‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ evaluate: Last Fantasy vibes and emotional maturity

Currently, AAA video games have left me feeling somewhat uninspired. There’s a sameness to all of it — massive budgets, greater expectations, and never lots of coronary heart. So when an AA sport comes out of nowhere, clearly made out of a love for the sport, it’s an actual breath of recent air.

That sport is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the debut title from French studio Sandfall Interactive. A Western JRPG that proudly wears its Last Fantasy and Persona influences on its sleeve; it first turned heads on the Xbox Video games Showcase again in June 2024. Since then, it’s quietly constructed momentum due to its attractive visuals and a fight system that fuses turn-based mechanics with real-time components.

After spending 24 hours with the sport on PS5, I can confidently say that the hype is actual, and the sport delivers.

The best expedition ever

Make all of the jokes you need concerning the title, however Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t attempting to be refined. The title really is sensible when you get into it. Set in a surreal, residing portray of a world, you play as Gustave (performed by Daredevil: Born Once more’s Charlie Cox), a citizen of the fractured metropolis of Lumière and a member of a gaggle generally known as Expedition 33.

On this universe, yearly, a mysterious, god-like being referred to as The Paintress paints a quantity onto her monolith. That quantity is the age of the individuals who shall be erased from existence that 12 months. They name it the gommage (French for “erased”). Nevertheless, the catch is the quantity descends every year — and when the sport begins, it’s 33.

That’s the place Expedition 33 is available in. It is made up of volunteers who’re all 32 years outdated, giving them precisely one 12 months left earlier than their quantity comes up. Yearly, a brand new Expedition units out in a last-ditch effort to cease The Paintress and break the cycle. And yeah, it’s been occurring for some time (for a few century now, the truth is).

As you’d count on, the newest Expedition doesn’t precisely go easily. Issues go sideways nearly instantly, due to the arrival of Renoir, a cryptic older determine who principally steamrolls the group. Gustave survives and finally ends up becoming a member of forces with the few remaining members: Lune, the mage and inquisitive scholar; Sciel, a peaceful and pleasant fighter; and Maelle, Gustave’s adopted sister/daughter and a 16-year-old who simply needs to see the world whereas she nonetheless can.

You’ll meet an entire forged of strange, memorable characters in your journey, however I gained’t spoil these moments right here. Simply know the writing hits. It balances bizarre, poetic world-building with grounded, emotional storytelling. Certain, it leans into the melodrama at times, however it earns it.

They’re written with care — critical folks with actual motivations, not simply autos for snappy dialogue. Gustave is simply looking for Maelle and make it dwelling. Lune is concentrated on ending the mission, it doesn’t matter what. Sciel, who’s already misplaced her husband, appears oddly at peace with the thought of demise and principally simply goes with the move.

They don’t all the time agree, however when battle comes up, they really discuss issues by way of like adults. No sarcastic barbs, no compelled jokes — simply folks underneath excessive stress, attempting to take care of it the most effective they’ll. I appreciated that the writers trusted you to select issues up with out over-explaining.

I’ll admit, just a few story beats close to the tip didn’t fairly sit proper with me. Not dealbreakers, however sufficient to make me pause and go, “hmm, really?” Nonetheless, I went alongside for the journey. For a sport heavy on narrative, that’s one of many few complaints I can level to. As for the world itself, the sport makes some extent of by no means spelling something out.

Everybody talks about Gesterals prefer it’s widespread data (information to me), and apparently, each child in Lumière was raised on the legendary exploits of Esquie — no matter that is. It’s all intentional, there is a greater image right here, however let’s be clear: in the event you really feel like the sport hasn’t defined a single rattling factor, you’re not flawed.

Combat for tomorrow

Excessive fantasy has by no means actually achieved it for me. Whether or not it’s an absence of creativeness or simply an excessive amount of unhealthy writing, the style often doesn’t click on. Expedition 33 managed to vary that. The world is so well-realized that I discovered myself totally immersed as soon as the story settled in.

Expedition 33 is a turn-based motion sport with some gentle RTS mechanics. You are taking turns attacking enemies, however quick-time occasions can improve your injury throughout your strikes. Timing additionally issues on protection—you’ll have to dodge and parry assaults to remain alive.

