Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review — A monolithic achievement

A game like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t come around all the time. Not only is this a turn-based, narrative-focused game, but it features a ton of action elements. Made by a group of thirty developers at Sandfall Interactive, Clair Obsur: Expedition 33 (hereafter referred to as Expedition 33) is a prime example of a studio letting their creativity flow and making a game wholly their own. With that in mind, we’ve decided to look at the game from two different viewpoints: the familiar but fresh perspective, and the established turn-based RPG veteran.

The seasoned player [David Flynn]:

RPGs, specifically JRPGs, are like my bread and butter. I grew up on games like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Kingdom Hearts, and I’ve continued to seek games like them even as my tastes expanded to things like Dark Souls or more artistic titles like 1000xResist. So know that I’m not exaggerating when I say that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is everything I want in a game. It’s a title that reaches for the moon, and despite having a very AA budget, a small team, and releasing in an era where gamers unreasonably expect games to have perfectly realistic graphics and contain 100 hours of content, it absolutely plants the 33’s flag among the stars.

The world of Expedition 33 has been torn apart by a figure known only as the Paintress. She fractured the world into pieces, with only one city left standing: Lumière. Each year, the Paintress paints a descending number upon a massive, distant monolith. Anyone in Lumière at that age experiences the gommage, in which they turn into flower petals and disappear. The city has sent 67 Expeditions of volunteers to the continent, in an effort to kill the Paintress and stop the gommage, but so far all have failed. But each expedition makes it just a bit further, laying the trail for those who come after. When one falls, we continue.

We won’t spoil anything here, but Expedition 33’s narrative has several layers and goes a lot of places you won’t see coming. Ultimately, it’s a game about grief and the different ways people deal with it. Some people might seek an escape, either temporary or permanent, while others might preoccupy themselves with other people’s problems. It’s a complex topic, and Expedition 33 treats it with the gravity it deserves, while still letting players come to their own conclusions. It is very much an artistic statement… and also very French. 

The game isn’t just artistically satisfying though, it has some fantastic characters whom I grew to absolutely adore over the course of the adventure. Maelle ended up being my favorite, though Sciel was a close second. The former is a very important player in the plot, second only to Gustave, and she grows a lot over the course of the narrative, becoming the heart of Expedition 33. Sciel doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but her upbeat personality hides an inner darkness that really spurs her forward. I also loved Verso and Esquie, but I’m not going to tell you anything about them other than the fact that they are delightful. 

While I have my favorites, I loved every character. That’s thanks to the fantastic writing and voice acting on display here. Expedition 33 has a star-studded cast, but all the talent in the world won’t make terrible dialogue good. Thankfully, the game has some of the best writing in games, other than a few odd translation bits like the prompt to “write in the journal of Gustave’s apprentices.” As previously mentioned, the narrative is layered with tons of subtext, and it trusts players to be able to pick up on it. Of course, the phenomenal voice performances certainly help elevate what’s already there.

All of this would make for a good game, but what makes Expedition 33 great is the combat. I’m the kind of person who looks at an RPG and immediately tries to find out how to exploit its systems, and Expedition 33 not only rewards that but almost expects it - on normal difficulty. Make no mistake, this game is hard. I was consistently hitting the damage cap of 9,999 damage (don’t worry, you can eventually break that cap) in a single hit very frequently by the middle of the game, and I still died on bosses or just to normal enemies several times. Thankfully, you never lose too much progress upon dying, and can even send in reserve party members if your main team dies, so losing is never too frustrating.

Mastering Expedition 33 requires two things: preparation and execution. Preparation involves selecting the right gear, allocating stat points to match your builds, choosing the right party for the job, and equipping the right Pictos. Gear is purely just a character’s weapon, though each comes with its own quirks. For example, a weapon I used on Lune didn’t do much damage, but it allowed each of her free aim shots to grant her a random elemental stain, splotches of paint she can use to power up her other abilities. It also gives her +1 AP whenever a stain is consumed, so every single turn, I had her shoot four times to fill up on stains, then use the ability Mayhem to consume all four and deal a ton of damage to a single enemy. She essentially became a self-sustaining machine through this strategy. 

The other half, execution, is putting your builds into practice in battle, which is a lot tougher than it sounds. Expedition 33 is turn-based, but features various timed button presses to pull off attacks or dodge and parry enemy attacks. Making sure your attacks go off properly is pretty simple, just press the A/X button when the cursor is in the gold zone of the indicator, for as many indicators as there are in an attack.

Avoiding damage yourself is a different story. At first, you have two options: parry or dodge. Dodging is safer, as the window for a dodge is much larger. Parrying is riskier, you need to be almost perfect with your timing, but far more rewarding. Each successful parry will grant the attacked character 1 AP, a resource needed to perform abilities, and parrying every single part of an attack will then trigger a counterattack, allowing you to deal damage on an enemy’s turn. As the game progresses, you’ll learn two more types of reactions: Chroma Counters and Jumps. When you need to use these specifically, counters or jumps will be shown by time slowing down and the screen going black and white, or by a gold symbol respectively. Late in the game, enemies will start weaving jumps and chroma counters into their attack strings, so you need to be ready for anything. All of these reactions make it so, in theory, a player could take 0 damage over an entire 30-hour playthrough and even the additional 30 hours of post-game content. I certainly didn’t manage that, but I hope someday someone will.

