A unusual RPG not fairly like something you’ve performed earlier than, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a kind of video games the place the much less you already know getting in, the higher. Lots of its techniques, themes, and options will really feel pretty acquainted. Nevertheless, the way in which first-time studio Sandfall Interactive has moulded these items collectively is uncommon.
It is a good factor, for after so many formulaic efforts over latest years, the title appears like a breath of recent air. In the event you’re keen to let it take you on its experience, then Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 represents one of the bizarrely glorious 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 try 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 individual of that age is left with 12 months to dwell earlier than they flip to mud. Every year, town of Lumiere sends a battalion of warriors and mages of the age she paints to try 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 among the most engrossing storytelling on PS5. Gustave is usually 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 essential half. With twists and activates prime, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 marks a powerful debut for Sandfall Interactive.
There’s an actual sense of high quality coursing by the script and the cutscenes bringing it to life. The voice forged options stars like Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), Ben Starr (Last Fantasy XVI), and Jennifer English (Baldur’s Gate 3), and their on-screen personas are enhanced by skilful and shocking cinematography methods.
Whereas the lip-sync doesn’t all the time fairly line up accurately, each cutscene stays gripping, with an already intriguing plot heightened by distinctive digital camera angles and glorious voice performing. It’s proof you don’t want the largest funds on the planet to supply one thing particular. With a sequence of occasions that dares to take dangers and refuses to tug any punches, the RPG builds on its compelling setup to ship probably the most absorbing of narratives.
Linking all these story sequences collectively are plentiful bursts of turn-based battles and exploration that comply with an attention-grabbing construction. The plot is informed linearly and requires you attain particular areas 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 non-obligatory areas that flesh out the world with new settings and challenges.
Totally exploring these areas is how your playtime may comfortably balloon to 60 hours or extra, however they’re additionally the place you’ll encounter among 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 permits the voice forged to thrive of their roles.
The distinction feels uncanny at first and may current a little bit of tonal whiplash. Nevertheless, the extra frequent it turns into, the extra you begin to take pleasure in it. You may by no means accurately 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 snort by the tears. Sandfall Interactive finds a pleasant steadiness, although, permitting every emotion its place and sufficient time to come back 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 probability to deal harm. 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 beneficial properties expenses from utilizing different talents, and the extra it’s powered up, the extra harm it offers. Maelle, in the meantime, switches between three stances that regulate her stats primarily based on what assaults you employ, and Lune produces and consumes Stains to spice up her elemental abilities.
The celebration members who be part of Expedition 33 after the beginning three even have their very own technique of engagement, offering a distinct approach to consider fight and the way you method it.
The place the title goes above and past, nonetheless, is by morphing enemy turns into the chance to turn into 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. In the event you efficiently parry each strike, you’ll retaliate with an assault of your personal that always offers extra harm than your customary talents — the identical goes for leaping and Gradient Assaults.
This mechanic provides the battle system its depth and magnificence, 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 all the pieces they’ve to supply, you’ll begin to welcome their assaults greater than your personal.
Away from the battlefield, you possibly can customise your loadout by a sequence 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 possibly can equip to your three celebration members. After utilizing them for 4 battles, their impact turns right into a Lumina. These Luminas can then be outfitted onto your different characters in change for a forex, successfully spreading the advantages of the Pictos to everybody in your celebration as an alternative of only a single individual.
You’ll wrap your head across the capabilities finally, however within the early recreation, their implementation is puzzling. Fortunately, different sources of customisation like weapon upgrades and outfit adjustments are much more simple.
With such a trendy battle system of turn-taking and counterattacks accompanying enjoyable exploration, numerous customisation components, and the very good 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 recreation so charming and fascinating that each aspect oozes high quality.
The identical goes for the way it appears to be like and runs — at the very least on PS5 Professional. Our playthrough was largely carried out in Efficiency Mode, the place the title ran at a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second. The visuals match with stunning surroundings each out and in of cutscenes, whereas most areas convey 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 recreation ran flawlessly for us moreover that. Then, in the event you’d somewhat bump up the decision, High quality Mode will allow you to recognize the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a bit bit extra. If something, it deserves to be. With a implausible soundtrack boasting greater than 150 tracks on prime, it is a true delight for all of the senses.