Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a game from fairly new developer Sandfall Interactive. It takes inspiration from multiple games such as Persona, the Final Fantasy series, and more. Despite these inspirations, the experience that it provides is pretty fresh and unique. The world is new with new characters and stories that can be really interesting. There are some flaws which aren’t that big of a deal considering the overall package is quite good.
The developers went for a great experience and managed to deliver a compelling adventure. It is the type of adventure that offers both challenge and fun at the same time with its own unique identity. It is the type of game that will stick to your memory whenever you play it. If you are tired of the AAA games with their sequel, remakes, and all the bells and whistles then this will absolutely vibe with you. There are a lot of good moments in the story which will keep you intrigued. All this makes you wonder, is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise
The story is one of the game’s biggest selling points. Characters are compelling and the game puts you in a pretty creative situation. It introduces us to a world in which old people are dying one age year each time. It means that from a higher age, people are dying in a descending order and it is decreasing with each year.
Every year an expedition made out of the oldest year is sent on an expedition to not only explore the world but to defeat the thing that is killing them one year at a time. That evil being is known as the Paintress.
The premise presents a gripping idea that urges you to know more about the world. It raises questions like what life would be like if all the old people were gone. What about children? What motivates you to even go out on these dangerous expeditions?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 opens by answering a lot of these questions early on. The information is given effectively without imposing it on you. The cinematics and performance of the actors playing the characters are top-notch.
The Narrative
The story is epic and amazing but it is not all that video games need because other elements need to be equally better if not more so. I am happy to report that the game knows that fact. Soon after the game starts, you sail and go to a wide variety of different places. There are magical forests, underwater cities, caves full of crystals, and even a village with minion-type enemies among other things.
When needed the story can get super serious while still retaining humor and some good character moments. These moments do not feel out of place and there is a good balance of it. The emotional moments can hit really hard in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Turned Based RPG
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a turned-based combat with RPG elements which should be evident to the players following the game. Levels are linear but there are some non-linear elements to them. Different regions are separated by an over-world map that can traversed. When you get close to the enemies the combat starts in a traditional JRPG setting.
Combat
Some players might not like turned-based games but there are more layers to this one. You have more say in how you react to the attacks of enemies. When enemies are attacking you, you can dodge to reduce the incoming damage, or even time a perfect parry which lets you do bonus damage against the opponent. Relying on such moves can be a big gamble because it can either result in taking a lot of damage or let you turn around a losing battle.
On normal or higher difficulty, this dodge and parry window is really small. The window of parry and dodges can lead to some stressful moments. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has some of the best bosses in recent games but most of the time you will be too focused on staying alive that their design will bypass you. You can tune down the difficulty for a better experience. It should be noted that I am not that good of a player and usually get my a** kicked in souls-like games
Combat in general is pretty good with each party member having their own abilities that feature different gameplay mechanics. You can set up enemies for major damage through your previous attacks. There are a lot of different powerful attacks for each of the characters. Most of the gameplay stuff is pretty straightforward but can get complicated from time to time.
The More You Play The More You Know
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 slowly untangles so you will find new gameplay mechanics even pretty late into the game. Such an approach keeps the experience fresh throughout. Even multiple characters later, you will be figuring out the abilities buffs, and debuffs of the characters. However, if you are a fan of turned-base game JRPGs then this will feel right at home. There is a good system for engaging in turned-based combat.
There is a loot system thrown on top of the combat with different weapons elements attached to them. You can upgrade weapons with material and even stick to your favorite ones. There are also items that you can slot into your characters. These bonuses range from starting a fight with an extra attack point to healing with dodges and more. These items have levels and there are a lot of them to find while exploring or defeating enemies.
There is also the option of free aim attack which lets you attack a weak spot of your enemies. You can use it to knock off the weapon from your enemy if its attacks are giving you trouble. This system is underused and could have been utilized a lot better.
Customization
As you level up, you get points that can be dumbed in different aspects such as health, increased defenses, increased luck, and increased attack points. There are also skill tree points that let you unlock new abilities. These abilities include area-of-effect attacks, a fire spell, healing, and stuff like that. You can bring six of these abilities to combat. There are a decent amount of them and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 encourages you to experiment with them.
General Gameplay
The on-screen UI needs a little ironing out. It can get cluttered and overwhelming with all the on-screen information. After spending some time with the game, the on-screen option just becomes a stream of equipable bonuses on the screen. The game will dump a lot of different abilities on you which can become boring.
In the end, it is a decent system that tempts you to explore. There is a lot of side content in the game with a lot of different sub-areas to explore. So it is never a bad idea to go out of your way and discover more of the area. Side-stepping can even take you to a sub-boss. The side content that it offers is of high quality and doesn’t feel like fillers.
Platforming is one of the game’s biggest negatives. Even though it is optional, it’s just not good which can cause hindrance. There is no grab system and can get frustrating at times. There is no map in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, all you have is an over-world map, many of the icons don’t have any names and these areas are mostly linear. The lack of a map makes it hard to keep track of things and backtrack.
You can dump 30 hours into the game so it takes a while to complete the game. You can stretch it further with the side content. The pacing is done better and the game does not overstay its welcome. Music is really good and it elevates the overall feeling.
Verdict
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an interesting game that puts players in a fantasy world. The game’s setting has a vibe that can quickly grab your attention. It manages to hit a lot of high notes despite some small nit-picks and manages to present an experience worth remembering. It also depends on the type of player you are. That being said, if you are a fan of JRPG and story-driven turned-based games, then this is as good of a start as any.
Despite having some small setbacks the overall package is pretty interesting, to say the least. Despite being a new IP and taking inspiration from a lot of different games, it still manages to feel fresh. It does not overstay its welcome and does not feel incomplete or half-cooked. It is a single-player experience that lacks microtransactions and is priced at $50 making it a good package overall.
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