There are many kinds of beauty. Art has a way of bringing out all manner of emotions and reactions in us as a response to the beauty or various reactions we have. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is beyond beautiful, and Sandfall Interactive has amazed me with its debut.

Clair Obscur is set in a world ravaged by an event known as “The Fracture,” which has unleashed violent creatures and disconnected the last remaining bastion of humanity from the rest of the world. Each year, a being known as The Paintress writes a number on her monolith, slowly ticking down year by year.

Everyone whose age matches that number is destroyed in an event called the Gommage, a sort of “Thanos snap,” if you will. As a result, the world’s culture has revolved around sending out “expeditions” every year, to try and reach and take out The Paintress to stop her from painting a new number. You play as Gustave, along with several other members of Expedition 33 as they depart their city of Lumiere to follow the trail of the previous expeditions.

I won’t say any more about the story, because it is best to experience it for yourself. However, what I can say is that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is just absolutely beautiful. I don’t just mean on a visual level either. The French-infused aesthetics are quite gorgeous, but there is something so hauntingly beautiful about the story and the world Sandfall Interactive has created.

The game effortlessly and seamlessly transitions from gameplay to cutscenes, and the gameplay looks so gorgeous that I sometimes didn’t realize I was in a cutscene until partway in. The character rendering and the motion capture are flawless, and the acting is spot on as well.

There is a magic infused in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that I haven’t felt in an RPG since the PlayStation era from the 90s and early 2000s. Everything is so stylistically crafted, from the story, the combat, the music, and even the world itself. It also doesn’t go too far in terms of over-explaining things to you. The game gives you just enough detail for you to figure things out, and then it sends you on your way.

This philosophy trickles down from the mysteries to the plot, even down to side quests and other elements. It incorporates things from more modern games (such as waypoints resetting enemy spawns) and limited healing item uses between waypoints. However, it all serves to create a tight, well-developed experience.

Clair Obscur’s combat even satisfies this philosophy. Each character has a unique gimmick that dictates how you play them. However, leveling them up allows you to fill out a skill tree for each of them that offers multiple playstyles. Certain characters synergize well regardless of your build, but even if it doesn’t seem like a character fits your party, you can build them into a role that will satisfy your needs.

The turn-based combat is fun and strategic, especially due to the Sekiro-style parry system and the (optional) QTEs for character attacks. If you want something more challenging, keep the QTEs on. However, if you have issues with reflexes or dexterity, then keeping the QTEs off is a nice option.

The main accessibility issue I could see people having is that the parry/dodge system is not something that can be turned off. Granted, it is an integral part of the combat experience, but for people who want something akin to a more traditional turn-based experience, I can see people having issues with this.

What I can say (for skeptical people) is that if you play on the easiest difficulty, parrying is something that isn’t 100% vital. With that said, after you fight an enemy multiple times, or after they attack you with a certain attack a few times, you will get the rhythm of the fight down well enough that you can learn parry timing well enough.

There is a certain sense of it, a flow you get into as you play that really lets you feel when the parry times land. Certain enemies try to trip you up, but even those enemies will become easy to anticipate after a while.

Some people will be turned off by the idea of a lack of manual saving options in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as well. However, the game saves so frequently that even dying to an optional boss (when I got a little cocky and went in unprepared) didn’t set me back more than a minute or two. Also, there are certain ways to trigger the autosave that you’ll learn as you play, so you can work around it.

Another unique quirk about Clair Obscur that might turn some people off is that exploration environments (dungeons, field areas, etc.) don’t have a map. The world map has an overall map that lets you see where you need to go, but there isn’t a mini-map or navigation aid in the various exploration areas.

To help you navigate, there are certain landmarks (such as glowing lights) that will guide you to the destination at the end of a level. However, if you are exploring to find items for side quests or just find items in general, you may get a little frustrated. This isn’t the worst issue, but some people may get annoyed.

Platforming in Clair Obscur is a little annoying, but most of the more difficult platforming challenges are optional. Because your options are either a slow walk or a full-speed run, it makes the platforming a little floaty and hard to manage at times. Still, with a lot of the tougher platforming being optional, it isn’t a huge issue.

Overall, even with the quirks of navigation, the lack of manual saving, the tricky platforming, and the mandatory parry/dodge functionality, I am still in love with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. I can safely say that unless something incredible comes across my desk in the next few months, Clair Obscur will be my Game of the Year.

I am endlessly impressed by the love, care, and overall quality that Sandfall Interactive put into their debut release. My little RPG-loving heart hopes that this becomes a franchise, even if it is an anthology with different stories akin to the Final Fantasy series. There is something just so deeply powerful about the world and story that Sandfall Interactive has crafted here.

If you are an RPG fan, this is a must-play. On the other hand, even if you aren’t experienced in RPGs and would want to try one that might be a little more action-focused, this is a great place to start your Turn-Based RPG journey. Overall, if you wish to play a wonderful game with a fantastic story and atmosphere, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful experience.

A PC Review copy of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was provided by Kepler Interactive for the purposes of this review.

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

$49.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Beautiful Painterly World
• Engaging Turn-based Combat
• Amazing Character-driven Story
• Toggle-able QTE option and other Accessibility Features
• Must-Play Gameplay Experience

Cons

• Parry system could be inaccessible
• Platforming is a little weird
• No In-level map