Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review
Nonpareil Paragon of Finesse
While RPGs have gained prominence over the years, genre veterans have been reasonably worried of the lack of new franchises joining the pantheon of elite turn-based RPGs that maintain the visual presentational values expected of high-profile releases. Fortunately, Sandfall Interactive noticed a similar lack within the gaming landscape and brought forward Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The talents of the entire development team are on full display here, and it is sure to capture the hearts and minds of those who give it a chance. Between the striking visuals, an amazing soundtrack, and wonderfully stylistic combat, it offers a complete package that wows the senses.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is set in a world where the remaining human population has sequestered itself in the island town of Lumiere after a portent of death awaits them. The mysterious Paintress has appeared on a remote island and every year, she paints a number on a giant monolith that counts down by 1. This number determines instant death for everyone of that age, referred to by its citizens as a gommage (effectively “scrubbing out”). This necessitates reflections on life and mortality, with some resigning themselves to their fate and teaching the younger generation how to function in a slowly declining society, while others, typically in their final year of life, embark on an expedition to defeat the Paintress. In sixty-seven years, there have been no successful expeditions, with none returning home to tell Lumiere what things are like beyond the island. This looming threat makes for a rather bleak world view, but not everything is tragic, as there are poignant moments of perseverance punctuated by an expressive soundtrack and powerful vocal performances that showcase how strong this cast of characters truly is.
Players follow the pragmatic Gustave as he prepares for the latest expedition, together with the tenacious scholar Lune and warm farmer-turned-teacher Sciel. Joining them is Gustave’s adopted younger sister Maelle, who was orphaned by her parents’ gommage. She finds life in Lumiere stifling and embarks on the expedition to learn of the world outside while keeping an eye on one of the few people who shows her warmth and comfort. Prior expeditions tried to focus on a new technology or way of thinking, hoping it would take them one step farther than those who came before. For this outing, Gustave and Lune have harnessed the magical Chroma infused into the world as pistol ammunition and for Pictos, accessories that boost attributes and provide powerful passive abilities.
Monoco has an intimidating idea to strike fear into the hearts of the Nevrons.
The backgrounds of the expedition’s members are filled with heartache, but with the faintest whispers of hope thrown in, making each of them a relatable and complex character. It’s virtually impossible to pick a favourite character due to how well written they all are. The journey to the Paintress is intricate, as the story twists and turns through so many interconnected moments that tie into each character’s journey seamlessly, making it obvious how much care and foresight has been put into every scene. The dialogue is heightened at every step of this incredible journey by a score that tugs at every heartstring, character model expressions and finer details in the setting, and a vocal cast that stepped up and brought every ounce of their being into making everything come to life. There’s not much more that could be dreamed of for a fantastic new world, as every aspect of the storytelling hits deeply in a way that makes this truly a passion project from a talented team.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 features truly wondrous lands full of otherworldly beauty that tantalizes in artistically unnerving ways, including a wide variety of creatures to encounter. Hauntingly beautiful Nevrons relentlessly hunt expedition members in varying shapes and sizes that populate every location beyond Lumiere’s relative safety. Beyond Nevrons, there are also Petanks that run from the party until herded to a special platform, allowing players to face them in a turn-limited battle in exchange for their ample and valuable resources. Mimes are found in secluded sections, and defeating them nets some costumes for the party, while being punctuated by a very whimsical accordion-filled battle theme special to their encounters. Also encountered are Gestrals, a battle-loving race that resemble living paintbrushes with very cavalier attitudes. As curious explorers by nature, Gestral merchants scattered across the world can be dueled to unlock rare inventory options. There’s nothing quite like this world as it mixes a colourful cornucopia of ethereal vistas, while combining French Belle Époque-era inspirations with some truly alien designs that make for a wonderful and brilliantly evocative fantasy world.
As the expedition has no idea what to expect when they reach the mainland, they only have a single goal in mind: heading North to the Paintress. There’s no traditional RPG quest structure, and everything beyond this primary objective are side adventures or paths that players may optionally undertake. That means that everything other than the next detailed, and often lengthy, story dungeon is typically very short, consisting of a large open area with an object of interest or a short jog to an optional boss fight. Everything is connected through the world map, and as players wander around, there are swirling portals that signify openings to dungeons and other areas. Some areas are tagged to warn players away when something inside is much stronger than their current party, and more of the vast world map opens up as players progress through the game.
First strikes are done by hitting the enemies first, a necessity against the crafty and quick Mimes.
Instigated by the player on the world map or after major moments at the end of dungeons, players can spend time in camp, which allows characters to breathe by engaging in quieter, enlightening, and beautiful bonding moments. They can also upgrade their weapons and improve their consumable items, which replenish every time players rest. The sense of self growth reflected in the time bonding at camp serves to fully encapsulate the journey each of these beleaguered soldiers undertakes. A wonderfully unique feature of spending time in camp, though, is listening to an ever-growing selection of collectible music. The entire soundtrack is full of wonderful orchestral pieces that feature cello, violin, and piano and are constantly tugging at the heart strings before giving way to powerful arias that carry undertones of loneliness and struggle that perfectly reflect every step of the journey.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 imparts a graceful beauty that extends into the combat system. An active party of up to three faces off against up to three enemies at a time, with turn order decided by speed and players gaining an advantageous first strike if they hit enemies during exploration on the field. On their turn, each character has a choice of a base attack to gain AP, free-aiming their pistol, using potions, or selecting a skill. Skills make optional use of timed inputs, which can be set to automatic, but watching the visual flair and matching the timed ring-based inputs manually can be an addictive hypnotic dance all to itself. The stylistic choreography on display for every skill makes following along and hitting the button prompt simple but exciting every time the character has the AP available.
