Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut title from brand-new French developer Sandfall Interactive. With a team of only 30 people, Clair Obscur presents an interesting mix of action-adventure style exploration, turn-based combat and shockingly grim horror.
In the world of Clair Obscur, an entity known as the Paintress writes a number on her monolith once a year. Soon afterwards, everyone the same age as that number turns to smoke and vanishes forever. Each year the people send an expedition to the realm of the Paintress trying to put an end to her carnage. With only one year left to live, this is where Expedition 33 comes in.
The preview build I played starts shortly after Expedition 33 arrives in the world of the Paintress where they are immediately set upon by vicious monsters called nevrons in a surreal version of the D-Day landings. The environments you move through are ethereal and bizarre, filled with the calcified corpses of all the expeditions who came before you. When you do encounter fellow survivors, they usually end up quickly eviscerated by an enormous tentacle or some other many-limbed beast. This was my first surprise: was I playing a turn-based horror game?
You immediately get the impression that the chances of surviving this place are extremely low. Mix in the general melancholy of the premise itself (humanity will be wiped out if they fail their mission), and the sense of dread in Clair Obscur is palpable.
Combat is turn-based, with its foundations clearly being in traditional JRPGs. However, there are lots of dynamic mechanics, specific to each party member, that make the combat feel fresh and strategic. Gustave accumulates charges, unleashing them all at once to deliver huge damage. Lune gains elemental motes from casting specific spells, and can then cash those in to cast other abilities or enhance existing ones. Maelle utilises a stance system, with abilities that shift her into aggressive or defensive stances. There are also real-time mechanics that everyone can do, like aiming and shooting at enemy weak points before taking an action, and quick-time button prompts to deal extra damage.
There are some Souls elements, specifically limited-use items that can only refresh at checkpoints. These items allow you to heal, give someone AP, or revive a party member at low health during battle. This is a novel take on items in turn-based RPGS, and is a far cry from the likes of Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, where you are expected to collect as many potions, antidotes and phoenix down’s as possible.
The exploration and level design of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reminds me of action games like Bayonetta or more linear JRPGs like the Tales series. Environments are contained and feature defined paths. There might be various nooks and crannies to get distracted by, but they’re short and offer maybe a handful of resources for your trouble.
Speaking of environments, while they are certainly striking visually, I worry that it very much follows the design philosophy of the many “void worlds” you find in video games. Basically, a series of floating platforms in a physics-defying void that feature a mishmash of real-world architecture and vegetation, and the fantastical, surreal and/or utterly bizarre. For me, if you’ve seen one void world you’ve seen them all, so my concern is whether this aesthetic might get tiresome over the course of the full game. A tangible, meaningful world is such an important element of any good RPG, so I hope Clair Obscur ends up delivering here.
In between areas there is a world map of sorts. It’s more like an overworld from a Kirby or Mario game than something as grounded as Dragon Quest or Octopath Traveller, for example. In the small section I played, there were enemy encounters, obstacles to overcome, shortcuts to unlock and of course treasure to find. From trailers, it seems there will be a lot more to this world map than was on offer in the preview, but it’s an interesting addition to what is otherwise such a gritty-looking game.
Perhaps the most enticing element of this preview for me was the characters. Party members have real chemistry, and tension, with each other. They have fiery disagreements about how to proceed, but also a shared history, identity and goal. They know the stakes of what they’re up against, and it comes across so well in the writing and performances. So many turn-based RPGs, even those with great writing, have their characters fit into specific archetypes. I am excited to see how the party dynamics here play out in the full version.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has stood out since its first reveal trailer. What at first looked like a solid cinematic and surreal action game with a strong aesthetic has convinced me it has a lot more to offer. The narrative hooks and strong characters in particular have my imagination running wild, and the twists on turn-based combat are similarly intriguing. All in all, this was an impressive showing for Sandfall Interactive’s debut title, and definitely makes it one to watch when it releases this April.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was previewed on Steam with a code provided by the publisher.