Video Game Review: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive

Jack, I want you to paint me like one of your French games.

In the distance, across the vast sea, a daunting number stands as a beacon of mortality for those who live in Lumiere. Every year, the Paintress erases the number on the monolith, and every year she replaces it with one less, the number corresponding to the age of the sacrificial citizens of Lumiere. It has become the tradition of those in Lumiere to watch as those they love become flower petals on the winds of fate, to enjoy what little time they have left. But there are those who refuse to sit back; there are those who have no desire to let the Paintress take away their loved ones. These are the Expeditioners, the brave soldiers who set sail in hopes of locating the Paintress, of ending the war she sees fit to wage upon the innocent souls of Lumiere. But over the last seventy-six years, no expedition has yet been successful. Will Expedition 33 prosper where everyone else has failed?

The first few moments of Expedition 33 were enough to inform me that I was in for something special. As the camera zooms in over a distorted Eiffel Tower, the opening song, "Lumiere", grips with an enchanting sound, the prelude to an incredible soundtrack. The cutscene then focuses on Robert Pattin—sorry, Gustave as he gravely gazes in the distance toward the hulking Monolith, its aura threatening despite my lack of knowledge. Maelle and Gustave speak, and the dialogue feels natural, the characters’ histories in place, their ease apparent. The character models and facial animations, even the hair physics, all look wonderful. I’m already in.

This game is gorgeous. And French, very French. For instance, there is a set of “baguette” costumes for each character in which they don black pants with a black and white striped shirt, black suspenders, a red beret, and a baguette wrapped in a red and white sash. While the story can be dark and devastating at times, the developers did their best to add a bit of light to balance out their chiaroscuro foundation. The art style, from character to design to the splashes of paint used to decorate the UI, invites the player to stare at the screen. The game’s world, influenced by the extravagant and grandiose Belle Époque, creates a dazzling atmosphere. Each area is robust and filled with character and color, bursting with an enigmatic history of some long-forgotten battle. Even the world map, once it becomes available to the player, is a gorgeous proof of the ability of Sandfall Interactive’s veteran developers. Despite being this studio’s first game, it isn't the developers' first rodeo, and every ounce of love and effort poured into every facet of this game is evidence.

Exploration is simple and straightforward. While limited at first, the game opens up to allow for more traversal options, as is standard. Though I do wish there was some better form of fast travel, at least in the post-game, the map is captivating enough to observe over and over again as you pick up your last music records and pictos. While it’s exciting to scan each individual area for loot and discover little trinkets and mini-bosses throughout the map, I found that some areas that looked explorable were barred by invisible collision detectors. I don't mind keeping blinders on; a bit of suspension of disbelief never killed anyone, but when there is a rock that is less than a foot high, I should be able to climb atop (especially if I have a jump button and can do the same to other rocks of the same size in other areas). I also found that sometimes the developers created little hidden spaces that felt like they were meant to be discovered, only to find nothing waiting for me. If it happened once or twice, I wouldn't mind, but these were both frequent occurrences.

Before we get back to the good stuff, I must urge Sandfall to remove all platforming challenges from their future games. The jumping mechanic is serviceable, no doubt about it, but is it good? No, and it doesn't need to be. The Gestral beach challenges, where platforming was necessary, were some of the lowlights of the game. Though optional, they still interrupted my enjoyment of the game. It is my strong belief that if your game isn't built for platforming, it should not include any kind of platforming challenge. And what did I get for my toil? A costume.

I’ve spoken a bit about player input for exploration, but what about combat? Well, that part is absolutely brilliant, and if this wins game of the year, it will be the primary reason. Expedition 33 takes the classic turn-based JRPG-based team combat system and adds a massive twist: Souls-like dodging and parrying. I played on normal difficulty, and the game put up quite a challenge at times. Easy mitigates some of the reliance on dodges and parries (the former easier to pull off, the latter more difficult, though it offers a reward), while the harder difficulty will absolutely necessitate them. I find this to be a terrific balance on the part of the developer as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has an enticing story, characters, and world that should be enjoyed by players with lower skill as well as those looking for a challenge. Parries and standard attacks increase the AP (Attack Point) gauge by one, which in turn allows each character to use special abilities. In addition, weapons, Lumina, and Pictos alter combat so significantly that swapping them almost feels like playing a different game.

Speaking of variety, each character’s play style is so significantly different from one another that learning each one is a joy. Sandfall didn't simply alter or tweak the genre for the sake of tweaking it; every combat change they made was for the betterment of the genre. While I don't expect (nor want) every game to adapt something similar throughout any future games in the turn-based RPG genre, I would be shocked if this interactive, versatile, and diverse combat system doesn't heavily influence other creators. It should, it really should.

There’s more than one way this game takes influence from the Souls games: bosses. Bosses and mini-bosses litter the map and the storyline and challenge the player in ways they hadn't been before. New boss animations and abilities constantly kept me engaged and excited for the next encounter. The design on both bosses and standard enemies is wonderful and inventive, matching the world and creating enticing battles throughout the entire runtime. Good luck with Simon if you get there.

If the combat system is the roast beef of this French dip, the art, music, and UI are the baguette that surrounds it, then the story and its characters are the au jus, submerging all and giving extra flavor to every ounce of this fantastic game. There are huge moments, small gentle moments, character reveals, motivations, and growth that all drive the game forward. I was sucked in by the nuance each character showed and the relationships they forged along the way. The vulnerable decision to divulge more information back at camp always intrigued me (though I wish there was something to tell you when another character was ready to speak with you, as it was easy to avoid camp for long stretches of time). As one who does not wish to spoil anything story-related, I’ll have to leave it minimal and vague.

Despite my enjoyment, I had three primary issues with the story/revelatory mechanisms. First, while the game is meant to convey an air of mystery, there are many moments that feel like the developer is holding back for the sake of holding back; these moments feel like a contrivance and don't serve the plot, like Sandfall's hand is visibly holding back pages from you. When the concealment is done with care, it works well, when it isn't, it is quite noticeable. Second, the pacing is fantastic… until the third act. If you like to explore before finishing your game, make sure you don't start the third act, as it’s just one mission with no warning (as opposed to the first and second acts, which run for multiple hours across multiple missions). Third, there are moments where the game reveals things to the characters, though the player has no idea what these things are. Instead of feeling excited alongside the characters, in the moments you don’t feel like you’re part of their experience, but on the outside looking in.

While I noticed these small issues throughout my playthrough, they pale in comparison to how phenomenal this game is. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 delivers on every front that it intends to (minus the platforming). With such charming characters and engaging systems, it’s no wonder this game found immediate success. If this is Sandfall Interactive’s first swing at their own take on the genre, I can only imagine what they have in store for us next. I would recommend this to JRPG lovers, Souls-like lovers, and anyone who enjoys a unique world encircled with wonderful music, great characters and story, and engaging, unforgettable combat. And let me not forget the heavy helping of melancholic whimsy that accompanies the player until the very last brushstroke of this fantastic adventure.

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The Math

Objective Assessment: 9/10

Bonus: +1 for unique gameplay, characters, and world. +1 for visual splendor and engaging soundtrack.

Penalties: -1 for obscure for the sake of being obscure. -1 for any platforming levels.

Nerd Coefficient: 9/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.