Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review: A challenging game for challenging times

When it begins, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an RPG about younger adults fighting to give themselves a future in a world controlled by forces that seem hellbent on taking it from them. It’s sad how relevant that feels right now.

Every day, wake up and uncover some piece of news that threatens to destroy me and the people I love. Politicians are decimating social programs, a world that once embraced globalization is splitting itself apart again, and an older generation seems dedicated to determining the future of those who come after for as long as they can. It can sometimes be hard to find hope within that, but Expedition 33 raises an important point: We can find solace in working with like-minded people to do whatever we can to help fight back against those overwhelming forces. While an individual might not accomplish that much alone, we continue.

In the moments where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 embraces that theme narratively and mechanically, it’s one of the best games of the year. For a first outing for developer Sandfall Interactive, it’s an astoundingly ambitious and impressive RPG that many fans of the genre will adore. That ambition does come with some warts, but most of the risks Expedition 33 takes pay off and reinforce the theme that working together is necessary to create change and make a name for yourself.

We continue

In the world of Expedition 33, a being called The Paintress paints a new number in the sky every year. Everyone older than the number in the sky disappears in an event called the Gommage. Expeditions of people set off to “The Continent” every year to try and stop the Paintress, but none have been successful. The story begins on a sad note as we follow a scientist named Gustave, who watches the love of his life disappear before his eyes. He, along with his adopted ward Maelle and some of his friends, sets off to The Continent as part of the titular expedition.

You spend the first hour or so of the game getting familiar with all the different members of the Expedition, which makes it all the more shocking when Expedition 33 is attacked by an old man as soon as they make landfall on the continent. Gustave survives and considers taking his own life, but is found by Lune, one of his friends, before he can do that, and is encouraged to find Maelle and continue. It’s one of the most emotional and captivating starts to any game I’ve played in recent memory, and it sets the stage for a relatable, yet fantastical adventure.

While there’s a lot I can’t talk about because it treads into spoiler territory, each party member features a lot of hidden depth, and there are plot twists that can give games like Final Fantasy VII a run for their money. Expedition 33 joins a pantheon of games like The Last of Us Part II, Nier, and Final Fantasy VII Remake that aren’t afraid to narratively and thematically challenge players. All of this is backed up by outstanding performances from the likes of Daredevil: Born Again’s Charlie Cox, Final Fantasy XVI’s Ben Starr, and Baldur’s Gate 3’s Jennifer English.

That willingness to challenge the player will make some aspects of its narrative divisive, though, and I found the story more poignant in the first half than in the second. Thematically, Expedition 33 shifts with each act break for better and worse. I loved the story when it was focused on finding the will to live, fighting back, and continuing on in the first act. Eventually, it shifts to become more about how we process grief, whether that be through action or art.

While all of those concepts are thought-provoking, the latter hours of the story had me yearning for the more impactful emotions I felt in that first hour. Still, I appreciate that Expedition 33 is not afraid to challenge me as a player, throw me into a special universe with shocking lore, and deliver an unpredictable story that I could still relate to. While I might not click with every choice made, Expedition 33 is certainly a thought-provoking game I will not forget anytime soon.

An RPG homage

Expedition 33 is quite original from a storytelling standpoint, but its gameplay is an obvious tribute to Japanese-developed RPGs. It features turn-based battle, a world map, lots of ability and skill depth, and all of the other features you’d find in a Final Fantasy, Persona, or similar RPGs. It’s entertaining to see all these design philosophies reinterpreted by a European studio making its first game, resulting in an impressive gameplay loop — albeit with room for improvement.

If you’ve played a turn-based RPG before, you’ll understand the basics at the core of Expedition 33’s combat. You fight enemies to build up AP, which can be used on abilities that eventually allow you to deal massive damage and win the fight. Each party member has a vast skill tree, allowing players to shape their playstyles. Where the game gets more interesting is in everything it layers on top of that.

Sandfall Interactive did a great job of making each party member feel distinct. For example, Maelle switches between three different stances — Offensive, Defensive, and Virtuose — depending on the ability players use. Each comes with its advantages and disadvantages, so using Maelle requires mastering stance switching and knowing when to use each skill effectively. Meanwhile, mage character Lune builds up “Stains” with each of her abilities, and those are used to enhance her abilities further. Like all the best party-driven RPGs, the way you think about playing changes depending on which character you are controlling.

