Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review - The best RPG you will play this year

Over the last few weeks, I had the chance to experience Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an upcoming role-playing title and the studio's first-ever video game. After spending around 35 hours fighting Nevrons and uncovering the beautiful artwork, I can honestly say this has become one of my favorite games of 2025.

So what makes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 such a fantastic game? Take a deep dive into this review and find out.

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Visual Firepower Meets Combat Brilliance

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tells one of the best stories in recent years

A story that will hit the right emotions (Image via Kepler Interactive)

Expedition 33's story starts in the island city of Lumiere, where you will meet some of the game's protagonists. Every year, an unknown being called The Paintress paints a number, and the people of that age get erased from existence in a process called the Gommage.

The game doesn't hold your hand when it comes to its core themes of loss and grief. The moment you step into the shoes of one of the main characters, Gustave, you'll be hit with the sad, hopeless world, where death is a common occurrence. Each character has their motivation, as everyone in Lumiere wants to stop the endless cycle of their future disappearing.

The game's premise revolves around Expedition 33, which will depart for the Continent, where they can find and hope to take down the Paintress. Previous Expeditions have failed, and now they must fight through a monster-infested land to secure their future. As you can expect, things will go south when Expedition 33 arrives on the continent.

I won't spoil any plot details; all I can say is the game tells one of the best stories I've experienced. It is a tale of loss, grief, and hopelessness, yet you will find companions who will share your burden and push you forward.

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Characters: The heart of an RPG

A colorful cast (Image via Kepler Interactive)

A story will always be carried by the characters. The team at Sandfall Interactive understands that and takes their time with establishing the main players of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. While the world is bleak and hopeless, you will often find a sense of trust and camaraderie between each member of the Expedition.

Early on, you will unlock the camp feature, where you can find your comrades and chat with them, allowing you to understand them better. Taking your time to go through their stories will make you appreciate every one of them. The sibling-like bond Gustave and Maelle share is an underlying foundation of the main plot.

While Daredevil star Charlie Cox and the legendary Andy Serkis deliver a phenomenal voice performance as Gustave and Renoir, respectively, the stars of the show are definitely Ben Starr (Verso) and Jennifer English (Maelle). You will be able to feel the raw emotion the characters are going through, and it's without a doubt some of the best voice performances I've heard.

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Phenomenal Art Style: Like a French Painting

A phenomenal world to immerse yourselves in (Image via Kepler Interactive)

One of the things that immediately drew me to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 when it was first showcased last year was the phenomenal art style that the game boasted. The developers take inspiration from paintings and architecture from France's Belle Époque era (1871 – 1914).

Each environment you explore will make you feel you're walking in a painting. The vibrant color palette of the world, alongside its unique designs, when it comes to the various inhabitants and monsters allows the game to stand as a piece of art.

The developers want you to enjoy the beautiful world that they have crafted. The lack of UI immerses you in the beautiful tapestry of the game's world, allowing you to enjoy the eye candy of the environment.

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Gameplay is super tight and hits the spot

One of the best iterations of the TBC system (Image via Kepler Interactive)

Many players are looking forward to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's combat. After spending over 30 hours trying to battle my way through many bosses and countless nevrons, I can say that it is simply phenomenal.

The game takes inspiration not only from the combat of JRPGs like the Persona series or the older Final Fantasy titles but also from the Souls-like genre. The combat is quite difficult at anything except the story difficulty.

Unlike most turn-based games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 asks you to pay heed to enemy attack patterns. You can dodge or parry them. Successfully parrying each strike will allow you to unleash a counter-attack. Also, performing QTEs while using your own abilities will increase their damage.

The Souls-like aspect comes from being able to read enemy attacks precisely. The game features a bonfire system called Expedition Flags. These allow you to spend Attribute Points, refill your resources, and use skill points to learn more abilities. Interacting with one also saves your game progress.

Each characters feels unique to play. Lune is a mage whose entire shtick is applying stains on enemies and then consuming them to deal more damage. Maelle has a stance-based gameplay system where your stance will determine the damage you dish out or receive.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not an open-world game. You will explore a set of handcrafted environments, where you will often find paths diverting from the main one. Exploring these can sometimes net you rewards or take you to various challenges. Outside of these areas, you can explore a vast world called the Continent, a hub world for all these smaller areas. From here, you will be able to travel between the various regions of the game.

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A set of optional content to indulge in

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 does not have side missions in its traditional sense. Instead, there are challenges, various realms to explore, and optional content to explore. Each environment set-piece comes with its own rewards and challenges; for example, there is one where you need to solve a maze to complete a request.

My only grievance is that one crucial exploration ability unlocks in the final act. This is where the story also becomes the most intriguing, as it is the climax of your journey. There are a lot of worlds to explore that can net you a solid 30 hours more, but given the exploration ability unlocked at a moment where I wanted more of the story, I could not indulge in many of these places.

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Soundtracks: Phenomenal to say the least

Phenomenal music (Image via Kepler Interactive)

Where do I even begin when it comes to the beautiful music that Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier have crafted? The game features some of the fantastic compositions that have graced my ears. Each piece of music, whether it is the boss battles or fighting mobs, and even exploring, keeps the game's momentum going.

If you don't trust me, just go and listen to the released tracks, especially Alicia and Clair-Obscur. The hauntingly beautiful OSTs make each part of the game so memorable and enforce the statement that video games are a culmination of art, and often the celebration of artists.

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Performance: Are we in 2025?

I have to give Sandfall Interactive kudos because the studio did a phenomenal job in optimizing the game. Lack of optimization and bad PC ports are a common occurrence nowadays, especially when it comes to titles made using the Unreal Engine 5.

Expedition 33 ran at a stable 80 FPS when I was exploring each stage, with it suffering a slight 10 frames drop when in the Continent. Mind you, I finished the game at the high preset. My specifications are as follows:

• Ryzen 5 5600X
• AMD RX 6600 8GB VRAM
• 32 GB RAM DDR4

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In conclusion

For those who come after! (Image via Kepler Interactive)

This profound experience will make you appreciate video games as an artform. The 35 or so hours I spent on the Continent and Lumiere were memorable; honestly, the only criticism I have is that a specific Exploration ability unlocks near the very end of the game, when the plot gets extremely interesting.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sets a benchmark for what developers should strive for when it comes to making video games. A relatively small indie studio with a low budget could craft something that runs well, is extremely fun to play, and tells a solid story that strikes all the right nerves, reflecting on the team's passion for video games.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is more than a game, it's an interactive gallery, each moment a carefully curated exhibit showcasing the profound artistry of virtual worlds. From handcrafted landscapes to a story tackling the profound themes of loss and grief, followed by a stellar set of compositions, the game makes for a memorable experience.

All I can say is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a celebration of video games, of art. The passion 30 people put into a blank canvas to craft such a beautiful experience makes it worth the price. I cannot thank Sandfall and Kepler Interactive enough for allowing me to experience this exquisite craftsmanship that is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

I don't know what surprises this year holds for me. More games are coming, which I'm very excited to play, But I don't think anything can top this one. Sandfall Interactive proves that you need an appreciation for the craft of making games to make a good video game, and not just a budget alone.

If you love turn-based RPGs, pick up the game and enjoy the phenomenal artwork that is the journey of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Good luck to every Expeditioner embarking on this beautiful journey.

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The Scorecard (Image via Sportskeeda)

Reviewed On: PC (Key provided by Kepler Interactive)

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Developer: Sandfall Interactive

Publisher: Kepler Interactive

Release Date: April 24, 2025