I clearly remember watching last year’s Xbox Gameshowcase and walking away mostly disappointed. However, there was a single game that they showed, with wonderfully flashy moves, turn-based combat, and real-time QTE events that peaked my interest. That game turned out to be: Clair Obscur Expedition 33. While it is fair to say that its release flew under several peoples radar, once word of mouth spread it caught like wildfire. After finally seeing the credits roll yesterday evening I just knew I had to write about this masterpiece of a game.
Grief, hope, and the struggle to live – the story
As with any RPG the narrative takes center stage. Expedition 33 wastes no time in establishing the world and giving you a reason to fight for. Since I absolutely don’t want to spoil anything for anyone about this fantastic narrative, simply put: the world of this alternate Belle Époque France (set in the Paris-like city of Lumiere) finds itself in the grip of the Paintress. Seen sleeping in the distance, she is a constant reminder to the citizens of Lumiere that time is precious, as once a yea,r she wakes to paint a new number on a big monolith. Subsequently, all people of Lumiere who are older than the number she has painted vanish into thin air.
Naturally, some people don’t just take this lying down. And so every year, an expedition sets forth to the monolith to kill the Paintress and rid the world of the death and sorrow she brings. In honor of the number seen from anywhere within Lumiere, this year’s Expedition 33 sets forth to embark on one of the few remaining last-ditch efforts to destroy the Paintress. One thing is for certain, seeing as the numbers are counting down, there won’t be many expeditions after this one, so you have to make it count!
An interesting premise for sure, but a story is only as good as it is told. Thankfully, this is one aspect that Sandfall Interactive absolutely nailed. Within the first hour of the game, the narrative manages to give the player a clear understanding of why we should care (bring tissues…I definitely should have). While some of the terminology is never fully explained (chroma? Lumina converter?), at least not initially, it’s enough for you to get you emotionally invested in the people’s fight against the Paintress.
Thankfully the amazing storytelling doesnt just end with the general plot. The characters, such as Gustave and Lune are so well written, so believeable that the events that befall them, their backstories hit all the harder.
I feel that anything more that I say will venture deep into spoiler territory. This is a story to be experienced; and the last thing I would like to do is ruin the experience for anyone. Go into it blind – and immerse yourself in this one-of-a-kind adventure. As a final note, as described in the header: this is a story about hope, but also about grief. This is not a happy-go-lucky story. Its thoughtfull, its morose, its hopeful and tragic. At its core its about loss. The loss of generations, about the impending doom as the Paintress paints her countdown, and the struggle to overcome it. Please make sure youre in the right state of mind before playing this game.
A fantastic soundtrack meets a unique art direction
I have had the soundtrack of the game on repeat for the last week. The music Lorien Testard composed for this game perfectly accentuates the action happening on screen. I played roughly 3-4 hours of this game, having an audience in the form of my wife and her family. While none of them (except for my wife) truly understood what they were seeing on screen, or the narrative for that matter, the one thing they all felt was that the music accompanied the action so well that they too felt moved by the story.
Let’s talk a little about the art direction. What I love about the game is how this game feels visually distinct from other games of the genre. People who spend a lot of time with games know that the cultural background of the developers flavor their games they develop. It’s why the concept of “JRPGs” exists – Japanese developers have their own distinct signature within this genre that so clearly separates it from their western counterparts. With Expedition 33 its a little bit more subtle, but the art direction nonetheless feels very distinct from what we are used to. The game will take you from the streets of Lumiere, to a pseudo-underwater level (with coral reefs and everything) and so much more.
I have been fully utilizing my Xbox Gamepass priviledge to play this game on my Xbox Series X. As with many other Xbox games, this game too includes a quality mode and a performance mode. As usual, since I care mostly about a smooth gameplay experience I played this game in performance mode which targets a steady 60 FPS. After having played the game to the end, and having done some of the optional stuff, I can say that while the game may not play at a locked 60 FPS, it reaches that target when it counts. I don’t care if there are some hiccups during overworld traversal. What matters are the constant frames during combat (to hit those crucial dodges and parries). Since I don’t have the equipment needed to properly analyze the technical proficiency of this game, I highly recommend you check out digital foundy’s take:
Ultimately, considering this game was developed by a small team of just about 30 core developers, what has been achieved here is incredible. The voice acting, the score that makes every scene special, and the art direction are top notch. Game publishers that think pumping more money into their studios will achieve similar results should see this game as an eye-opener.
