Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review – Tomorrowland
Many moments in Sandfall Interactive’s debut role-playing game stuck with me, even after the credits rolled, but perhaps the most poignant is from Sciel, a member of the so-called Disaster Expedition. “Death is a friend that will welcome me home.” At first, this may come across as accepting death before it even arrives, acknowledging the so-called great equalizer. However, from Sciel’s perspective, it offers two potential outcomes, both affording a reunion with her friends and family.
Yet as ever-present as death can be throughout Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, life shines throughout. To prove that it’s not for nothing – that it’s beyond simply existing, even if it means struggling with crushing sorrow.
The term references the strong contrasts between light and dark in painting to create a sense of volume, and this bleeds into every aspect of the gameplay. The turn-based combat with real-time elements; the mix of tragedy and joy; the impeccable homage to old-school RPGs in a contemporary shell. In short, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an excellent title. That Sandfall Interactive could deliver an experience of this weight and magnitude is as impressive as it is exemplary.
"Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an excellent title. That Sandfall Interactive could deliver an experience of this weight and magnitude is as impressive as it is exemplary."
The story is compelling from the very get-go, starting in Lumiere, an island city separated from the main continent after the devastatingly mysterious Fracture. Its inhabitants know nothing of the outside world, save for the Monolith and the Paintress, who awakens once a year to paint a new number, after which every one of that age dies, dissipating into petals in an event known as the Gommage. The fact that it’s become part of daily life in the city further leans into the ever-present nature of death.
Of course, its inhabitants aren’t taking this laying down…or at least they haven’t been for several decades. They send Expeditions of those with one year of life left to the continent in the hopes of destroying the Paintress and breaking the cycle once and for all. Why is she painting in the first place? Why does everyone die? Those are but a few mysteries that Gustave has to answer upon setting out.
A kind-hearted yet sometimes timid engineer, Gustave is joined by Maelle, his foster sister. Despite having several years left, she yearns to explore the world outside Lumiere. However, as soon as their expedition lands on the beach of the continent, they’re accosted by Renoir, an old man who summarily slaughters them all (with some help from terrifying monsters known as Nevrons). With only a handful of survivors and little hope, Gustave sets out to reach the Monolith and stop the Paintress.
Along with Maelle, he’s joined by the meticulous researcher Lune and the cheerful Sciel, a farmer turned teacher. Journeying through the continent, they meet the Gestrals, a race of wooden doll-like beings who yearn for combat and other challenges; seek out the legendary Esquie; and much more. To say any more would ruin the surprise beyond the obviousness of things not being what they seem.
"There are a few awkward bits of humor (and at least one downright bizarre scene), but watching the group process events, be it rolling with the punches or making sense of cataclysmic events, is enthralling."
Regardless, the plot is well-paced and tout, mixing the right amount of levity with seriousness. Some elements can feel a bit odd tonally, and by the time it’s all said and done, there are more than a few burning questions left unanswered. There are even elements that may be divisive among some players, but I feel that they suit the bigger picture, adding much-needed volume to the proceedings.
While the larger conflict and mystery are intertwined with the group’s interpersonal relationships and bonds (and sometimes overshadow them), the characterization is extremely on point. Part of this is due to the natural dialogue, which lends more weight to the emotional moments.
The other part is the voice acting. Charlie Cox is excellent as Gustave, balancing anxiety with an earnest nature that makes him imminently likeable. Kristy Rider lends a subtle sophistication and air to Lune, while Shala Nyx wonderfully embodies Sciel, who, despite her cheery and relaxed demeanor, seemingly carries a pall of sadness.
Andy Serkis as Renoir, Ben Starr as Verso (a mysterious individual who tracks the expedition for unknown reasons) and Rich Keeble as Monoco (a Gestral who talks the talk and clumsily walks the walk) also shine throughout. But despite the tough competition, Jennifer English is my favorite. She lends an aura of innocence and street smarts to Maelle, later tinged with the trauma of watching her expedition murdered.
The chemistry between the cast is also something to behold, whether they reminisce on the trials thus far, process grief, or try to make sense of everything happening. There are a few awkward bits of humor (and at least one downright bizarre scene), but watching the group process events, be it rolling with the punches or making sense of cataclysmic events, is enthralling.
