Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful, challenging RPG — and it’s my game of the year so far

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developers Sandfall Interactive state on their website that they want “to deliver incredible stories with intriguing characters in gorgeous fantasy worlds”. With this first release, the studio has delivered on that promise in every way.

Initially, Clair Obscur impresses in the visual department, but it isn’t just a high-fidelity marvel. It's also a challenging, thoughtful title, one that borrows from many of the genre’s biggest franchises and meshes those elements with unique worldbuilding, stellar combat and a well-written, twisting plot that’ll make you want to keep pushing forward.

If you’re an RPG fan and enjoy puzzling out combat encounters and mastering timed mechanics, or you’re just looking to dive headlong into a dazzling new world, this is the game you need to play right now; read my full Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review below to find out why.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: The Basics

• What is it? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based role-playing game that sees you exploring a French-inspired dark fantasy world and taking charge of a party of expeditionary troops trying to take down atrying to defeat a powerful figure known as The Paintress.
• Who is it for? Fans of JRPGs and engaging combat, or narrative-driven players looking for a new story to get wrapped up in.
• What’s the price? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 costs $49 | £44 and is available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S (including Game Pass), and PC.
• Which games is it similar to? RPG franchises like Persona, Dragon Quest, or the more traditional Final Fantasy games, but with combat/exploration elements similar to those seen in the Mario RPG series and Sea of Stars, and even From Software games like Sekiro and Dark Souls.

Exposition 33: Clair Obscur’s narrative is compelling from the off

Clair Obscur invites players to take control of members of Expedition 33, the latest set of troops to embark on a potentially futile quest to find and defeat The Paintress. She's a mythical figure capable of erasing anyone of the same age as the descending number she paints on a towering monolith, in an annual event that citizens of Lumiere call “The Gommage”.

Every year, the fractured city dispatches an expeditionary force to find and defeat The Paintress, preventing her from ever painting death again. The problem is, no one returns from their expeditions; these troops only ever pave the way for those who come after.

It's a save-the-world narrative, then, but a mature and emotional one. Across its main storyline, you'll encounter shocks, left-field twists and intriguing lore. Yet, tonally it's never too bleak, there's still time for laughs; look to the semi-regular combat encounters with mime artist constructs who build invisible walls or the battle-loving paintbrush creatures called Gestrals as early examples.

Each new member of your core party makes for an interesting addition, and they each have some personal reason to buy into the quest ahead. It certainly helps to have big names like Andy Serkis and Charlie Cox, plus talented voice actors like Jennifer English (Shadowheart, Baldur’s Gate 3) and Ben Starr (Clive, Final Fantasy 16) bringing the game's core characters to life.

I wouldn't want to ruin the big moments, but just know that by the end of the game, I was sprinting through some of the final levels. Not because I’d gotten bored of staring at all the lush environments and weird and wonderful foes, but purely because I couldn’t wait to see how things concluded.

The one caveat here is that some of the optional stuff felt a bit tacked-on. For example, you unlock “relationship levels” partway through the adventure. They’re akin to Persona’s Social Links, where each level comes with a brief dialogue exchange... though these sequences frequently felt weaker than the main story beats.

If maxing these ranks didn't unlock powerful abilities, I'm not sure I'd have been as motivated to pursue each one to the end.

Exploration 33: Clair Obscur’s world is rich and inviting

One of the many ways Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 harkens back to the classic RPGs that inspired it is by being comprised of linear, separate levels, connected by an overworld map.

Each region is distinct and richly detailed; you’ll pick your way through all manner of fantastical landscapes before your journey's end. They’re also all soundtracked by evocative pieces of music in keeping with the game’s distinct sense of place. I’m sure you’ll want to stop and stare or take screenshots along the way (consider this my formal request for a Photo Mode, Sandfall).

Exploration may be largely linear, but there are still alternative pathways to pick out in between mandatory story beats. Thorough players will uncover hidden items, NPCS, or "Pictos" — equippable, static stat boosts or combat buffs/effects — in their warren-like side passages. Some optional paths require awkward platforming sections, and the lack of a mini-map can be a little disorientating, but the extra rewards make up for it.

As you progress, you'll open up overworld shortcuts and your loveable mount/non-combat companion Esquie will unlock new traversal options like navigating difficult terrain or swimming. In turn, this will enable you to visit new areas in between story beats.

If you love hoovering up collectables, you'll be well-served. There are alternative costumes, journal entries from past Expeditioners, music tracks to play while resting at your camp and lost critters to find, plus optional challenges and bosses dotted around to return to later in the game.

Personally, I felt more than satisfied after rolling credits at the 35-hour mark, but if you're the kind of player who can't switch off until you've done everything, you're offered plenty of ways to extend your adventure.

Execution 33: Clair Obscur’s combat is complex and rewarding

Yes, it’s an impactful story, and sure, the world looks gorgeous, but it’s in combat where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 truly shines.

Battles play out in the usual manner that you’d expect, but the satisfying complexity comes from the layers of customization that players can apply to their party of up to three fighters.

There are all the usual options you'd expect. Each character has a range of weapons they can acquire and equip, plus a large roster of skills to choose from (which you'll unlock via levelling up), and there's a suite of elemental weaknesses, stuns and status effects to exploit or contend with, along with freely aiming ranged shots to target enemy weak points.

Those “Pictos” I mentioned earlier also come into play here, building out your arsenal and allowing you to bolster your skills and stats even further. Along with all that, each character in your party has a signature combat style.

Engineer (and Robert Pattinson lookalike) Gustave, for example, builds up a specific "Overcharge" meter by making basic attacks or using skills, and this can then be discharged into a powerful one-off move. Young fencer Maelle, meanwhile, has an entire set of skills built around dancing between offensive and defensive stances, each with corresponding buffs — and the remaining members are just as diverse.

Throw in your defensive abilities — choosing either to tank damage from bosses or enemies outright, or make use of real-time button prompts allowing you to either dodge or parry to deliver devastating counterattacks — and combat plays out like a puzzle, and an engrossing one at that. Better yet, new abilities, you'll gradually unlock new real-time responses and attack options to keep things from getting stale.

Attacks all come with their flourishes and flair, and the user interface is as stylish as the environments, meaning you’ll probably be spoiling for your next fight as soon as you best a foe. Though I occasionally found it difficult to read some of the smaller menus and text on my TV, Sandfall promised UI scaling would be one of several hot-fixes introduced to the game.

Don’t go in expecting an easy ride; even though the game’s default difficulty setting tells you it is recommended but not essential to master the dodges and parries, I think you’ll have a hard time brute-forcing the experience, without liberal use of healing and defensive skills at the very least.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: Verdict

On the whole, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a marvelous experience that wows both in and outside of combat. Sure, I’d have loved it if the material off the beaten path grabbed me just that little bit more, but after spending dozens of hours in this world, I can quite happily say this is a brilliant addition to the RPG genre.

It’s a feature-packed experience that promises up to 60 hours’ worth of content to the most dedicated players. After being pulled in by the charming, heartfelt story, stopping to admire every new environment or enemy design, and spending time getting to grips with the expanding suite of combat systems on offer, I couldn’t recommend playing it more.

Whether you download it via Xbox Game Pass or buy it outright, I’m confident you’ll have a great time. Forget Oblivion Remastered, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the role-playing game everyone should be playing right now.