Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hands-on preview — Triumphant, turn-based tour de force

This year is already packed to the brim with incredible gaming experiences. Whether you want an in-depth medieval RPG, brutal demon slaying, or a comedic pirate voyage, 2025 has you covered. To go into the more obscure (pun intended), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hits on originality, with a setting I don’t remember seeing in video games alongside the less used turn-based combat. That may sound like a mix that won’t grab at the masses, but after a few hours with it, I’m all in on Expedition 33.

At the beginning of this demo, you’re imposed with the weight of what this group is going through. The Paintress, an unknown deity/entity paints a number on a monolith every year, designating all who are that age to die Thanos Snap style. While that comes across a bit jokey, the heaviness of these characters is felt through the brief cinematic, especially as they sail towards the Paintress on a mission to stop her. Once they arrive on her continent, they are ambushed by a dark figure, who decimates most of the crew.

You awake as Gustave in the aftermath of this slaughter. He’s kind of the main character (in the demo the group was well split in screentime and you can swap at any time when running through the world), and I swear to this day he’s just a model of Robert Pattinson. Voiced by Charlie Cox, he’s a brooding sort of protagonist, without being annoying like those characters tend to be.

Off to find any survivors, this is where the gameplay starts. Running around each level is pretty basic, with some side routes taking you off the main path. Speaking of, the main path isn't marked, but the areas I explored weren't too vast or confusing. There's some minimal climbing, and all and all it's nothing to write home about.

What is impressive is the combat, something Sandfall Interactive has obviously put a lot of time into. You’ll encounter creatures in the wild called Nevrons, crafted by The Paintress. Touching these monstrosities will trigger a fight against your party, although you can avoid them entirely for the most part. They will try and chase you down if they spot you. Like some turn-based RPGs, you can also hit them to start your battle which grants you the first attacks.

While the cadence of your encounters will be similar to most turn-based battlers – picking either to attack, use items or special skills, or even to possibly flee the fight – Sandfall spices things up with their real-time mechanics. I’m reminded of Mario & Luigi in practice, but the way Expedition 33 delivers these moments is nothing short of amazing. You can shoot at an enemy’s weak point with certain characters to start things off on the right foot, and there are three options when defending yourself from a foe: dodging, countering, or jumping.

Each one of these boils down to your ability to press a button at the right time, and awards an ability point to spend on your special skills. Dodging is simple, avoiding the incoming attack. Parrying is equally so, knocking away your opponent’s strike. Jumping may be the coolest addition ever, with slow-mo flair that is incredibly overembellished. Dodging allows you to get away free, but parrying and jumping offer a counter. You do have to parry or jump each attack, with jump requiring a button press to initiate the counter, but it will result in a super cool counter move. If the attack would hit all of your party members, your whole team is a part of the counter as well. It’s so satisfying to pull off, and is essential in your beating some of the tougher enemies; earning you extra AP points along with the additional damage the counter provides, beyond just being freaking epic. As someone who hasn’t been into turn-based games with the exception of the Like A Dragon series, the flow of turn-based and reaction-based combat works for me to keep me invested.

That’s not the only thing that’s epic either, as the ambience of the setting hits hard. The Belle Époque inspired tone is perfect, from the French accents to the outstanding late 1800’s era outfits. There’s something about the style that reminds me of how Lies of P intrigues me, a unique look that is both stunning and engrossing. This extends to the environments as well, especially the Flying Waters which depicts an underwater area that isn’t actually underwater. It’s beautiful, and I’m looking forward to exploring even more of it.

I’m also all about the story, although the demo doesn’t really give more than a taste of what’s going on. The mystery behind all that’s going on with The Paintress, and even why our party has traveled here beyond stopping her isn’t present, so I’m ready to see where it all goes. There are a lot of references to painting, which makes sense, but also chroma, which seems to be a lifesource. I want to know more, tell me please Sandfall!

For those who may be concerned about the difficulty, there are multiple modes, including a story difficulty. My initial worry regarding resting at a camp; it mimics the Soulslike mechanic of respawning enemies. Even though I’m not a fan of that, it is useful for turn-based games in that you can do a decent amount of grinding up your levels.

There’s so much more I’d like to say about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and so much more to uncover to be able to say more. It feels like the beginning of a piece of art, and I’ve only seen the early strokes. Whether it’s a masterpiece is yet to be seen, but what’s currently on the canvas proves it will be great. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 releases April 24. It will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles and Game Pass Ultimate, and PC. Keep your eyes on GamingTrend for our eventual review!