Geek Review – Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Art has existed for as long as humankind, serving as a vehicle for expressing ideas, emotions, and knowledge. Through all of its form and medium changes over the years, it remains steadfast and comforting in bringing colour, hope, and meaning to the monotony of everyday life, never failing to remind us that to feel is to be human. 

The time-honoured craft is front and centre in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a bold undertaking made prominent through its title. French developer Sandfall Interactive’s debut outing pays tribute to its cultural roots by referencing its native-language term for “chiaroscuro” – the use of strong contrast between light and dark, tracing back to the Renaissance era from the 15th to 16th century. Then, there’s the Belle Époque (translating to “Beautiful Era”) setting for the role-playing fantasy that celebrates a period of French and European history, which began after the end of the Franco-Russian War in 1871 until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, further cementing its thematic cohesion. 

It paints a starting path to sky-high ambition, fuelled by the appetite to challenge conventions. Alongside a riveting narrative premise, the eye-catching title heralds a fresh spin on the turn-based tradition, ushering in a refreshing mix of hybrid-genre elements that carves out a strong first impression. The promise, fortunately, continues to hold up as a hauntingly beautiful canvas of style and substance, showing that fortune favours the brave and setting a trail for those who come after. 

Following a group of protagonists, Gustave (Charlie Cox, Daredevil), Maelle (Jennifer English, Baldur’s Gate 3), Lune (Kirsty Rider, The Sandman), Sciel (Shala Nyx, The Old Guard), Renoir (Andy Serkis, The Lord of the Rings), Verso (Ben Starr, Final Fantasy XVI), Monoco (Rich Keeble, Total War: Warhammer series), and Esquie (Maxence Carzalo, Ineffable), Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 twists the joy of flourishing artistry into despair through the Paintress, who’s seemingly responsible for the death cycle.

The enigmatic figure awakens every year to paint a number on a monolith, sparking an event called the Gommage, where individuals of that age will fade away. Embarking on the quest to break the cycle is the eponymous Expedition 33, with the number indicating those at or approaching the age of 33 are to meet their demise once the next Gommage comes around. It’s a depressing, sobering thought, and the title doesn’t shy away from its inevitability and resulting sense of helplessness, establishing the tone for the entire, well, expedition. 

Whether intentional or not, it’s interesting to note that Gustave and Renoir share the same names as real-life artists Gustave Moreau and Auguste Renoir, respectively. Indeed, the artistic identity runs deep here, threading a distinct European flavour into the aesthetic smidges of classic Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) like Final Fantasy and Persona, and the Dishonored series. Visual allure oozes in abundance, stemming from a colourful palette of striking imagery, arresting landscapes, and paint-infused finishes on the battle menu user interface (UI).

Amid the desolation lie signs of life that seep into the game’s environmental design. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 offers different locations to explore, some of which are included for the main story, and others, as an optional endeavour. No matter their nature, each touts a unique styling and mood to call their own – the Mansion, for instance, drips opulence with its gold-kissed furnishings, bright lighting, and elegant polish, though its long, empty corridors also give off unsettling quiet. Meanwhile, the more muted presentation of Stone Wave Cliffs fits nicely into its nature-steeped look, with Siréne adopting a near whimsical, picturesque flair that’s evocative of fairy tales. The welcome dose of variety adds individual personality to the mix, making the world feel more alive and dynamic. 

The crisp visuals also carry over to cutscenes, which unfold in a cinematic format designed to recreate theatrical immersion. Playing on a 55-inch TV reveals black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, but the impressive motion capture work proves sufficient in capturing attention, conveying all sorts of emotions through detailed facial expressions and natural body language. The human face models have a realistic, lifelike quality to them, although the staring can be a little too intense and even eerie at times. 

When gameplay is back in focus, exploration awaits. While navigation is largely linear, there are nooks and crannies scattered throughout that yield valuable finds, including gold (known as Chroma), new equippable items, collectables like journal entries and music tracks, and the most dangerous of the lot: optional bosses. A grapple mechanic allows for vertical traversal, sending out vibrational feedback on the PS5 DualSense controller when a spot that can be zipped towards is nearby – and it works neatly for the most part, barring the occasional button prompt delay. 

Small as the detail is, its usefulness cannot be understated. Some of these designated points aren’t the easiest to spot, especially when blended into the backdrop, so an indicator can go a long way. The haptic functionality, however, means keyboard and mouse players on PC may face a slight disadvantage, requiring more spatial awareness than their console counterparts. Scattered along the way are rest points, indicated by numbered flags, that fully restore each character’s health and replenish consumables, at the cost of respawning common enemies. It’s also the only window of opportunity to upgrade attributes (or reallocate the distribution of points with Recoat), learn a new skill, and unlock fast travel. 