While battles are turn-based, Expedition 33 does require real-time attention during combat. Each attack requires the completion of a quick time event to maximize its effect, while all enemy attacks can be parried or dodged. Parrying is the main way to build up AP, so it’s critically important to master this if you want to successfully play Expedition 33, even on its easiest mode. This can get tiring as the fights get longer in the late game, so if you struggle to learn timing in video games, know that parrying is a major component of success. It would go a long way towards accessibility if Sandfall could add the ability to adjust parry and dodge window timings in a future update.

There’s even more gameplay systems to consider, like the Lumina system. Players can equip three Lumina on each party member at any time to grant that character specific buffs. These range from gaining AP when dodging to outright reviving the first time the player dies. After completing four battles with that character, the Lumina is “mastered” and all characters can equip that buff if they have enough points to spend on it. This is where the extreme character build depth of Expedition 33 comes in, although the menu for it is quite daunting.

The Japanese RPG inspiration can also be seen outside of battle. There’s a world map that players explore, and it’s surprisingly big and full of hidden bosses, items, and Lumina to discover. At any time on the world map, players can enter camp and speak to their fellow party members. These conversations unlock special abilities for each character and also add a ton of depth and context to the backgrounds of party members like Sciel and Monoco. Individual levels are somewhat linear, but succeed at offering worthwhile environmental storytelling as it’s possible to come across audio logs from previous explorers and checkpoints are all at flags laid down by those expeditions. This outside-of-battle presentation is reminiscent of PS2-era Final Fantasy, in a good way.

Expedition 33 is a true homage to RPG history, made for people who love the genre. In a time where modern RPGs like Final Fantasy XVI seem like they are borrowing a ton from western games in an attempt to stay relevant, it’s nice to see Expedition 33 go the other way as a western game paying tribute to Japanese greats.

The consequences of ambition

Another area where Expedition 33 draws inspiration from Japanese-developed games is in its presentation style. The UI is flashy, and attacks are all framed in cinematic camera angles, similar to Persona 5. Generally, Expedition 33 is a gorgeous, colorful game with character designs that are equal parts outlandish and lovable. In a year already full of games with great art direction, like Avowed and South of Midnight, Expedition 33 still stands as one of the best-looking. It also features an amazing soundtrack that I’ll be adding to my Spotify rotation as soon as it’s available publicly.

Unfortunately, the emphasis on style can sometimes hurt the substance. In particular, some cinematic camera angles and overly intricate enemy animations make parrying quite difficult. It was always hard for me to nail the timing of a parry when I was facing a new enemy for the first time, and the camera was pulled back far away from the action that was actually going on.

It’s in moments like that where this young team’s ambitions for this vast RPG, and Expedition 33 being a mid-budget game, come into play. For example, the lack of maps for explorable areas makes it easy to get lost, especially in some of the larger, more visually dense spots. Each new enemy is experimental and challenges previous enemy designs, while the story constantly shifts to explore a new theme or idea.

Sandfall Interactive was not afraid to constantly try new things throughout Expedition 33’s entire adventure. That approach creates some problems, but it’s also the game’s biggest strength. From presentation to gameplay to narrative, Expedition 33 is constantly punching above its weight. It takes well-trodden RPG ideas forged by Japanese developers, but isn’t afraid to put its own spin on those mechanics and their presentation to create something special.

And narratively, Expedition 33 presents a story that feels relevant to our current time, even if it’s entrenched in a fantastical world of painters, lumina, and wacky creatures like the living, blimp-like airship Esquie. While playing Expedition 33 reminded me of all the issues plaguing our modern world, it’s also inspiring. Just as this game picks up the torch left behind by classic RPGs to forge a new path forward for the genre, I’m inspired not to feel put down by all the forces that seem to be conspiring against our generation.

Great art inspires, and a playthrough of Expedition 33 made me want to continue and fight on.

Digital Trends reviewed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on PS5 with code provided by the publisher.