On paper, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t appear to face out amidst a latest wave of status RPGs, from the newly polished excessive fantasy of the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remake to the medieval warfare of fifteenth century Bohemia in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. For one, its fantastical conquests are set in a world harking back to France’s Belle Époque interval, an period identified for its financial prosperity and radical inventive actions, from Artwork Nouveau to Expressionism. Add a tinge of melodrama and an emotional backstory, and its setting resembles a medley of video games that happen in vaguely European worlds like Greedfall, Bloodborne, and Dishonored. On the similar time, Expedition 33 boasts a turn-based fight system impressed by Japanese RPGs like Closing Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
All that is to say that Expedition 33 dangers showing banal and cliche. Heading off unimaginable odds in a world, the place everybody desires to swing their very imposing weapons at your head amidst medieval ruins, isn’t all that distinctive today. However Expedition 33 isn’t cowered by the lineage of RPGs that got here earlier than. As an alternative, it shows a way of quiet confidence, understanding that the keys of the style — narrative and fight — should be distinct sufficient to weave a poignant story.
That is embodied within the prologue, which takes its time to unfold the sport’s emotional stakes. At first you’re launched to the scraggly-but-charismatic Gustav, who’s nervous about his assembly with ex-partner Sophie. Aside from going by the fundamentals of fight, Gustav spends the primary half of the chapter on a leisurely stroll together with her alongside the city’s boulevard, as they make their manner towards the harbor. It’s then that the sport’s conceit is revealed: the Paintress, a malignant, immortal being of kinds, wakes up yearly to color a quantity on a large monolith, culling the city’s dwindling inhabitants. When this occurs, everybody of that specific age merely dissipates into petals. It’s a second that would simply tip into mawkishness, however a palpable feeling of melancholia units in. A lump in your throat lingers.
This scene units the tone for the remainder of Expedition 33. You information a bunch of doomed Expeditioners like Gustav, who’re embarking on a last-ditch try and cease the Paintress. It will’ve been simple for Expedition 33 to plunge into an endless cycle of abject hopelessness, however there’s a real sense of surprise in touring past the small city of Lumiere, and towards the huge expanse of its bigger, phantasmagoric world.
One panorama has towering pink corals and shimmering sea flora, swaying like underwater tendrils, with effervescent streams rising from the bottom. One other showcases the remnants of Artwork Nouveau structure, with dilapidated buildings rife with elegant curves and floral patterns, in addition to marble faces carved onto their surfaces. It’s as if these lands, as soon as wealthy with historical past and biodiversity, have lengthy been wrecked by a cataclysmic battle. Regardless of the looming menace of sure loss of life, even the Expeditioners have been awed by the painterly attract of their environment, virtually thrilled to be on such a lustrous journey.
Equally — and unexpectedly — resplendent is the sport’s fight. Encounters sometimes start with the crew placing some monstrous titans with an preliminary, vibrant blow (or, in unfortunate situations, with enemies strolling into them), and being transported to a grandiose area. These scenes are stunning tableaus, with each assault depicted with the finesse and flourish of trendy sword fights.
Expedition 33’s turn-based fight seems deceptively simple. You’ll be able to concern instructions to every Expeditioner each flip, who’ve their very own spectacular set of strikes. The spine of Gustav’s assaults, as an illustration, is his prosthetic arm, which permits him to cost up his assaults and subsequently land a strong finisher. Whereas one other Expeditioner, Lune, embodies the mage archetype with a number of elemental spells at her disposal.
Including a wrinkle to this turn-based formulation is that enemy assaults could be dodged and parried. When timed proper, this lets you accumulate extra motion factors for pulling off a string of assaults, or launching a countermove. Performing twitchy maneuvers like these are extremely satisfying. A superbly timed parry can simply flip the tide of fight, letting you deal a large quantity of harm. That’s to not say that battles are simple; executing these strikes, on the proper time, is contingent in your understanding of enemy actions, a few of whom are liable to feigning their assaults. Most enemies even current their very own twists to fight, which makes each tussle substantial.
Picture: Sandfall Interactive
Including some tactical range to fight are Pictos, that are objects the Expeditioners can equip to buff their assaults. That is, by far, one of many smartest methods Expedition 33 has up its sleeve. There are many these to gather throughout the map, so you may additional customise every Expeditioner to a particular, most well-liked construct. Gustav’s Overcharge, as an illustration, requires him to land a flurry of melee assaults to cost up the talent, so I favor to equip him with Pictos that enhance the efficiency of his assaults.
That is how Expedition 33 helps you to subtly refine the cadence of battles. After which there’s the enjoyment of the grind; if an enemy proves to be too overwhelming, you may at all times plow by ramshackle bands of mechanical titans for expertise factors. That’s as a result of the ritual of grinding in Expedition 33 is deeply cerebral, quite than mindlessly tedious, with each encounter a large, but surmountable problem. Plus, swinging huge swords and scythes on the heads of Expedition 33’s monstrous giants — accompanied by a rousing, atmospheric soundtrack — lets your assaults land with a extremely meaty thump. Combating is a grand, stupendous affair.
There’s rather more to say concerning the sheer extravagance of Expedition 33. Its characters carry shades of complexity and compassion that floor of their conversations. Its music swells and swirls with orchestral lavishness, punctuating each interplay with a word of splendor or calamity. Its story is heart-wrenching, stirring, and humorous in equal measure. Some elements of Expedition 33 generally is a tad superfluous — like the necessity to put a numerical worth within the Expeditioners’ relationships, and sure dialog selections that make little sense — however these do little to mar its expertise.
Expedition 33 is constructed upon the traditional anchors of its style. However its grandiose story, bolstered by a downright sturdy fight system, turns it into one thing rather more than only a scrappy underdog.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is obtainable now on Xbox, PS5, and PC.