Where some treasures are found, others are locked behind a spell-protected barrier, which is dispelled by shooting at three shimmering orbs in the vicinity. The task sounds easy until it’s not, a sentiment also echoed through navigational challenges – as a mini-map is eschewed for a sense of organic exploration, finding the right orientation or retracing steps can be difficult when surrounded by similar environmental elements. Additionally, poorly-lit spots reduce visibility to near zero at the recommended brightness level, making it tough to move around properly or spot figures lurking in the shadows. The situation notably exacerbates in the later stages of gameplay, where a monochrome colour scheme is used as thematic reinforcement. 

Speaking of enemies, the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 teems with Nevrons, hostile creatures sculpted by the Paintress. Some are more powerful than others, and entering combat reveals yet another ace up the team’s sleeve: a clever, high-octane battle system that riffs on familiar experiences. The mix of traditional turn-based mechanics, quick-time events (QTEs), and real-time dodging and parrying is a fine work of art, bringing a breath of fresh air from the usual RPG fare.

A successful strike on a foe grants an edge in the turn order, allowing players to act first. From there, drawing blood is fair game, be it shooting an enemy weak spot in free-aim mode to whittle down their health, applying buffs to party members, or activating skills. Each shot consumes an Ability Point (AP), used in place of the traditional mana point system or a stamina gauge, with skills requiring a certain amount of AP. When selected, offensive and defensive capabilities will trigger a series of button prompts, dealing and healing more damage if the corresponding keys are hit within the sweet spot. Performing a standard or perfect parry, meanwhile, rewards AP. 

The action doesn’t stop in the defending phase. Unlike the traditional shift into sit-back-and-watch passivity, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 offers the chance to retaliate. Parrying at the right time unleashes a devastating counterattack, while successful dodges and parries (not to be mistaken with perfect manoeuvres) negate all damage. As one would expect, dodging is easier to pull off, and there will be three more new moves to learn as the story progresses: Jump, which sets off a flashy tag-team assault, Gradient Attack, and Gradient Dodge. 

No matter the form, the thrill of executing counterattacks never grows old. The sight of party members evading enemy attacks and exacting punishment elicits immense satisfaction each time, picking up even more after the 9,999 damage cap is lifted. Individually, the different expertise of each character encourages flexible play and the cultivation of team synergy – spellcaster Lune, for instance, deals a “stain” effect to targets, joined by Sciel in the role of an attacker-support hybrid. 

The other members follow a similar pattern. Maelle can adopt and cycle through three stat-altering forms, seemingly inspired by fencing, from dealing 200 percent more damage to halving the damage taken. Gustave wields dual weapons with a swift play style centred on his Overcharge ability, which increases damage with more stacks, but Monoco’s design comes across as most interesting. Unlike the others, his skill pool cannot be learned manually and only unlocks after defeating certain enemy types with him in the active party. 

“Active” is a keyword here, as Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lets players send out a backup team if the main one falls in battle, granting a second shot at defeating the enemy. The key to victory goes beyond wielding the hardest-hitting equipment, however, as factors like elemental affinities and weaknesses, attributes, and Pictos are all part of the equation.

A genre staple, Attributes include Health, Speed, Attack Power, Critical Rate, and Defense, with some characters having higher base specs than others. Pictos, meanwhile, refer to trinkets that raise specific stats and unlock a passive ability, ranging from gaining AP upon each successful parry or dodge and doubling Burn stacks to dealing 75 percent more counterattack damage. Equipped strategically, they can be a serious lifesaver in the most challenging of battles.

Another neat fact about Pictos is that they become available for all party members after being activated in combat five times (at the cost of Lumina Points), adding a welcome touch of versatility. Apart from swapping them out to fit a character’s weapon affinity and abilities, they also act as a workaround to negative statuses: Resist Charm, for instance, grants immunity to Charm, one of the most annoying effects in the game that relinquishes a player’s control over their characters and forces them to auto-attack teammates. There’s a long list of Pictos to gather, allowing for bespoke customisation in spades.  

The “reactive turn-based combat”, as Sandfall Interactive calls it, coupled with various complementary gameplay elements, proves to be a winning formula. It’s one thing to combine an eclectic bag of genre influences and another to make it work so seamlessly, which makes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 an awe-inspiring feat, more so coming from a small team of around 30 developers. 