The dodge and parry system ended up being considered one of my primary frustrations. Enemy assault timings typically felt like they had been tuned particularly to be annoying. Late-game bosses, specifically, use fake-outs and stuttered assault patterns, making reacting in time unnecessarily troublesome. The design jogged my memory of Elden Ring, the place bosses appear able to reacting to your inputs and adjusting their combos mid-animation. The truth that I unintentionally performed half the sport in High quality mode at 30FPS didn’t assist. It made these already tight home windows really feel even worse.

Efficiency on PS5 was principally stable, except for just a few technical hiccups. Sound design was inconsistent — cutscene transitions had been often off, and through battles, the music would generally reduce out solely, just like the audio file ran out and wasn’t set to loop. It is not a dealbreaker, however noticeable sufficient to say.

Fight in Expedition 33 will really feel acquainted to anybody who’s performed a basic JRPG. On their flip, every get together member can use gadgets, carry out a fundamental assault, or set off particular skills that eat Assault Factors (AP). Each character additionally has a big ability tree, permitting you to form their playstyle to suit your preferences.

Gustave performs like a paladin — he can hit onerous but in addition brings passive buffs to help the group. His signature means, Overcharge, builds power in his mechanical arm with every assault. As soon as it hits 10 prices, he can unleash a strong electrical strike for critical injury.

Lune fills the mage function. She has entry to therapeutic spells however leans closely into elemental injury. Her particular system, Stain, lets her stack magical results, which she will be able to later convert into boosted assaults or stronger therapeutic.

Maelle acts because the rogue archetype. She makes use of totally different stances to extend her injury output, although every stance additionally raises the quantity of harm she takes in return. She’s excessive threat, excessive reward.

Sciel rounds out the group as a warrior. Her mechanic, Foretell, is constructed round Solar and Moon playing cards. She applies these results in battle, then consumes them to enter a Twilight part, which quickly boosts her injury, generally doubling and even tripling it.

You possibly can solely carry three characters into battle at a time, so get together composition does matter — however it doesn’t take lengthy to determine who pulls their weight and who can sit out. The enemy design is among the sport’s actual highlights. The Paintress’s creations, generally known as Nevrons, shift in type relying on the atmosphere, and the artwork route right here is genuinely spectacular.

In a single early space, Flying Waters — a visually putting inverted seafloor with an ocean suspended above you — the Nevrons resemble crab-like sea creatures with vintage diving helmets. They don’t precisely swap up their assault patterns a lot, however they give the impression of being cool as hell and match the surreal tone of the sport completely.

The worst of the bunch are flying enemies. You possibly can’t hit them with customary assaults or most expertise. As a substitute, it’s a must to use a mechanic referred to as Free Intention, which helps you to manually goal and shoot enemies. It’s additionally the one technique to hit weak factors or apply marks, which makes targets extra susceptible to follow-up injury. Each shot prices AP, so it’s not one thing you may spam with out penalties.

The difficulty is when the sport leans too onerous into this. Some areas are stacked solely with flying enemies, and since they can’t be touched by regular assaults or expertise, your choices grow to be frustratingly restricted.

The final main layer of Expedition 33’s fight system comes within the type of Pictos and Luminas. Pictos are passive upgrades you may equip — every character will get three slots. These vary from fundamental boosts like performing first in fight or growing therapeutic effectiveness to extra strategic ones like incomes additional AP for pulling off an ideal dodge.

Then there’s Luminas, which is the place issues begin to get attention-grabbing. After profitable 4 battles with a Picto outfitted, you unlock the choice to completely add it to a personality utilizing Lumina factors. So, in the event you’re utilizing the “Dodger” Picto, which provides +1 AP on an ideal dodge, you may burn a Lumina level to maintain that bonus perpetually, even whereas equipping a distinct Picto in its slot.

Lumina factors themselves will be upgraded at camps utilizing gadgets you accumulate all through the world. It’s a stable system that rewards experimentation with out locking you into one construct. The extra you mess around with it, the stronger your group will get and the extra flexibility you have got in fights.

Weapons are upgradeable, too, however truthfully, this felt just like the least attention-grabbing a part of character development. As you discover or stage up weapons, they’ll include passive bonuses and elemental results — some helpful, some situational. It’s price swapping them out relying on who you’re combating, however in comparison with the depth of Pictos, Luminas, and the ability bushes, the weapon system doesn’t depart a lot of an impression.