Also, shout out to the rest of the cast for voicing the voice logs of other Expeditions discovered throughout the continent. They’re a joy to listen to, and, on top of providing more context on what led to their demise, some genuinely poignant moments lay waiting to be discovered. Lore is always a challenging endeavor, but Clair Obscur’s logs paint an incredible portrait of the world while also getting me to care about these people.
"All of this combines into a combat system that feels dynamic and involved. You’re constantly attempting to adjust to new enemies and patterns – and there is a venerable smorgasbord to deal with."
Of course, you can chat up party members back at camp and increase bond levels, though the system could have used a bit more oomph beyond simply selecting one of two dialogue choices and watching the level increase. These interactions usually unfold as exchanges with minimal animation, though some unique moments occasionally emerge.
The English lip-syncing also felt off on occasion, which took me out of some of the interactions (though the quality of the voice acting brought me back). Thankfully, this is less common during cinematics, which boasts incredible cinematography and animation work.
Much has been made about the combat. How it’s dynamic and engaging, and the absolute highlight of the experience. Whatever you’ve heard or seen, good news – it’s even better than that. The fundamentals are straightforward enough – turn-based with a turn order determined by Speed, which also influences how often you act, which also applies to enemies. Action Points are spent on Skills, but you can also use them for Free Aim shots. Enemies can be stunned after receiving enough Break damage. So far, so good.
Where Clair Obscur diverges from most other titles is in its use of real-time elements. Manually aiming to hit weak spots. Dodging attacks and parrying, leading to counters. Timed button presses for skills (though you can turn this off if it gets too obnoxious). You can also jump over certain moves and attack an enemy. Sometimes, the entire party may be targeted and upon parrying, they unleash a devastating triple counter. On top of this are Gradient Counters, used against specific enemy attacks, and Gradient Attacks, which unleash powerful techniques after consuming enough AP and building charges.
All of this combines into a combat system that feels dynamic and involved. You’re constantly attempting to adjust to new enemies and patterns – and there is a venerable smorgasbord to deal with. It’s not long before you’re dealing with enemies who mix in sweeping attacks to jump over and must use Gradient Counters out of nowhere to survive devastating hits. The rush of parrying multiple hits, accompanied by the pause in music and punch of a counter is as dopamine-inducing the first time as it is the hundredth.
Some enemies also have elemental affinities, which means they’re susceptible to different types of elemental damage. Use the wrong type, and you’ll deal less damage; use the same type of element and they’ll absorb your attack, regaining health. Not only will you have to consider which weapons to use (especially since their passives are integral to certain set-ups), but the Skills and synergies.
"While early areas feel more “linear” and don’t offer as many side areas, that’s thankfully not the case throughout. Subsequent environments open up with more unique foes (like Mimes and Petanks), optional bosses, light puzzle solving, platforming, and varying elevations."
In terms of character kits, Clair Obscur does a phenomenal job of outlining the basics and slowly adding layers of complexity. For example, Maelle has three stances – Offensive, which deals and takes 50 percent more damage; Defensive, which reduces damage taken by 50 percent and grants additional AP on parrying; and Virtuose, which increases damage by a whopping 200 percent. Early on, the loop seems easy enough to understand – Offensive stance, then ignite an enemy and switch to Virtuose before dishing out more damage.
However, you may decide to spec into Burn damage, thus leveraging a skill, which inflicts Burn stacks while also dealing more damage with each stack. It also switches you into Offensive stance, allowing you to gain more Burn stacks with a different skill. You could switch to Virtuose with another skill (which also recovers some AP) and use another skill, which consumes those Burn stacks, for big damage. Or you could come up with something completely different.
And that’s only one character. Lune encourages thinking carefully about your equipped skills since each generates a Stain that can be consumed for different effects. Want to cast an Ice attack and receive four AP if the enemy is burning? How about taking another turn because two green Stains have been consumed?
I opted for a completely different approach – using a weapon that generates random Stains on Free Aim shots (and two on a base attack). If the odds were in my favor, I would consume them to increase the damage of skills or activate Mayhem, which consumes all four Stains for massive damage and potentially breaks an enemy. Was it super-practical to try and get four different colored Stains to activate Elemental Genesis, one of her highest-damaging skills? Maybe not, but when it worked, it was a blast.