Still, there are some minor gripes to address. Back-to-back enemy encounters in the wild are followed by a lag, preventing an immediate attack after exiting the first battle, while the one-off tutorial for Gradient Dodge isn’t the most effective, putting players in a time-frozen state that leaves them unable to grasp the timing properly. The repercussions may carry over to the subsequent story arcs, where the manoeuvre is needed to avoid more frequent Gradient Attacks. While status effects can be circumvented by equipping relevant Pictos, it’d be nice to dispel them manually with Tints, or potions, which are restricted to healing and reviving party members, and replenishing AP.

Here’s the good news – tougher skirmishes usually only involve optional bosses, with boss fights in the main story staying within manageable limits throughout. There’s an option to change the difficulty level anytime, too, and less experienced players should find comfort in the fairly big difference between each tier, particularly for Story Mode. The generous dodge and parry window, alongside greatly reduced damage received, will be handy for dismantling pesky Nevrons with an aggravating combination of fake-out moves, irregularly-timed combos, and the ability to cast multiple shields or dodge nearly every attack.

Excellent composing further elevates the combat experience, conveying the kinetic intensity through sweeping orchestral pieces, fast-tempo beats, choral singing, and more, including one that appears to be a spin on the arrangement of “Winter” from Antonio Vivaldi’s signature violin concerto, “The Four Seasons.” 

Outside of battle, the audio mastery continues. Soulful, melodic vocals keep the Expedition company on their journey through the overworld, known as The Continent, which switches over to a top-down camera perspective. As Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 offers full control over all of the party members, players are free to cycle between them on the fly, albeit with reduced movement speed. It won’t be a permanent fixture, as faster traversal methods, such as flying and swimming, will be unlocked in phases. 

To facilitate exploration, places of interest relating to the main narrative are marked on the world map, and the semi-open world structure establishes a breeding ground for distractions. Gestral Beaches, for example, challenge visitors to a mini obstacle course – a task made tough by awkward jumping mechanics – while entertaining the requests of special Nevrons reveal more tidbits about the Paintress and the larger world. Missing Gestrals, friendly beings who enjoy the thrill of battle and view competition as a form of mediation, may also be found across the Continent and sent back to camp in exchange for rewards, starting with cosmetic options. 

Should players stumble on an area that’s too dangerous for their current level, a ‘danger’ warning will be displayed at the entrance, and they can choose whether to heed it. It may take some getting used to, but specific locations retain the overhead view when entered, making it difficult to spot items at times, the same issue encountered when navigating the overworld due to the lack of zoom functionality.

Being out in the open marks the only time players can set up camp, Baldur’s Gate 3 style. Apart from upgrading weapons and Expedition Resources like Tints or Lumina Points, the safe space welcomes interaction between companions to improve relationship levels, with each of them learning a new Gradient Attack after hitting a certain level. Beyond practical advantages, these heart-to-heart sessions give a deeper insight into the psyche and personalities of the entire party, who are all different in their own way.

It’s not always snarky banter, trauma bonding, and trading stories, either. While such instances are more lighthearted and tongue-in-cheek, the mood shifts dramatically whenever major story beats are in the picture. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t hold back from throwing emotional punches, revelling in displays of vulnerability where characters apologise for their actions, open up about their past, take comfort in one another, or other similar forms of human behaviour, further emphasising the found family trope.

Backed by a star-studded cast, the voice acting for the English dub is nothing short of stellar. English, however, deserves a special mention for her outstanding performance as Maelle, doing justice to her moments of uncertainty, distress, and rage, and the mellow, compassionate part of her character, with Serkis coming in a close second. 

Other activities to do at camp include writing a diary entry, listening to soundtracks from the game, and customising outfits and hairstyles, which technically can be done anywhere and anytime. To unlock more options, players will have to send missing Gestrals back to camp, defeat Mimes or purchase from merchants scattered around the Continent, who grant access to hidden items if beaten in battle. 

The final thread holding the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 experience is its narrative. Soaked in ambition, it presents and fleshes out some compelling ideas that remain a rarity in the current landscape, warranting praise for embracing a less-trodden path despite the loose ends. New Game+ will be available after completion, spanning 30 hours of story and another 30 for completionists (this playthrough clocked 29 hours of playtime, with a fair bit of side-tracking).

Creativity takes courage, and Sandfall Interactive certainly wears it well, especially with only around 30 members aboard. A brilliant first outing, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a charmer that delivers on all fronts, from its exploration of love, grief, and life and visually-arresting style to intuitive, enthralling combat. It’s testament to the handsome pay-off that comes with taking risks, breaking the cycle of genre traditions and leading the charge for, as every Expeditioner would say in the game, those who come after. In the same breath that it honours artistry, the title proves that evolving norms can be an art in itself, too.