Exploring the continent

The world exterior of Lumière is a freaky little place that feels each alien and acquainted. Floating islands grasp within the sky, surrounded by swirling clouds and unusual glowing gentle. Forests and fields combine with historic ruins and overgrown tech, creating an area that feels lived-in however mysterious. One space is full of calm meadows and flowers, whereas one other is affected by huge damaged machines and glowing coral-like buildings.

It’s a wierd combine, however it works. The environments really feel like they’re telling a narrative even when nothing is going on. One second you are standing in a peaceable glade carpeted in violet wildflowers, and the following you are navigating a biomechanical graveyard affected by the remnants of titanic constructs and crystalline growths. It’s a visible fever dream, however with simply sufficient grounded naturalism to make you imagine you can really step into it

Exploration will undoubtedly draw many comparisons to Last Fantasy X, and it’s fairly spot-on. The areas look massive and open at first look, however they’re principally linear, with just a few branching paths right here and there. Typically, you’ll discover a facet character tucked away or stumble into a gaggle of unsettling mime-like enemies that really feel like they wandered in from somebody’s nightmare. However don’t count on wide-open zones or huge facet quests early on.

Between these areas, you journey throughout a tilt-shifted overworld map. It’s a pleasant visible change, and it’s not only for present — the overworld has enemy encounters and scattered NPCs you may work together with. Most of them are Gestrals, odd little creatures modeled after these wood drawing mannequins. They’re a bit dim however extraordinarily pleasant, and so they stay for fight. You possibly can commerce with them and generally problem them to combat for bonus loot.

The overworld stays fairly restricted till Act 3, the place it lastly opens up and affords a bunch of elective dungeons and further areas to discover. Till then, it’s extra about shifting from level A to B, assembly just a few oddballs, and infrequently punching them for treasure.

Whereas exploring the continent, you’ll often be capable of arrange camp. That is the place you may relaxation, improve Luminas, and improve your weapons with the assistance of the Curator — a skeletal, hollow-like determine who rescues Maelle early on and ultimately takes up residence in your camp after leaving The Manor. He’s vaguely unsettling to have a look at, however he makes my weapons hit more durable.

Camp can also be the place you may verify in together with your get together members. Don’t count on Baldur’s Gate 3-level character interplay right here. Dialogue is proscribed, and many of the deeper camp-related content material doesn’t even unlock till effectively into Act 2. Can’t say rather more with out spoiling it, however simply know that even when it opens up, the camp system is extra of a lightweight contact. Nonetheless, it’s a pleasant second of calm between the heavier elements of the sport, providing you with an opportunity to attach with the group extra groundedly.

Jeu magnifique, magnifique

Regardless of the sound points, Expedition 33’s music guidelines. The orchestral strings, the moody piano motifs—all of it simply works. The soundtrack elevates each second, whether or not it’s a quiet stroll by way of a dreamlike panorama or a boss combat that’s making you query your reflexes and life selections.

Visually, the sport is simply as robust. Past the excessive fantasy setting, it leans closely into Belle Époque-era France, the supposed golden age of the nation from 1874 and 1914. So sure, if it wasn’t apparent already, this sport is unapologetically French. Lumière, the principle metropolis, is basically simply Paris with a brand new title. (“Lumière” actually means “light,” and Paris is the Metropolis of Lights — refined, it’s not.)

Even in Efficiency mode on PS5, the sport appears to be like nice. The world design is attractive, stuffed with painterly element, with environments that really feel like they had been made to be PC wallpapers. The paint-themed aesthetic extends to the characters and enemy design, which regularly attracts instantly from artwork historical past. Don’t be shocked when a YouTube video essay titled “An Art Historian Plays Clair Obscur” drops a 12 months from now.

Suffice to say, the sport hits like crack in all the correct methods.

Is Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 price it?

Expedition 33 isn’t excellent — fight will be irritating, particularly with the parry system and flying enemies, and among the deeper mechanics don’t totally open up till later within the sport. However what Sandfall Interactive has constructed right here is one thing genuinely distinctive.

The story is slow-burning however rewarding, with grounded, well-written characters who don’t deflect with quips. The world is unusual, trendy, and unapologetically French, backed by a beautiful soundtrack and painterly visuals that make even the quiet moments really feel intentional.

It’s not excellent, however it’s daring, bizarre, and stuffed with coronary heart. In the event you’re into character-driven RPGs with a definite vibe and don’t thoughts just a few tough edges, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is completely price your time.

Subjects
Critiques
Video Video games