Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 first appeared with an intriguing trailer as part of Microsoft’s summer showcase series, hinting at a dream world in which bands of adventurers fight to defeat “The Painttress,” who gradually shaves years off people’s maximum life expectancy.
The premise sounds very JRPG-like. It’s the first title from new French studio Sandfall Interactive, and it’s set in a dark, ethereal world inspired by Belle Époque France (check out the twisted Eiffel Tower), which gives even more reasons to fight this powerful, mysterious painter. You play a team of expeditioners, exploring fantastical landscapes and battling monsters to defeat the painter. It sounds vague because I don’t quite understand what the heck is going on. I watched the trailer again – maybe that’ll help clear things up.
Clear as day. But that’s OK, this is a fantasy RPG – I didn’t expect to understand the story from the start. I recently watched a hands-off gameplay with Guillaume Broche, Creative Director for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33and the game’s producer, François Meurisse.
We’ve looked at a handful of levels and locations, and also introduced some of the party characters. You start the game with Gustave. Each party member has their own unique combat mechanic that charges up during battle. You can increase the charge speed through careful blocking, dodging, and parrying. For example, Gustave’s robotic arm allows him to build up a shock attack that he can use early for extra damage, or charge up further to deliver a particularly aggressive strike.
Maelle, Gustave’s adopted sister who disappears at the beginning of the game, has a stance technique that can boost her combat stats after an attack with her fencing saber. The game is turn-based, with enemies and allies able to attack (or recover) in a predetermined order. This is complemented by some action RPG elements and QTEs (quick-time events) where you have to defend yourself with precise timing. If you perform enough parries in a row, the characters will deal heavy damage to the enemy. I saw one boss monster attack my entire party – luckily you only need to dodge once for the whole team to block or parry. The fights themselves are reminiscent of Persona5with dramatic camera angle changes, inky, color-themed special effects, and a focus on beautiful character (and monster) design. Special attacks and spells consume skill points, which are also replenished by successful parries and QTE timing. In short, you still have to pay attention during battles. Sorry.
Besides Maelle and Gustave, the group in the demo was completed by Lune, apparently the team’s mage. You will meet the rest of your expedition party during the adventure in typical JRPG fashion. Broche told me at the start that Expedition 33 was an homage to the classic RPGs of the 90s, even if it doesn’t resemble them at all. Pixelated Switch adventures aside, turn-based RPGs have long since fallen out of favor, replaced by action RPGs, even in rebooted titles. This is Sandfall Interactive’s attempt to revive the turn-based RPG for 2024.
Each character has a specific weapon type that can be gradually upgraded and strengthened, allowing the character to gain new abilities as they progress. I caught a glimpse of an intricate skill tree that players can tinker with. Elemental attacks depend on the weapon your character uses, which likely means careful party building (or customization) will be required later in the game.
In addition to elemental weaknesses, some enemies also have shields that protect them from your attacks. As you progress, some will have visible weaknesses that players must shoot at – usually with visual cues, like the weak spots on early anchor enemies. This free-targeting system is also used in the environments. I saw some “shooting” puzzles that unlocked treasure and other rewards. Expedition 33 will be divided into different themed areas, each offering alternate routes (some potentially offering additional treasure or tougher enemies) and visual landmarks that provide more insight into the world and lore. The developers said that much of the story will have to be unearthed by players themselves, by searching for collectible notes from the husks of failed expeditions of the past.
The early environments I saw from Expedition 33 were beautiful. One of the first areas is set up as if you were walking on the sea floor, with plankton, coral and curtains of seaweed running through it. In fact, the beautiful world is only surpassed by the character models. The team seems to have put a lot of effort into giving their heroes emotions and reactions that you wouldn’t have seen in old RPGs.
I am skeptical about how big the RPG epic from the Sandfall Interactive team will be, given its size. While I was not able to play, Expedition 33 At this point, I wonder how much exploration will be possible in the finished game, and whether players’ curiosity will be rewarded beyond plot lore and sad letters from dead expeditions.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be released in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S and PC.
