons.

The overall cast of characters In Expedition 33 featuring Gustave, Verso, Sciel, Lune, Maelle, Esquie, Monocco, Alicia, Renoir were all written and performed beautifully.

I could write on and on about the story and writing as it’s peak in video games until someone comes along as does better. As for now Expedition 33 has one of the better written stories in video games. It’s up there with SOMA for me.

Gameplay

Turned-based French gameplay. Okay it’s a form of turned based JRPG gameplay which we all know and love. Think Persona with it’s stylized angles with audacious cinematic vibe attack sequences. The base of Expedition 33’s turn-base gameplay mechanics are solid. But wait there’s more!

You have to parry and dodge by pressing corresponding buttons in a timely matter or you can get smoked in high level difficulty battles. Gradient counter attacks are special attacks that chop off massive health.

Parrying builds up a bar to release a corresponding attack. Dodging helps fill up a gauge that let’s you do a super-attack with any character in your party. There are leveling and upgrading systems for character’s relationships via cutscenes. Upgrade weapons through material collecting.

You can challenge merchants for exclusive materials. Each party character has specific abilities you can unlock via XP as well as skills. I personally had to do some Act 3 farming in the world map to level up for the final showdown. I was just over level 60.

Characters all have their strengths and weaknesses weather it’s magic, damage dealer, support etc. It’s classic turn-based JRPG gameplay just with a unique aura attached. My favorite moments were fighting bosses while listening to the game’s amazing orchestral soundtrack.

As for gameplay feel everything has “feel” whether you’re parrying, jumping over attacks, gradient attacks it doesn’t matter Expedition 33 has a vibe and feel to it that’s not only fun but feels satisfying to perform it’s special gameplay mechanics.

Visuals

I really like the imagination behind Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s dark fantasy belle époque alternate reality Paris, France. If there is a weakness besides animations it’s the textures. This is a current gen title while it’s beautiful to look at the visuals could’ve been cleaner in my opinion.

Sound

10/10 The music in this game will get millions of views alone on the platforms like Youtube and Tiktok I bet. I adored the music in this and it’s funny because the music is not something I would personally listen to on spotify…but now I will.

Writing and voice acting were superb lead by Andy Serkis. Ben Star also present as Verso not to mention the very talented Jennifer English. The voice acting was not going to be bad in this video game.