Final Fantasy and Paper Mario had a baby
As Sandfall has stated on numerous occasions, one of the key inspirations for Expedition 33 was the Final Fantasy series. This is clear from the outset as this game plays like a classic turn-based RPG. Events unfold in turns (indicated by the timeline in the top right corner), allowing you to plan your moves appropriately. At first, you are only given a small handful of moves. You can attack normally, or choose to consume “Action Points” (AP) to use a skill. A skill is one of the more devastating moves in the game. Furthermore, you can use items and shoot the enemy from a distance similar to Persona 5. Shooting allows you to target enemy weak spots and may even open them up to further attacks.
The aspect that makes this game’s combat more interesting is the quick-time-like element of dodging and parrying. If the player presses the dodge button within a short time-frame before being hit, they will dodge the attack, negating all damage. However, for those looking to turn an enemy attack into an opportunity, parrying is the better choice. Press the parry button in an even stricter time-frame, and you can redirect the attack back to your opponent, leading to potentially devastating amounts of damage. Become a master at parrying, and you will be able to take down even the hardest bosses with basic gear. But that’s much easier said than done, as some enemies attack you multiple times, meaning you will have to develop really good reflexes or learn the rhythm of the attacks. If you are familiar with the Paper Mario franchise, you will feel right at home.
Combat feels very good, and while parrying may not necessarily be mandatory to progress in the main campaign, learning how to dodge is a key aspect. This game is much faster paced than what the trailers would let you believe. However, it is the moment-to-moment gameplay, the perfectly-timed parries, and the adrenaline you feel as you defeat a strong enemy without taking any damage that will make you appreciate the combat. Sandfall Interactive gives the players all the tools they ever needed for the player to always feel in control. If I lose a match, it’s because I messed up. Sure, maybe some enemies have a strange attack pattern, but I am NEVER out of options. This makes the game feel incredibly fair, even if that means I cannot play it mindlessly “on the side”.
Outside of combat, the game is fairly straightforward. The game is split into several little dungeons (some tiny, others fairly large) connected by an open world for you to traverse. Think Tales of or Final Fantasy and you’ll know exactly what I mean. In addition to overworld traversal, you can always bring up the campfire to enjoy some quality time with your crew of expeditioners. Here you can find out more about the lore of the characters, upgrade your weapons, assign skill points to your characters, and just kick back to listen to some wonderful tunes.
As positive as I have been about the game, there are still some gripes I have with the gameplay. For some reason, the developers made a conscious decision not to include any kind of dungeon map. While that may have been a design element for you to pay more attention to the world you’re in, I found it a little tedious. Especially after all these hours of gameplay, I have no indication whether I have found everything I need to find in some of the earlier dungeons. On top of that, for a game that, especially in the late game, relies so heavily on dodging and parrying to make it through alive, the omission of a “Retry” feature is ridiculous. Even if it was a deliberate omission, I do not think it’s good game design.
Final Thoughts
If I had known just how much this game would become my obsession, I would have cleared my schedule. Somehow, even after the credits have rolled, I find myself coming back to discover more of this wonderful world. This game is not perfect, it has some strange design choices that, while maybe intentional, don’t make the game any better. I also think that some characters could have been introduced just a little earlier to make your connection to them more meaningful. That said, the worst part of this game is simply that I cannot ever experience it “for the first time” again. Clair Obscure Expedition 33 tells a captivating story of grief, loss, and hope. It does so without missing a beat, and unafraid to explore some difficult subject matter. The combat is excillerating giving me full control and never feeling unfair. Defeat just motivates me to get better at memorizing the enemy attack patterns. This “just give me one more shot” feeling is akin to the experience strategy games give me (“just one more turn”).
This game is not perfect. However, I can’t help but feel that what Sandfall Interactive have created here is a timeless masterpiece. I don’t know if we will get a sequel to it or not. Deep down I don’t think I want a sequel. There are some open questions, yes, but what we have here feels complete. Thank you, Sandfall. I look forward to your next game, and until you release it, I will have Expedition 33s OST on repeat.
10/10
