A unusual RPG not fairly like something you’ve performed earlier than, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a type of video games the place the much less you already know entering into, the higher. A lot of its techniques, themes, and options will really feel pretty acquainted. Nevertheless, the best way first-time studio Sandfall Interactive has moulded these items collectively is uncommon.
This can be a good factor, for after so many formulaic efforts over latest years, the title looks like a breath of recent air. Should you’re prepared to let it take you on its experience, then Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 represents one of the vital bizarrely wonderful experiences on PS5.
Utilizing the traditions of the turn-based RPG style to craft equal components fight and exploration, you’ll journey throughout The Continent to attempt to put a cease to The Paintress and her quest to rely right down to zero.
Yearly, she inscribes a quantity onto her Monolith, and each particular person of that age is left with 12 months to reside earlier than they flip to mud. Annually, town of Lumiere sends a battalion of warriors and mages of the age she paints to attempt to take her down. All have failed.
You be part of Expedition 33, which should now bear the load of humanity’s eventual extinction by itself shoulders and succeed the place others haven’t. The group meets rapid catastrophe after arriving on the shores of The Paintress, however as a small group of fighters band collectively within the aftermath, there’s nonetheless a glimmer of hope issues may be completely different this time.
What follows is a roughly 35-hour journey that includes a few of the most engrossing storytelling on PS5. Gustave is mostly seen because the chief of the pack that rises from the ashes, although as you recruit extra celebration members, the story develops in depth and emotion to make each character a important half. With twists and activates prime, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 marks a formidable debut for Sandfall Interactive.
There’s an actual sense of high quality coursing by way of the script and the cutscenes bringing it to life. The voice solid options stars like Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), Ben Starr (Remaining Fantasy XVI), and Jennifer English (Baldur’s Gate 3), and their on-screen personas are enhanced by way of skilful and shocking cinematography strategies.
Whereas the lip-sync doesn’t at all times fairly line up appropriately, each cutscene stays gripping, with an already intriguing plot heightened by distinctive digicam angles and wonderful voice appearing. It’s proof you don’t want the largest funds on this planet to supply one thing particular. With a series of occasions that dares to take dangers and refuses to tug any punches, the RPG builds on its compelling setup to ship essentially the most absorbing of narratives.
Linking all these story sequences collectively are plentiful bursts of turn-based battles and exploration that comply with an fascinating construction. The plot is informed linearly and requires you attain particular places to proceed its story. These locations are unfold throughout an overworld map known as The Continent, which you’re given free entry to traverse. You may select to go straight for the primary goal off within the distance or take a while out to discover optionally available areas that flesh out the world with new settings and challenges.
Absolutely exploring these areas is how your playtime might comfortably balloon to 60 hours or extra, however they’re additionally the place you’ll encounter a few of the extra peculiar and comical sides of the sport.
From off-the-wall dialogue to minigames that emulate different online game ideas, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a really weird expertise at instances. It will possibly go from an emotional, intense cutscene to its model of Solely Up! inside a couple of minutes, or shock you with a comedic scene that enables the voice solid to thrive of their roles.
The distinction feels uncanny at first and may current a little bit of tonal whiplash. Nevertheless, the extra widespread it turns into, the extra you begin to get pleasure from it. You may by no means appropriately guess what’s going to occur subsequent, or what you would possibly discover in a brand new space. It provides the sport a way of mystique, which, when coupled with the intense story, makes for one thing that’ll make you cry after which snicker by way of the tears. Sandfall Interactive finds a pleasant steadiness, although, permitting every emotion its place and sufficient time to return to phrases with it earlier than shifting on.
What stays a continuing is the fight, which expands the basic turn-based construction with dodges and parries that flip enemy assaults into one other likelihood to deal injury. You type a celebration of three for each battle, and each member brings with them their very own mechanic and types of assault.
Gustave, for instance, is repeatedly working to construct an Overcharge meter that delivers a lightning blast. He positive factors costs from utilizing different talents, and the extra it’s powered up, the extra injury it offers. Maelle, in the meantime, switches between three stances that alter her stats primarily based on what assaults you utilize, and Lune produces and consumes Stains to spice up her elemental expertise.
The celebration members who be part of Expedition 33 after the beginning three even have their very own technique of engagement, offering a special approach to consider fight and the way you method it.
The place the title goes above and past, nevertheless, is by morphing enemy turns into the chance to grow to be your personal. All of their assaults might be both dodged or parried, and particular strikes might be jumped over or prevented with a Gradient Assault. Should you efficiently parry each strike, you’ll retaliate with an assault of your personal that always offers extra injury than your commonplace talents — the identical goes for leaping and Gradient Assaults.
This mechanic provides the battle system its depth and elegance, turning an enemy’s sequence of assaults right into a theatrical efficiency you could match your button presses to. It’s particularly satisfying to counterattack after parrying a troublesome sequence of blows, and when you’ve mastered the whole lot they’ve to supply, you’ll begin to welcome their assaults greater than your personal.
Away from the battlefield, you’ll be able to customise your loadout by way of a collection of Pictos and Luminas. These two interlocking options show complicated at first, and the menu they’re discovered on does little to clear issues up.
Basically, the Pictos are perks you’ll be able to equip to your three celebration members. After utilizing them for 4 battles, their impact turns right into a Lumina. These Luminas can then be geared up onto your different characters in alternate for a foreign money, successfully spreading the advantages of the Pictos to everybody in your celebration as a substitute of only a single particular person.
You’ll wrap your head across the features ultimately, however within the early sport, their implementation is puzzling. Fortunately, different sources of customisation like weapon upgrades and outfit modifications are much more simple.
With such a classy battle system of turn-taking and counterattacks accompanying enjoyable exploration, varied customisation parts, and the excellent story, there’s by no means a second the place Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 falters. Its narrative-rich content material and stellar battles shine most, however Sandfall Interactive has created a sport so charming and fascinating that each factor oozes high quality.
The identical goes for the way it appears and runs — at the very least on PS5 Professional. Our playthrough was principally carried out in Efficiency Mode, the place the title ran at a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second. The visuals match with lovely surroundings each out and in of cutscenes, whereas most places deliver their very own vibe and color palette with them. The underwater sequences of Flying Waters and the icy mountain housing Monoco’s Station appear like they need to be worlds aside, but the overworld map of The Continent can put them beneath one roof.
A good bit of texture pop-in will trigger distraction as you enterprise from one landmark to the following, however the sport ran flawlessly for us in addition to that. Then, in case you’d slightly bump up the decision, High quality Mode will allow you to admire the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 slightly bit extra. If something, it deserves to be. With a improbable soundtrack boasting greater than 150 tracks on prime, it is a true delight for all of the senses.
