- Developer: Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher: Kepler Interactive
- Reviewed On: PlayStation 5
- Available On: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
When I first laid eyes on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it seemed like a game that would be right up my alley. From its interesting premise to its impressive combat, this new entry in the JRPG space from French developer Sandfall Interactive appeared to hit all the right notes for me as a fan of the genre. Yet somehow, Clair Obscur managed to surpass my expectations by delivering an experience that’s deeper and more exciting than I could’ve possibly imagined, making it one of my favorite games of the year so far.
Set in a French-inspired fantasy world, Clair Obscur tells a story that’s as bleak as it is captivating. For decades, the people in the city of Lumiere have lived in the shadow of a distant monolith and the number emblazoned on it. Every year, a being known as The Paintress awakens and paints a new number, ending the lives of anyone that age, and heralding the beginning of the next expedition to stop her painting. Enter Expedition 33, the latest group tasked with carrying out this mission and charting a path for future expeditions.
Above all else, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tells a deeply human story that’s grounded in the tragedy of its premise and laser-focused on how it affects the people at the center of the narrative. The power of our spirit and our perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, as well as how we process and work through grief, are just a few of the themes at the heart of the story, and they’re explored through every facet of the game’s design in fascinating ways.
Walking around the city of Lumiere in the game’s prologue is enlightening as we see how the residents hold a festival that not only honors and celebrates the lives of the people facing their Gommage, but also mourns the impending losses. This opening segment only lasted an hour, yet it got me more emotionally invested in the world and its characters than most other games do in the same time frame. Flags from previous expeditions are also scattered all over the world, and although they act as rest points during gameplay, the narrative implications behind them were more impactful for me. As the legacy of teams that were no longer alive, these flags always brought a tinge of pain, but they also gave me extra motivation to keep pushing on and ensure their sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
These are supported by my favorite moments of narrative introspection, those being the various audio logs left by earlier teams. They’re brief, but these glimpses into the past paint vivid pictures of their experiences, with some being more light-hearted than others. It’s depressing knowing the fates of these long-gone teams, but I loved how their stories highlighted a dedication to making a better world for those who come after, even knowing they wouldn’t be alive to see it.
As for the titular team, they’re a great bunch of characters that I found myself increasingly enamored with. Gustave’s heart of gold makes him one of the most endearing characters in the group, and the sibling-esque relationship he shares with the bright-eyed Maelle is one of the story’s strongest emotional anchors. That said, Lune’s inquisitive nature and steadfast determination made her arguably my favorite member of the team. I especially enjoyed the nighttime chats that party members had with each other at their campsite. These intimate moments bring some additional character development as party members reflect on their past, contemplate their future, and share in some tender, easygoing conversation. Bonds are a staple of JRPGs, and the one shared between the members of Expedition 33 is amongst my favorites of the genre.
As heavy as the story is, it’s also unexpectedly funny. Some of this is thanks to the weird and goofy mythical creatures known as Gestrals. They’re charming and bring a welcome source of levity to the adventure, with the most notable of them all being the loveable Esquie. The humor never feels out of place at any point, and instead is a welcome palate cleanser from the seriousness of the mission at hand. Sharp writing and excellent performances had me laughing out loud at these moments of levity, making them some of my favorite moments in the game.
Where the story falters a bit is in its final act, which recontextualizes everything that came before it and shifts the story’s focus. The reveals that happen are great as they turned my knowledge of this world up on its head and presented a set of endings with moral quandaries that are sure to be debated for years. The issue I have is that while this recontextualization is thought-provoking and compelling in its own right, it’s not given the space it needs to make the final 2-3 hours of the story as gripping as the previous 30. Truth be told, it’s difficult to fully articulate without getting into spoilers just why this segment doesn’t totally gel with me when compared to what came before. Maybe I’ll feel differently after replaying the game with knowledge of the full picture. As it stands now, this final chapter does work as a fitting conclusion to the story as a whole, but its execution and implementation leave something to be desired.
A major point of praise that I have for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is its stellar art direction. The team at Sandfall has crafted a fantastical world that constantly blew me away with how wondrous it was. Traversing The Flying Waters was a surreal experience that made me feel like I was shrunk down and placed at the bottom of the ocean. Looking out over the war-torn Forgotten Battlefield, I couldn’t help but find myself in awe at the beauty that came from such devastation. Whether it’s in the vast overworld or one of the many locations the expedition explores, every frame looks like a painting come to life, almost as if I stepped directly into a canvas. When combined with the excellent musical score, the majesty of this world becomes something to behold and will surely leave an impression on your mind.
Although the sights and sounds are their own reward, it’s worth taking the time to thoroughly explore the world and discover its more tangible rewards. Levels are fairly linear, but they also have plenty of branching paths that lead to various secrets such as currency, upgrade resources, weapons, secret bosses, and more. Sometimes this involves minor platforming; however, it lacks weight and precision, so it never feels particularly great. The lackluster traversal mechanics are on full display during the optional platforming challenges you can participate in, but they’re serviceable enough to get the job done.
I always try to leave no stone unturned in the games I play, so it was fun going off the beaten path everywhere I went, but the absence of any kind of map did cause me to get turned around quite a bit. While the overworld does feature a map, there’s no way of tracking whether you’ve completed everything that a location has to offer. I can understand if the team wanted to avoid making exploration feel like the chore it can be in modern games, with a map and checklist you’re constantly referring to, but these are notable quality of life omissions, especially once I reached the endgame and had the entire world at my disposal. After rolling credits and tackling some of the side content I left for the endgame, I had logged 37 hours of playtime, and I imagine there’s at least another 30 hours of content waiting for me, so any assistance in streamlining that process would be greatly appreciated.
