Review | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

A obscur review

I barely have the strength to even start this review—let alone do justice to the sheer awesomeness this game represents. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is genuinely one of the best games ever made. It captures everything you probably love about the turn-based JRPG genre, wraps it in stunning modern art, and delivers a story that gives me chills just thinking about it.

Developed by the French studio Sandfall Interactive—about 30 people strong, including 12 former Ubisoft devs, with over 50 outsourced contributors helping with animation, music, and QA—Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a 2025 role-playing game published by Kepler Interactive. It takes place in a dark fantasy Belle Époque setting and follows the volunteers of Expedition 33 as they set out to destroy the Paintress—a mysterious being responsible for the annual "Gommage," which erases everyone above an ever-decreasing age.

According to CEO and creative director Guillaume Broche, one of the main goals was to make a turn-based RPG at a time when most AAA developers had abandoned the format (true story). The game draws heavy inspiration from Japanese RPGs—specifically the Final Fantasy and Persona series. Think of it as a turn-based JRPG, but with parry and dodge mechanics. It’s genuinely inspiring, and for me personally, it's a benchmark for how I want new games in the genre to evolve. I’d also be remiss not to mention the NieR influence, which many will appreciate—especially the melancholic atmosphere and the soundtrack.

On a technical level, Clair is a solid achievement, though not without its flaws. The PS5 Pro version doesn’t offer anything noticeably better than the base version, and HDR isn't working properly at the moment. Unreal Engine also has its usual struggles with balancing dark and light areas. Still, none of these issues truly bring the game down. They can be patched, and I’m hopeful the Pro version will get some enhancements in the future. I recommend playing in Performance mode for now, even though I’d personally prefer a Balanced mode—which unfortunately isn’t available yet.

I was not sold during the Prologue, but a bit by bit, I was hooked and it never let's go. This is a true work of art that comes with one of the best soundtrack ever made.

Story and the characters

There’s just something special about when a smaller team absolutely nails it. Every character in Clair Obscur feels carefully crafted—each with their own personality, story, and loss. It’s a deeply emotional and often depressing narrative, centered on a group of 33-year-olds embarking on a journey to stop the Paintress, who erases people each year by lowering the age cutoff for survival. Every expedition paves the way for the next one, leaving behind a legacy of sacrifice and hope.

It would honestly be a sin to spoil more. The story is one of the best I’ve experienced in recent memory—maybe even ever. Act 1 alone is unforgettable, and some later scenes hit so hard I still struggle to put them into words. I love the bleak, dark tone and the way it’s presented—it pulls you in and doesn’t let go. Collecting other expedition's memories (logs) is a great way to learn more, and there is nothing fetchy here, so whenever you go or do is connected to the story and the world.

The soundtrack is phenomenal. It hits like NieR in terms of emotional impact, but it’s also entirely its own thing. Every track feels like a near-masterpiece, and the score never lets up. Don’t worry—this incredible team knows exactly what they’re doing when it comes to music.

What really blew me away is how the game constantly pushes you forward. It never lets go. I was always asking: What’s going on? Where am I? What’s going to happen next? And the best part—they actually answer those questions. The pacing is excellent, and the voice acting is truly standout. I honestly don’t have a single negative thing to say here. I fell in love with every character, every performance, and the way the story was told. The humor is top notch, it makes me want more NPCs with their stories to tell for sure.

And the art? It’s next-level. Without a doubt, this is one of the most visually stunning games I’ve ever seen.

I can't imagine doing something of this scale when you have 80-ish people to help you with that. It makes me wonder what the hell are bigger companies doing... Congratulations to the studio!

Game design, exploration

While it might feel a bit linear at first, Clair Obscur is actually far from it. Not long into the game, you’ll exit into a world map—yes, a real world map, like in Final Fantasy VIII and other classics. Only here, it looks better. It’s full of secrets, stunning locations, and unique areas, each with its own bit of lore. Every location matters. They all add pieces to the larger story, so it’s worth exploring thoroughly—not just for the scenery, but also for the extra combat challenges. Honestly, I think this is one of the best world maps in the genre.

If I had to nitpick, I do miss good old treasure chests—instead, we get color-coded points of interest. But that’s minor. The core gameplay loop really shines. Toward the end, I did feel a bit of fatigue with enemy variety and the repetition of the loop—but honestly, that’s more on me. The game keeps things fresh, even reusing enemies with new moves and tactics, so combat always stays interesting—especially in the optional late-game content. It might feel a bit grindy if you're aiming for 100% completion, but there are ways to make that easier, so it’s not a big issue.

