CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33 REVIEW – A HAUNTING MASTERPIECE OF TURN-BASED ARTISTRY
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Developer: Sandfall Interactive | Publisher: Kepler Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows
Release Date: April 24, 2025
Price: $49.99
VERDICT: 9.5/10 – MASTERFUL
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 delivers a breathtaking blend of innovative combat, hauntingly beautiful art direction, and a narrative that will linger in your thoughts long after the credits roll. This dark fantasy RPG inspired by Belle Époque France stands as one of the most memorable gaming experiences of the year.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
On the isolated island of Lumière, a terrifying ritual unfolds annually: the mysterious Paintress marks her monolith with a number, and every inhabitant older than that age vanishes without a trace. For 67 years, the island has sent expeditions to destroy this entity, but none have returned. You play as members of the 33rd such mission, tasked with ending this cycle of extinction once and for all.
The game’s combat brilliantly fuses traditional turn-based RPG mechanics with real-time elements that demand precision and strategy. The distinctive art style draws heavily from Belle Époque aesthetics, creating a world both familiar and utterly alien. Most impressive is how a development team of just 30 people has created an experience that rivals outputs from studios five times their size.
THE GOOD
Innovative Combat That Respects Tradition
Clair Obscur’s battle system may be its most triumphant achievement. Traditional turn-based mechanics are enhanced with real-time elements that require precise timing for attacks, dodges, and parries. The ability to target specific enemy weak points with a free-aim system adds another layer of strategy to every encounter.
The combat flow feels reminiscent of classics like Persona and Final Fantasy X, but with added action elements that keep you actively engaged. Button presses feel satisfying, and as you progress, battles develop a rhythmic quality that’s almost hypnotic. Enemy encounters are visible on the field, allowing you to choose your battles, and quick entry/exit from combat keeps the pace snappy.
A World of Haunting Beauty
The art direction deserves special recognition, creating environments that are simultaneously beautiful and unsettling. Each new location tells its own visual story through meticulous environmental design. The Belle Époque influence creates a unique aesthetic rarely seen in RPGs, with architecture, clothing, and technology all reflecting this fascinating historical period while infusing it with dark fantasy elements.
Performance on PS5 is rock-solid, with two graphic modes available. The performance mode maintains 60fps without compromising much visual fidelity, while numerous options like motion blur and film grain can be toggled to suit your preferences. Loading times are impressively brief, and the minimal HUD design keeps you immersed in the world.
Narrative Excellence and Memorable Characters
The story tackles weighty themes of mortality, sacrifice, and resistance against inevitable fate. The writing quality matches the best in the industry, with dialogue that feels natural and nuanced. Voice acting is uniformly excellent, bringing complex characters to life with emotional depth that rivals Naughty Dog productions.
Character development is handled with remarkable maturity, giving each party member distinct personalities that evolve through the journey. The relationships between characters feel genuine, with tensions and camaraderie that develop organically. Romance options add another layer of emotional investment, though these never feel forced or obligatory.
An Old-School RPG Soul with Modern Sensibilities
Despite its innovative elements, Expedition 33 captures the soul of classic JRPGs like Final Fantasy X. The linear progression with open zones strikes an excellent balance between focused storytelling and exploration. The massive overworld map is filled with secrets, superbosses, and hidden areas that reward thorough investigation.
Quality-of-life features show that the developers respect your time. Fast travel options, well-placed checkpoints, and the ability to skip cutscenes before boss reattempts demonstrate thoughtful design. The camp system serves as an evolving hub that enriches the experience with new dialogue, NPCs, and side content as the story progresses.
Audiovisual Mastery
The soundtrack deserves specific praise, with tracks that perfectly complement the game’s emotional beats. Battle themes, area music, and especially the compositions for significant story moments are consistently excellent. Some of the more emotional pieces are genuinely moving, enhancing pivotal scenes with appropriate gravitas or tenderness.
Enemy design is varied and often unsettling, with bosses that impress in both scale and visual impact. Their arena designs would not feel out of place in a FromSoftware title, creating memorable battlegrounds for the game’s most challenging encounters.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD
Minor Technical Issues
While impressively polished overall, some bugs were encountered during our playthrough. Sound occasionally disappeared, and jumping functionality sometimes failed. These issues were easily resolved with a reload and will likely be addressed in the day-one patch.
Interface Complexity
As your party’s skill trees expand, managing abilities becomes increasingly complicated. The menu design struggles to present this complexity clearly, requiring more navigation than ideal. A more streamlined interface for skill management would have been welcome.
Missing Quality-of-Life Feature
Despite many player-friendly design choices, the game lacks a system for quickly dispatching lower-level enemies. A mechanic to instantly resolve obviously one-sided battles would have eliminated unnecessary combat in areas you’ve outleveled.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stands as a remarkable achievement in modern RPG design. It honors genre traditions while innovating in meaningful ways, all wrapped in a unique aesthetic rarely seen in gaming. The combat system strikes a perfect balance between strategic thinking and active engagement, while the narrative tackles profound themes with surprising emotional intelligence.
What’s most impressive is how much this team of approximately 30 developers has accomplished. The game offers 30 hours of main story content with an additional 30 hours of optional activities, all for a reasonable $49.99 price tag. With New Game Plus available at launch and no microtransactions in sight, this represents extraordinary value.
This is clearly a passion project created by developers who love and respect the genre. Despite budget constraints, Sandfall Interactive’s clear vision and dedication have produced one of the most memorable RPG experiences in recent years. It’s rare to find a game that excels equally in combat, storytelling, and audiovisual design, but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 manages this impressive feat.
For fans of thoughtful RPGs with mature storytelling and inventive combat, this is an essential experience that should not be missed.
PROS
- Innovative combat blending turn-based strategy with real-time elements
- Stunning Belle Époque-inspired art direction
- Emotionally resonant narrative with complex characters
- Excellent voice acting and dialogue
- Impressive technical performance
- Outstanding soundtrack
- Rewarding exploration
- Significant content value at a reasonable price
CONS
- Some minor bugs at launch
- Menu design becomes cluttered as skills accumulate
- No quick-resolution system for lower-level enemies
