Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the greatest examples of a game meeting and easily surpassing expectations in recent memory. Around thirty people made this game. A fraction of the number of employees you see working on the majority of AAA games today. You might expect shortcuts, but Sandfall wanted to show that it didn't need any of them, and would challenge our perceptions on what a smaller team can accomplish.

Through sheer graft and ambition, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 does just that. The premise, the story, the outstanding visuals melding with the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, all with a Sekiro-meets-JRPG gameplay loop that proves as satisfying as it looks in the trailers. It's a game that feels as if it leapt from the dreams of a tech demo into our lives, and it has consistently blown me away in the hours I've spent with it.

When I first got to check out this game last year, it was hands-off, which did cause me to question the dodge and parry-based loop, something largely trivialised by the expertise of the demo player. This is the bread-and-butter of a battle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, as while you can win in a war of attrition on easier difficulties, you're missing out on what really makes the combat shine if you forgo the active element of it. Few games get close to the satisfaction of becoming a parry god in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stands proudly alongside it. The combat animations are spectacular all-round, dynamic and fluid with enough effects to make you feel as if you've not just pressed a single button to create such carnage.

But, when time slows, and you get a huge counterattack thanks to your own skill and timing, the impact feels that much more weighty, allowing for moments where you feel you've truly transcended humanity as you come out of a boss encounter without a scratch. The depth of the combat goes far beyond just pressing the right button at the right time, though, as with Pictos, attributes and Lumina points you are free to build each member of Expedition 33 as you please. The skill trees do point you in certain directions, so you're not left scratching your head. Lune can specialise into using a certain type of elemental spells, for example, or Sciel can work as a buffer for the party. The variety is a lot of fun to dig through, even if at times it feels like there are a bit too many Pictos, with a few being clear winners above others.

Outside of taking down the diverse armies of Nevrons crafted by the Paintress, there's plenty of exploring to do in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The world is split into two maps. The overworld is massive and allows you to travel great distances with the help of the massive balloon man Esquie, who transports you to the smaller, more detailed areas where there's no map or compass and you've got to rely on your own wit. Exploration is incredibly rewarding in Clair Obscur. There's always a nook or path to the side that's worth looking at, with puzzles, journals from other Expeditions, and more to be found. It's always a treat to get lost in both the overworld and levels largely due to the breath-taking visuals spread throughout the game. Again, it feels as if a gorgeous tech demo or singular piece of concept art has become a full adventure and I struggle to comprehend how such a small team did this. The visual style maintains a realism mixed with the weird of Clair Obscur's world that is just so infatuating to look at. Time and time again I'd look around the environment in a new level, sweeping across it slowly as if I were playing a demo on the stage of E3.

The excellence in the visuals is matched and perhaps even surpassed by the sound in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The soundtrack is like sweet honey being poured into your ear - minus the stickiness - and the star-studded voice cast bring their all to this story to give it the weight and emotion it needed to succeed. The narrative of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 feels like the heart of the whole game, and thankfully it lives up to the intrigue first posed by its concept. Sandfall Interactive has been unapologetically bold with this story, standing firm in its vision and delivering something that feels wholly unique. What begins as a simple quest to take down an oppressive entity forcing everyone to die young veers in directions you'd never have thought of, keeping the story front and centre, rather than just something you return to every now and again after clearing all the nearby side content.

That isn't to say the side content is dull. It's anything but. I had expected a couple of extra bosses, perhaps the odd new level dotted here and there. I hadn't expected a series of beach minigames, a side quest to track down lost little puppets known as Gestrals, and an endless tower. It's those things, combined with the excellent experience of the rest of the game, that raise Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 out of the saturated waters of today's gaming releases and up to hallowed ground. It is for its own style of RPG what Baldur's Gate III was for CRPGs. If I had to pick out a few minor points of issue, I would only be able to highlight the lesser enemies becoming trivial as you progress, and as the boss battles get more epic and grandiose, killing grunts starts to feel more and more like, well, grunt work, I suppose. Otherwise, you can't really ask for more from Sandfall Interactive.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a tremendous game that has set a new standard for RPGs, the ambitions of smaller teams, and AAA experiences in general. It's an easy game of the year candidate if I've ever seen one. A masterful story born from an exceptional concept. Combat that feels as epic and rewarding as the visuals make it appear to be, set to the backdrop of one of the most memorable soundtracks of recent years makes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a game I can't help but recommend. Sandfall Interactive has delivered something truly special, that will hopefully lead to a burst of inspiration across the industry.