Then you throw in the Pictos and Lumina, further diversifying your builds. Pictos are items containing stats and a passive effect, like dodging to obtain an Action Point or a percentage chance to inflict a Burn stack on a Free Aim shot. You can equip up to three, but once you’ve played four battles, the passive effect can be equipped as a Lumina by anyone (if you have the Lumina Points).
It’s reminiscent of Final Fantasy 9’s system, and the options are extensive, from increased break damage on base attacks and Free Aim shots to health recovery each round, additional AP on Parry, and even +1 AP on Parry, but damage received is doubled.
"The overall diversity is also something to behold – each location brimming with an unmistakable atmosphere, whether it’s the deceptively laid-back Gestral Village, a location with an oceanic ceiling that has to be seen to be believed, or a battlefield littered with giant swords."
There is a lot of choice available, yet, it’s streamlined and easy to enable. Even leveling up weapons to unlock their higher-level passives (since each has three) doesn’t feel grindy. You may not have enough resources early on to fully level up all the weapons, but later game threats offer more plentiful upgrade materials and even some free weapon level-ups.
Considering your stats is important as well since weapons can scale off of two for more damage. However, you’ll want to diversify, especially since investing enough points in a stat could offer increases for others. By the endgame, your min-maxing route becomes clear but I still found it enjoyable to balance how much critical hit chance I needed and where I could compensate with Pictos.
The other core pillar of Clair Obscur is exploration, which brings us to one of the more common points in previews – linearity. While early areas feel more “linear” and don’t offer as many side areas, that’s thankfully not the case throughout. Subsequent environments open up with more unique foes (like Mimes and Petanks), optional bosses, light puzzle solving, platforming, and varying elevations.
Granted, some stretches offer little more than going from point A to point B (to say nothing of the stages, which are little more than a beautiful backdrop where you collect a record to play back at camp), but it’s an upward curve of complexity. Level layouts and mechanics become richer and more complex as you progress. The overall diversity is also something to behold – each location brimming with an unmistakable atmosphere, whether it’s the deceptively laid-back Gestral Village, a location with an oceanic ceiling that has to be seen to be believed, or a battlefield littered with giant swords.
Which brings us to the overworld exploration. When the development team boasted about 30 hours of side content to go with the 30-hour story, it wasn’t kidding. Platforming challenges (including one that’s a clear homage to Only Up), Chromatic Nevrons (much tougher versions of foes who yield better rewards), Lost Gestrals, and optional areas teeming with challenging bosses – there is a deceptively large amount to discover.
"You may baulk at some twists as much as enjoy the thrilling encounters and emotional moments. Either way, this is a fantastic RPG experience that deserves your attention."
While some mini-games feel rougher than others, the sheer range of content is still impressive. I was delayed for hours from finishing the story simply due to discovering a new region, boss or side story. You shouldn’t expect Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth levels of playtime, but it’s still a meaty experience that thankfully doesn’t overstay its welcome or pile on meaningless tasks.
Regarding the presentation, what can I say about Clair Obscur’s visuals that screenshots and video haven’t already? Unreal Engine 5 is in full effect with stunning particle effects, atmospherics and textures (barring the rare low-res example). Character models look excellent, but the environments are on another level entirely in terms of detail.
It’s a shame that the PS5 version has such severe pop-in while traversing the overworld, especially on Esquie. You won’t notice it as much while exploring levels on foot, though HDR can feel a bit too dark in some places, necessitating adjustments. At least Performance Mode is a consistent 60 frames per second, and there are options to turn off motion blur.
When it comes to the music, there are no complaints whatsoever. The sheer variety in arrangements, from jazz and piano-backed pieces with high-range vocals to techno, is breathtaking. Whether it’s better than the very best in the genre is for you to decide, but it certainly deserves a place in that tier. It’s a shame, then, that a bug can occasionally cause the music in a fight to cut out, resulting in an awkward silence. This isn’t as terrible as the two times I got stuck in the environment, but otherwise, the level of polish is fairly strong.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a few nagging issues, especially on PS5, but the positives are overwhelming and worth celebrating. A studio of this scale delivering such incredible production values, combat, story-telling, characterization, and world design is truly something special and I only hope it isn’t lost in the shuffle of big-name releases. You may baulk at some twists as much as enjoy the thrilling encounters and emotional moments. Either way, this is a fantastic RPG experience that deserves your attention.
This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
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