Let’s put both of these together to grasp the full scope of the battle system, using Maelle as an example because she’s by far the most broken character. I dumped most of Maelle’s stat points into attack power and agility, so she’d get turns often and hit like a truck. Each character has a unique gimmick to them, and Maelle’s is different fencing stances. Stanceless provides no bonuses, and Offensive stance boosts her attack power by 50% but causes her to take 50% more damage in exchange. Defensive stance reduces damage taken by 50% and gives her +1 AP on a successful parry or dodge. Finally, what I decided to build her around is Virtuose stance, which only increases her damage dealt by a massive 200%. However, Maelle normally can’t stay in one stance two turns in a row, and can only enter Virtuose stance under specific circumstances, namely using an ability called Swift Stride on an enemy that has the burning status effect. 

So, upon the start of battle, I would have her inflict 10 stacks of burning on an enemy using Rain of Fire, then use Swift Stride on her next turn. I would then perpetually keep her in Virtuose stance using Fleuret Fury, an ability that deals high single-target physical damage over 3 hits, then reapplies Virtuose stance. If needed, she could use another ability and swap out of the stance, but with so many burn stacks, I could go back to Virtuose stance immediately on her next turn. With this setup, Maelle was hitting for 9,999 three times in a single turn, but we’re not done yet. 

I also equipped her with pictos that gave her an additional AP every turn, doubled the amount of burn stacks applied, healed her on every kill, healed her for a small amount every time an ally healed, and doubled her counter damage. Later on, I added in one that broke the damage cap, which made her an absolute counter beast, dealing 30 to 40 thousand damage with just one counter. I was having trouble with the final boss, so instead of learning the phase I was having trouble with, I used Maelle to deal so much damage in a single turn that it skipped the phase entirely. If you play your cards right, you can get every character to this level of broken. 

As an RPG veteran, Expedition 33 surprised and delighted me in every aspect. Without spoiling anything, the game gets very JRPG at times in the best possible way. This especially includes the soundtrack. I’m not sure we as a society deserve a soundtrack as good as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s, but it has graced us with its presence nonetheless. It dips its toes into tons of genres, from classical to jazz to techno, which reflects the game’s overall wonderful weirdness. It is very clear Sandfall Interactive adores JRPGs, and you can feel every ounce of love in every aspect of the game. I loved every second I spent with the game, even if it has a healthy amount of jank, like some cutscene animations not working properly,  getting stuck on geometry, Steam unbinding L1 for some ungodly reason, or my mouse cursor randomly appearing on screen. Unless something comes around that blows me out of the water, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is my game of the year. And we’re only in April. It’s just that good. 

The wide-eyed newbie [David Burdette]:

Most of my experience with turn-based RPGs comes from playing Final Fantasy X on PS2 and, in recent years, the Like A Dragon series. In summation, turn-based RPGs aren’t a regular part of my repertoire. That said, a game like Expedition 33 is an eye-catcher, and despite my lack of engagement in the genre, it called to me. Maybe it was the flashiness of the presentation, maybe it was the intriguing action elements woven into the combat, maybe it was the faux-Robert Pattinson character model for Gustave voiced by Charlie Cox, but at any rate, I was hooked. After hours upon hours poured into playing this game, all I can see is a masterpiece.

While I anticipated a great story from Expedition 33, I didn't expect one that would wow me with both its twists and diversity in tone. For something presented in such a fantastical fashion, the deeper character narratives are outstanding. These feel like real, human interactions, reminding me a lot of last year’s Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth in how much I enjoyed the characters. High praise to be sure, especially considering those are established characters; Expedition 33 is a fresh new idea that is also a debut title. 

I think what surprises me the most is the connections Sandfall Interactive has managed to forge between the player and characters without a lot of setup. There are quite a few party members we just don’t learn much about, or have a very basic understanding of them. Several meaningful interactions with them or between the party members set the stage for future exchanges amidst stakes that are realized because of well-defined motives. A lot of this is thanks to an overall theme and impending doom hanging over everyone’s head (more about that in a minute), but giving your character’s character is something we don’t find as often as we should in media.

On the matter of impending doom, you’ve probably seen people being Thanos-snapped into oblivion in different trailers. This event occurs because of the central narrative of a monolith that has a number on it painted by a Paintress that dictates who lives and dies depending on their age in relation to that number. Pretty interesting stuff on its own, but how it grows over the course of the game is astounding. The themes Expedition 33 explores of loss and grief are incredibly done, but not forced in a way that doesn’t allow for humor to hit on occasion – which never feels out of place. Several revelations will leave you mouth agape, and some will have you scratching your head until it explodes once you finally grasp the context. The wild twists Expedition 33 holds inside are generally earned, leaving you satisfied at the turn rather than bewildered. I don’t feel like anything Expedition 33 attempts narratively is wasted, and that’s appreciated.