For the most part, you’ll follow the story through beautiful, hand-crafted locations while taking down enemies along the way. But that simple summary doesn’t capture how good or how fun it really is. The combat? It’s something else entirely—I’ll get to that soon. And the exploration, while maybe a bit straightforward, is so rich in atmosphere and visual artistry that it never feels dull. I was constantly drawn in by the visuals, the ideas, and the dark, emotional world. It's all clearly made with love and care. And with a few patches to smooth out some issues, this could become something truly special (it's also that now, but it can be even better).

It was a challenge picking up 20-ish pictures from 200+ in the gallery. I also didn't want to spoil much, so I hope these ones can show you how great the game looks and feels.

Combat

Love turn-based combat? Don’t love it? Doesn’t matter—this game will change your mind. It’s Final Fantasy meets Persona, with a pinch of Sekiro. I love it so much that I honestly can't go back to anything else right now. Combat is all about attacking, dodging, and deflecting enemy strikes—and I’m obsessed with it. Parrying isn’t hard, and when you nail it, it feels so satisfying. It can completely turn the tide of a battle. There's a solid variety of moves to dodge or parry, so every fight feels fresh, even when the mechanics are familiar.

At first, it might seem like your characters don’t have many attack skills—but trust me, they do. It’s all about creative combinations, passive buffs from Pictos, elemental affinities, and strategic debuffs. Weapons come with up to three passive skills, upgrades, and elemental buffs, so there’s plenty to manage—especially with over 100 different passive abilities available through Pictos.

Pictos are essentially accessories you can master. Once mastered, their abilities can be equipped on any character—as long as they have enough points to activate them. For example, I love stacking effects like extra move points at the start of battle or increased counterattack damage. The system has so much depth, and it’s super fun to experiment. You can mix passive buffs like HP boosts with offensive or defensive skills depending on what you need—just equip the right Pictos and go wild. I absolutely love this system.

Boss fights are excellent—challenging, but fair. I really appreciate that. They’re often short if you know what you’re doing, but they never feel cheap. Each character plays differently, so it’s worth experimenting to find what fits your style.

And I have to mention one intersting detail: between checkpoints, you get a few potions to spend. It’s a mechanic straight out of Sekiro or Souls games, and it works perfectly here. It keeps the pacing tight and the tension high, making every encounter feel meaningful and rewarding.

You can't really find a bad landscape or boring location in this game. I maybe miss more NPCs - just because the ones you do meet are excelent.

Side Content

The side content in Clair Obscur doesn’t feel like filler—it feels like an essential part of the experience. There’s nothing “fetch quest”-y about it. Exploring the map is excellent, especially as you unlock new powers that let you access previously unreachable areas. The map is crafted with care and details, it's astounding!

Side content comes in various forms: taking down special enemies, tougher variants of regular foes, collecting Pictos, and even tackling quirky platforming challenges in beach areas. Yes, you’ll be running across rotating planks—and while it feels a bit clunky, it’s surprisingly fun.

I absolutely love the world. Every location feels distinct and meaningful. Over the course of a 60-hour journey, you start to really appreciate the attention to detail. It’s rare to see side content this good—especially from a small team, delivering something this ambitious as their first game. I honestly have no words. I’m so impressed, satisfied, and genuinely grateful I got to experience this. And the fact that it’s priced below most AAA games? Come on—these devs deserve all the praise.

Sure, the side content and grind in the final act might feel overwhelming to some. But to me, it felt more like a final test—proof that I’d truly mastered the game and its mechanics. And because the gameplay is so tight and the combat so damn fun, collecting every log, item, weapon, or outfit never felt like a chore. It felt like a reward—one I was happy to chase. I wish more games followed this formula.

And there it is - the depression that comes when you finish the game such good as this one. It will be a while for me to recover.

Conclusion

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t just a great game—it’s a statement. A love letter to the turn-based RPG genre, crafted with passion, artistry, and a bold creative vision. From its emotional storytelling and unforgettable characters to its stylish combat system and stunning world design, everything here feels purposeful and inspired. Yes, it has a few rough edges—some technical issues, a bit of late-game fatigue—but none of that overshadows the brilliance at its core. This is the kind of game that reminds you why you fell in love with RPGs in the first place. For me, it’s not just one of the best games of the year—it’s one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had in gaming, and that says a lot.