Combat was one of Clair Obscur’s most striking elements in the lead-up to release, and it doesn’t disappoint. Taking a page from Atlus’ Persona franchise, the UI is beautifully designed and dynamically animated with a level of energy that’d make its inspirations proud. The way the camera gracefully swoops around your character when choosing an item or slams into place when selecting skills makes the very act of picking your action an exciting one, and it never gets old.
What immediately stands out about the battle system is its real-time action elements. As inspired by various Mario RPGs, performing skills initiates a quick QTE sequence that increases their efficiency when timed correctly, but what’s more significant is the ability to dodge and parry enemy attacks as they occur, since they allow you to avoid taking damage. The window for executing them is tight, and enemies hit hard, which only adds extra pressure to nail them, especially since parrying every attack that an enemy sends your way will trigger a strong counter.
It’s much easier said than done since enemy attack patterns require a level of patience, timing, and awareness that would be right at home in a Souls game. I’m not the best at parrying in games, so the repetition and failure that come with nailing them could be frustrating, but I relished the challenge Clair Obscur presented and gradually got better at it. Whether it was in the opening hours of the journey or when tackling late-game content, pulling off a series of parries in succession and unleashing a devastating counter was consistently one of the most satisfying and rewarding feelings I’ve felt in any game I’ve played. The system loses some of its luster, though, as you approach the endgame, since enemies will regularly have attack patterns with long, drawn-out animations, causing dodging and parrying to feel like a repetitive chore.
What I like the most about combat is the numerous layers of strategy that Sandfall Interactive brings to the table. You have your basic attacks that deal relatively low damage, stronger and more versatile special skills, and free-aim ranged attacks, with usage of the latter two being governed by how much AP you have. However, even at this surface level, the battle system begins revealing its depth since performing basic attacks grants you 1 AP, creating a push and pull that had me seriously considering my options with each turn. Everyone’s skills also tend to have secondary effects that activate if a specific condition is met. Monoco’s Chevaliere Piercing skill can damage enemies through their shields, and the damage dealt is increased if a certain mask is activated on his Bestial Wheel.
Speaking of, each party member has a unique combat mechanic. Every hit that Gustave lands increases the power of his Overcharge ability, which, when maxed out, is one of the strongest moves in his arsenal. Lune’s spells create elemental Stains that can amplify her various skills. Sciel’s Foretell mechanic is perhaps the most confusing and complex out of everyone’s, but when used properly, she becomes quite the powerhouse. It can be tough at times, but I enjoyed learning these different mechanics and finding out the best way to use them to maximize each character’s potential.
The depth of Clair Obscur’s combat truly reveals itself once you begin strategizing character builds and how they interact with one another. Everyone more or less has a specific “job” they fill. Verso, for example, leans more towards support with his abilities to lend allies AP and transfer any status ailments they have onto himself. That said, there’s freedom to mold characters to fit the role you want.
Weapons come with their own perks that are applied as you upgrade them, and these perks complement the various abilities in each character’s skill trees. Leveling up also grants you points that can be freely allocated across your stats, allowing you to build your characters however you choose. For a good chunk of the game, Sciel was one of my strongest characters, but that strength came at the cost of her being a glass cannon who took double damage because of the weapon she used. Her dying so quickly was annoying, but the tradeoff was worth it for me.
Then there’s the Pictos and Lumina system. Pictos are passive abilities that give you perks in combat. They can range from minor boons, such as dealing increased counterattack damage, to major ones, like starting battles with increased defense for three turns or regaining AP after killing an enemy. Each Pictos also comes with a boost to some of your stats. Party members can only have three Pictos equipped, and duplicates aren’t allowed, but after winning four fights with a Pictos equipped, its ability becomes available for everyone to use as a passive Lumina ability, regardless of whether they have the Pictos equipped.
Lumina abilities cost a certain number of points to be equipped, with the better abilities needing more points. Since each party member only has a certain amount of Lumina points to spend across dozens of abilities, it becomes a difficult game of picking and choosing how you want everyone to be set up. I didn’t get too wild with them, but the Pictos and Lumina system leaves mountains of potential for some really creative and nuanced builds. As my collection grew, I would regularly spend 10-15 minutes at a time deciding how I’d divvy them out because I wanted them to complement the roles I had in mind for my party, and the payoff was always worth it.
From top to bottom, it’s a lot of strategizing, but the results are battles that are wildly engaging. I’d use Maelle’s Fencer’s Flurry skill to hit every enemy and briefly lower their defense, and her sword’s perk would also cause them to be inflicted with the burn status effect. Lune would build on that by using an ice spell that cost 2 AP, but she’d get 4 AP back since she attacked a burning enemy. Gustave might leave a mark on an enemy so that another party member can deal extra damage to them on their turn. All the while, I’m dodging and parrying attacks as I gain AP and health in the process because of the Pictos and Lumina I have equipped. This isn’t even taking into account enemy-specific mechanics I had to contend with in any given fight, causing me to adjust my strategy on the fly. I simply had a lot of fun with all aspects of this battle system, and if a sequel is ever made, I’ll be excited to see how the team improves on it to make it even better.
Overall
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an all-around excellent game. The music is incredible, the visuals are nothing short of jaw-dropping, and the combat is an exciting take on turn-based battle systems. The story stumbles near the end, but it doesn’t ruin this compelling tale of people fighting to create a future for themselves and the next generation. Sandfall Interactive has come out of the gates swinging with their debut title, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
TheComfySpot 