Defending is a different style of its own; unlike with attacking, there are no prompts. Instead, players must learn to pay attention to visual and auditory cues as enemies move around before striking at the player, at which point they must hit either the dodge or parry buttons to avoid damage. Like with attacking, there’s a dance-like rhythm to the movement and camera choreography that extends from the weakest Nevron to the mightiest of bosses, only making the pageantry bigger and more exciting the harder the enemy is. The need to master the timed triggers depends on the difficulty, being effectively mandatory for the highest setting. The default setting will likely result in game overs for many players, as figuring out the rhythm of each enemy’s distinct pattern takes a bit of time, but the hypnotic movements of the enemies makes each pattern wonderful to learn. Dodging is the more forgiving option, while parries are more rewarding, with parrying a whole sequence leading to a devastating counter attack.
Skills use AP, which is gained each turn, and can be amplified by successful dodges and parries if corresponding passive abilities gained from Pictos are equipped. Every party member has their own style of fighting and can equip up to six skills from their individual skill trees, except for the Gestral Monoco, who collects skills from the legs of Nevrons defeated in combat. Gustave uses multiple strikes to build up an overcharge ability, Maelle shifts between fencing stances that impart offensive and defensive benefits, and Lune combines elements, with each spell used leaving an elemental “stain,” which can be used to enhance future casts. Sciel is a bit more complicated, utilising a sun/moon system that switches between gaining AP or dealing extra damage, as well as a Foretell card counter that can be drained by other abilities for additional benefits.
The fight choreography is stellar, with plenty of shifting camera angles as Maelle spikes an enemy with a perfect end to her attack.
Weapons and Pictos affect a character’s power more than base attributes. Weapons gain in power based on using upgrade materials as well as having a high attribute in two relevant stats and also imparts passive bonuses that focus on specialization of a subset of skills. This creates a little ecosystem for every class of skill, making it exciting to see how a character might benefit from each new weapon. The selection of Pictos number in the dozens, each one improving one or two base attributes immensely while also imparting a new passive ability that can be equipped by any party member after four battles. These passives are equipped with Lumina points that are gained slowly by levelling up or by imparting them to any party member in camp through a collectible found along the journey. Players can fully reset a character by finding or purchasing one of the rare and expensive Recoats available from merchants, treasure, or combat.
In battle, the game offers many little visual and audio cues to players and mastering these is hugely rewarding. Later fights add additional elements such as jumping, with their own visual effects to help time their usage. Enemy attacks vary in pace and number of strikes, climbing up to as many as a dozen strikes per turn. The free aimed ranged attack is useful to hit weaknesses early on, but its effectiveness peters out as enemies lose these weak points. The pace from the evolving enemies and added mechanics always make fights fresh and exciting to dive into.
Dungeons in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 don’t have mini maps, which makes paying attention to the surroundings a must. Fortunately, every bit of scenery is painstakingly created to make everything recognizable, and paths either loop back to the main one or end in treasure, making it easy and exciting to traverse. Expedition flags, acting as autosave points, are frequent and allow for fast travel to other flags but also respawn enemies upon resting. Players are not able to save manually, but the autosave is pretty generous, with players able to return to around the last two dozen saved points. If the player’s main party of three falls in battle, the two reserve members step in to give players a chance before a game over.
No one can ever tell Esquie that most beings don’t fly by flapping their arms really fast.
There are spots where platforming is needed to get some treasure, while some special Paint Boxes require hunting for three locks nearby to unlock the mechanism and get ahold of their contents. Walking up thin platforms, zipping across long distances or jumping across gaps is intuitive and just adds a bit of variety to exploration. Gestral Beaches offer the highlights of these sections with some timed challenges, as well as precariously positioned obstacle courses that offer additional costume rewards, all accompanied by enticing conga-esque beach party music, which lends an extra level of enjoyable addictiveness.
One of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s biggest treats, and evocative of the game in general, is its world map. It is simply gorgeous. It functions like a giant dungeon and the vast world is littered with hidden lost Gestrals, merchants, and treasure to find. The simple act of expanding the map and finding these items is enjoyable by itself. This delight is magnified by Esquie, the lovable sentient gelatinous giant who acts as the party’s mode of transportation. Esquie’s playfulness and optimistic naivety brings profound joy every time they’re interacted with. Collecting Esquie’s rocks unlocks new ways to traverse, from barreling through rough terrain, swimming, to soaring through the skies.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a journey that blasts the senses from beginning to end. The melancholic and bleak moments are balanced by the characters’ perseverance, which makes their triumphs shine much brighter. There’s a profound sense of style and substance that only expands as more of the world is uncovered. What results is a true work of art that ties its brilliant components together into a complete package, which is awe inspiring to come from a freshman developer. The heart and soul injected here makes for a very bright future of a return of more turn-based epics that don’t need the power of a known franchise to propel their popularity. RPGamers will not want to miss out on this masterpiece.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
A wonderfully picturesque world
Combat that always keeps the player engaged
A soundtrack that never misses
Expressive character models and powerful voice work
Free aiming pistol mechanic could have more uses in and out of combat
Necessity of engaging with timed combat mechanics may frustrate turn-based purists
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