Have you ever wondered what happens when the stormy drama of Belle Époque France crashes into Japanese RPG sensibilities? Well, buckle up, because Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is here (seemingly out of nowhere) to paint your expectations in broad, dramatic strokes. Literally.
Over the years, I’ve seen many indie teams dream big and sometimes fumble. But Sandfall Interactive’s debut is anything but an Icarus effort; it’s an audacious tango of light and shadow that pulled me into a countdown ticking toward oblivion and held me there. Sounds heavy? Trust me, it’s as fun as it is philosophical, once you learn to dodge existential dread and a the dickishly-timed attacks of Clair Obscur’s (art) rogues gallery.
dodge existential dread and a the dickishly-timed attacks of Clair Obscur’s (art) rogues gallery.
Picture this: with little preamble, we open to an empire under a sinister curse, where every year, anyone older than the mysterious central “countdown” cops the Thanos snap. Cue our heroes—Gustave, Maelle, and Lune—each with their own spiffy art-inspired weaponry and superhuman quirks, determined to stop the evil Paintress before the entire continent fades to gray. But this isn’t your grandpa’s turn-based saga. Nope, it’s got real-time parries, free-aiming combat, and a status effect so deliciously named “Break” that you’ll feel powerful every time you crack an enemy’s defences wide open.
Sand Who?
Though it opens to a complex plot and meticulously woven world-building with little explanation, don’t be fooled into assuming there’s a long lineage of Clair Obscur games. Expedition 33 is, in fact, the inaugural entry in what Sandfall hopes will blossom into a full-blown franchise. They might well achieve that, given this debut is polished enough to feel like the studio’s tenth. Though, admittedly, a lot of that swagger comes from cribbing from Japanese classics such as Dragon Quest and Persona, before the team wove its own French artistic flair into the DNA of a turn-based RPG.
If you’ve followed the rise of indie RPGs in the past few years, you might remember Sandfall’s earlier experimental prototypes—tiny digital canvases of mechanics and lore. Those humble beginnings have clearly paid off: Expedition 33 not only embraces the chiaroscuro painting technique (light versus dark, get it?) but makes it central to both world-building and combat.
A Race Against Time
Our journey kicks off in the quaint-but-troubled hamlet of Spring Meadows, but don’t let the name and lah dee dah opulence of the place fool you. Things here clearly need a fresh coat of optimism. Every year, the monolithic “Count” painted high in the sky ticks down a year, and anyone older than that count disappears without a trace. Naturally, our trio of protagonists (Gustave, the earnest investigator; Maelle, the empathetic healer; and Lune, the stoic swordswoman) band together to unearth the mysteries behind the Paintress, the villainess wielding this deadly curse.
As you trek across the Continent, you’ll encounter side quests that feel straight out of an impressionist gallery: rescuing “gestrales,” ethereal creatures trapped in paint (find all nine and you get a shiny reward plus the power to shatter paint-pylons at will). You’ll also piece together lore through beautifully rendered dioramas, each one echoing a real-world art style. Cool stuff? Absolutely. Overwhelming? Sometimes, if you, like me, are prone to stopping to smell the roses at every NPC for another surprisingly long chinwag.
Bringing the Pain(t)
So, how does it feel to actually play? Let’s break it down. At its core, this is a marriage of turn-based strategy with real-time flair. Think: Paper Mario meets Final Fantasy VII Remake in a smoky Parisian café. You still queue up your attacks in a good old-fashioned turn order, but when it’s your time to shine, you’re free to manually aim skills (which gives long-range moves a satisfying, tactile precision that most RPGs only dream about).
Then there’s the parry/dodge system. Pull off a well-timed parry, and the world slows to a stylish crawl; miss it, and you’ll suddenly wish you’d taken up a less painful hobby, like knitting.
Status effects and builds add another layer of juicy complexity. My personal fave? The “Break” effect, which doesn’t just stun enemies but also rips open their defences like a piñata full of critical hits and sweet, sweet experience points.
Then there’s the “Pictos” and “Luminas” system which are equipable skills and passive buffs that draw inspiration from different painting techniques. It’s an artist’s palette for RPG builds, basically. You can spec out a “Monet the Mage” or maybe a “Rembrandt the Rogue”.
You can spec out a “Monet the Mage” or maybe a “Rembrandt the Rogue”.
Managing your party also needs a little bit of forethought. Only active party members get experience points, meaning if you bench someone too long, they’ll fall behind faster than my New Year’s resolutions. Every so often, I’d swap in an underleveled buddy just to even the playing field. No one gets left behind on my watch. Unless they’re slightly annoying, of course. (Sorry, Lune.)
Exploration, meanwhile, feels like a treat instead of a chore. The interactive world map is a literal lifesaver, letting you pinpoint hidden passages, active quests, and even the elusive gestrales you’ll need to collect for some pretty hefty rewards. The clean labelling and intuitive design had me actually enjoying the hunt rather than cursing my controller.
Overall, Clair Obscur is complex and loaded with adequate tutorials, sure, but once you find the rhythm, it all flows smoother than a fresh coat of oil paint on canvas.
Sumptuous Presentation
Let’s talk aesthetics, because boy, does Clair Obscur lean hard into its fine-art-inspired theme. Expect deep browns, dusky grays, and dramatic splashes of colour that break the gloom like a rebellion in pigment form. Walking through this world feels like wandering inside a brooding yet beautiful, living canvas of chaos. That said, it’s not without a few scruffy brushstrokes. You’ll occasionally notice pop-in, frame stutters, and the odd bit of clipping here and there. It’s classic “small team, big dream” energy, but honestly, the ambition here is so grand that I found it pretty easy to forgive the occasional hiccup.
The soundtrack deserves a standing ovation on its own. I caught myself humming the main theme during my morning commute more than once. Each area has its own signature musical motif, blending wistful accordion waltzes with haunting strings and delicate piano flourishes. The music isn’t just background noise, either, as it’s part of the world’s DNA. It makes every step feel meaningful, every sunset feel a little more bittersweet.
And oh boy, the voice acting. Featuring heavy-hitters like Andy “Gollum” Serkis and Charlie “Daredevil” Cox, the cast brings the characters to vivid life. Gustave’s earnest clumsiness, Maelle’s nurturing tones, Lune’s steely determination all click. Even minor side characters are given enough personality that they feel like real citizens of this cursed, crumbling world.
Even minor side characters are given enough personality that they feel like real citizens of this cursed, crumbling world.
There are few cardboard cutouts here, though it has to be said that the lip-synch isn’t 100% there (presumably because it was originally keyed to French and then hastily tweaked to English later).
In short, the presentation absolutely nails the vibe it’s going for, even if the occasional graphical hiccup reminds you gently, “Hey, we’re indie, not a billion-dollar studio!” Sometimes you just forget.
A Brushstroke of Brilliance
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 feels like a warts and all triumph of AAA proportions. Sandfall Interactive has painted a bold, emotionally resonant canvas that inches turn-based RPGs into clever new territory. Sure, they’re not quite Ubisoft in budget polishing, but their creative vision shines through every post-processing shimmer and parry-prompt.
If you’re craving something that feels both familiar and daring, this expedition is worth mounting on your wall. For genre fans and art-lovers alike, Expedition 33 is a must-experience debut that proves small studios can self-exhibit epic tales.
I say grab your paintbrush (and maybe a healing potion or two) because the countdown’s started, and you won’t want to miss a single stroke.
