Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review

Many moments in Sandfall Interactive’s debut role-playing game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, will stick with you even after the credits have rolled. But perhaps the most poignant line is from Sciel, a member of the so-called disaster expedition, who says, “Death is a friend that will welcome me home.” At first, this may come across as accepting death before it even arrives, acknowledging the so-called great equalizer.

However, from Sciel’s perspective, it offers another potential outcome: affording a reunion with her friends and family. Yet as ever-present as death can be throughout Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, life shines throughout to prove that it’s not for nothing—that it’s beyond simply existing, even if it means struggling with crushing sorrow.

The term “clair-obscure” references the strong contrast between light and dark in painting to create a sense of volume, and this bleeds into every aspect of the gameplay in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The turn-based combat with real-time elements is a mix of tragedy and joy, and it is an impeccable homage to old-school RPGs in a contemporary shell. In short, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an excellent title, and the fact that Sandfall Interactive could deliver an experience of this weight and magnitude is as impressive as it is exemplary.

The story is compelling from the very get-go. You start in Lumiere, an island city separated from the main continent after the devastatingly mysterious fracture. Its inhabitants know nothing of the outside world save for the Monolith and the Paintress, who awakens once a year to paint a new number, after which everyone of that age dies, dissipating into petals in an event known as the Gage. The fact that it’s become part of daily life in the city further leans into the ever-present nature of death.

Of course, its inhabitants aren’t taking this lying down—or at least they haven’t been for several decades. They send expeditions of those with one year of life left to the continent, hoping to destroy the Paintress and break the cycle once and for all. Why is she painting in the first place? Why does everyone die? Those are but a few mysteries that Gustave has to answer upon setting out in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you control Gustave, a kind-hearted yet sometimes timid engineer. Maelle, his foster sister, joins him. Despite having several years left, she yearns to explore the world outside Lumiere. However, as soon as their expedition lands on the beach of the continent, they’re accosted by Renoir, an older man who summarily slaughters them all with some help from terrifying monsters known as Nevrons. With only a handful of survivors and little hope, Gustave sets out to reach the Monolith and stop the Paintress.

Along with Maelle, he’s joined by Lune, the meticulous researcher, and Sciel, the cheerful farmer-turned-teacher. Journeying through the continent, you meet the Gestrals—a race of wooden doll-like beings who yearn for combat and other challenges, seek out the legendary Esquire, and much more.

The plot is well-paced throughout Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, touting the right amount of levity with seriousness. Some elements can feel a bit odd tonally, and by the time it’s all said and done, there are more than a few burning questions left unanswered. There are even elements that might be divisive among some players, but you will feel they suit the bigger picture, adding much-needed volume to the proceedings.

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, lore is always challenging, but its logs paint an incredible portrait of the world while also getting you to care about these people. Of course, you can chat up party members back at camp and increase bond levels, though the system could have used more oomph beyond selecting one of two dialogue choices and watching the level rise.

These interactions usually unfold as exchanges with minimal animation, though some unique moments occasionally emerge. The English lip-syncing also felt off on occasion, which may take you out of some of the interactions, though the quality of the voice acting will, thankfully, bring you back. This is less common during cinematics, which boasts incredible cinematography and animation work.

Much has been made about the combat—how it’s dynamic and engaging and the absolute highlight of the experience. Whatever you’ve heard or seen, good news: it’s even better than that in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The fundamentals are straightforward enough: turn-based, with a turn order determined by speed, which also influences how often you act (which also applies to enemies). Action points are spent on skills, but you can also use them for free-aim shots. Enemies can be stunned after receiving enough break damage.

Where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 diverges from most other titles is in its use of real-time elements: manually aiming to hit weak spots, dodging attacks, and parrying—leading to counters; time-button presses for skills, though you can turn this off if it gets too obnoxious. You can also jump over certain moves and attack an enemy; sometimes, the entire party may be targeted, and upon parrying, you unleash a devastating triple counter.