This is all driven home by an incredible voice cast, who outdo themselves at every line. Spending the extra coin is proven to be worth the cost in delivering the story by utilizing the best. I love the level of humanity realized in your party – as I observed these chats, characters would interrupt each other's train of thought or talk over each other: genuine interactions between each other. There are some issues with lip sync and animations during some dialogue, but that’s just a footnote in some stellar conversations. I could list all the talent and point out a great line each one dropped at some point during the game. They’re a big reason Expedition 33 is able to sell this group and their interactions.

Another character in this game is the stupendous world, a Belle Époque dream of a setting. There’s something magical about games done in this style, with Bloodborne and Lies of P being other examples I’d use, although not perfect ones. It’s a genre you know when you see it, and the way Expedition 33 fits into it works beautifully in what it’s trying to do. I can’t talk enough about how extraordinary the enemy and creature design is; bizarre and creative life forms pulled from the likes of dreams and nightmares. This also extends to the levels, which feel fully their own. Most have a unique design that pulls your attention, and all are absolutely gorgeous. I already mentioned an early area in my preview last month in Flying Waters, and it still grabs me with its distinctive nature.

My only qualm with the level design lies solely in direction. As soon as you enter a level, you have an objective, but it isn’t marked on a compass. This leaves you wandering around, hoping to eventually find it. I don’t think it’s inherently hard to uncover, as these areas are more linear in design, but there is a listlessness to my exploration that feels off for Expedition 33. Also, there were several moments where I ran around in a circle trying to figure out where to go, only to find a ledge or ramp that led downwards to my next destination that was somewhat… obscured. It’s annoying not to have some inkling as to where to go next.

Expedition 33’s combat is the blueprint other turn-based RPGs should be looking at. Adding action elements into your game isn’t something new for turn-based RPGs, but the way Sandfall Interactive has done it turns the genre on its head. It’d be one thing to include these elements and call it a day, but how combat works and the layers upon layers to it makes for an outstanding gameplay loop.

If you’re familiar with turn-based RPGs, you’ll play your move, then the enemy follows up, rinse and repeat. Depending on your and your foes' agility, there’s a chance you or they may play more than once in a row. While this is largely simple and can be boring, Expedition 33 is anything but that. As you attack and defend, quick-time events pop up and dodge or counter opportunities present themselves. There are four different defensive options, and you’re usually presented with one or two timed button prompts on your attacks, so these manage to stay fresh as you use them. I regularly felt exhilaration as I parried an opponent perfectly to launch a counter-attack. More so, you can even finish entire battles without taking a single blow; something I’d never expect in this genre.

All of the intricacies of Expedition 33 and its combat really start to come together at the mid-portion of the game, where you begin to not only level up your gear, skills, and perks (pictos), but also discover the weaknesses of enemies. As with something like Pokémon, each of these enemies has different strengths and weaknesses. If I hit one of the Flying Water enemies with Gustave’s Overcharge lightning ability, they are going to get fried for a ton more damage. The opposite occurs if I hit a dark enemy with a dark attack – even if it’s one of my stronger skills, I won’t put the same dent in. The balance between it all is a masterful dance crafted by Sandfall Interactive, forcing you to move around not only your skills, but different party members as you go. This isn’t a game where you’ll throw in your best three and only use them; you’ve got to find places to work everyone into the lineup and level them up – same with skills, gear, and pictos.

This is because the enemies can be quite tough. Soulslikes are quite obviously an inspiration, which makes your dodges, parries, and jumps mean something instead of being a get out of jail free card. I found myself smacking my desk in frustration at times because I couldn’t get the right cadence down for a counter, but in turn immediately locking in to understand the puzzle in front of me. Finding the right level of challenge in a game is important, and Expedition 33 manages to present that, leading to you being more engaged by their gameplay. That said, some of these fights can be a chore, and certain enemy timings are infuriating. There are both visual and audio cues, and for me, I’d highly recommend wearing a headset to track the audio ones as best as you can.

Even with the sheer amount of depth and difficulty in front of me, I didn’t find Expedition 33 impossible to understand for a newbie. Sure, there are some complexities I may never extrapolate, but the game allows you to make mistakes and figure it out as you go. Sandfall Interactive has clearly defined the path with plenty of prompts, dialogue, and definitions, which raises the approachability of Expedition 33 for a player like me who hasn’t engaged with turn-based games often. It also helps that they’ve done such a phenomenal job in making each fight a bombastic event, with extravagant particle effects and flamboyant character movements that have to be seen to be believed. Go and do your first jump counter, or a full expedition parry, and tell me you don’t sense the epic nature of it.

Speaking of the senses, we can’t finish up this review without talking about how enchanting the score is. I had never heard of composer Lorien Testard before, but you’d best believe I’ll be following every track he releases in the future. I’m not kidding when I say every bit of music in Expedition 33 is magnificent. From the classical, to the jazzy, to even a bit of rock, each piece fits perfectly into its section of the game. The emotional impact it lends to every scene is a testament to Lorien’s work and lifts Expedition 33’s already excellent game design even further.