On top of this are gradient counters used against specific enemy attacks and gradient attacks, which unleash powerful techniques after consuming enough AP and building charges. All this combines into a combat system that feels dynamic and involved. You’re constantly attempting to adjust to new enemies and patterns, and there’s a venerable smores board to deal with.

You’ll also be dealing with enemies who mix in sweeping attacks to jump over and must use gradient counters out of nowhere to survive devastating hits; the rush of parrying multiple hits—accompanied by the pause, music, and punch of a counter—is as dopamine-inducing the first time as it is the hundredth.

Some enemies also have elemental affinities, meaning they’re susceptible to different types of elemental damage. Use the wrong kind, and you’ll deal less damage; use the same type of element, and they’ll absorb your attack, regaining health. Not only will you have to consider which weapons to use, especially since their passives are integral to specific setups, but the skills and synergies in character kits make Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a phenomenal experience.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 does a decent job of outlining the basics and slowly adding layers of complexity. For example, Maelle has three stances: Offensive, which deals and takes fifty percent more damage; Defensive, which reduces damage taken by fifty percent and grants additional AP on parrying; and Virtuos, which increases damage by a whopping two hundred percent. Early on, the loop seems easy enough to understand: Offensive stance, then ignite an enemy, switch to Virtuos before dishing out more damage.

The options in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are extensive, from increased break damage on base attacks and free-aim shots to health recovery each round, additional AP on parry, and even plus one AP on parry (but damage received is doubled). There are a lot of choices available, yet it’s streamlined and straightforward to enable, even leveling up weapons to unlock their higher-level passives.

You may not have enough resources early on to fully level up all the guns, but later-game threats offer more plentiful upgrade materials and even some free weapon level-ups. Considering your stats is also essential since weapons can scale off of two for more damage; however, you’ll want to diversify, primarily since investing enough points in stats could offer increases for others.

The other core pillar of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is exploration. This brings us to one of the more common preview points: linearity. While early areas feel more linear and don’t offer as many side areas, that’s thankfully not the case. Subsequent environments open up with more unique foes like mimes and pranks, optional bosses, light puzzle solving, platforming, and varying elevations.

Granted, some stretches offer little more than going from point A to point B—stages which are little more than a beautiful backdrop where you collect a record to play back at camp—but it’s an upward curve of complexity: level layouts and mechanics become richer and more complex as you progress.

The overall diversity in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is also something to behold. Each location is brimming with an unmistakable atmosphere—whether it’s the deceptively laid-back Gestral Village, an oceanic ceiling that has to be seen to be believed, or a battlefield littered with giant swords. This brings us to the overworld exploration: when the development team boasted about thirty hours of side content to go with the thirty-hour story, they weren’t kidding.

Platforming challenges—including one that’s a clear homage to Only Up—chromatic neons, much tougher versions of foes who yield better rewards, lost Gestrals, and optional areas teaming with challenging bosses. There is a deceptively large amount to discover, and while some minigames feel rougher than others, the sheer range of content is still impressive.

You may be delayed for hours from finishing the story simply due to discovering a new region, boss, or side story. You shouldn’t expect Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth levels of playtime, but it’s still a meaty experience that thankfully doesn’t overstay its welcome or pile on meaningless tasks.

When it comes to the music, there are no complaints whatsoever. The sheer variety in arrangements—from jazz and piano backpieces with high-ranged vocals to techno—is breathtaking. Whether it’s better than the best in the genre is up to you, but it deserves a place in that tier.

It’s a shame, though, that a bug can occasionally cause the music in a fight to cut out, resulting in an awkward silence. This isn’t as terrible as the two times you got stuck in the environment, but otherwise, the level of polish is pretty strong.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a few nagging issues, especially on PlayStation 5, but the positives are overwhelming and worth celebrating. A studio of this scale delivering such incredible production values, combat, storytelling, characterization, and world design is truly special. You may balk at some twists as much as you enjoy the thrilling encounters and emotional moments. Either way, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a fantastic RPG experience that deserves your attention.