Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a studio’s debut RPG that exceeds all expectations

When you press credits clear clear nabure: expedition 33I felt it was a role-playing game like many games that came before – yours Elden RingFinal Fantasy, and even more interesting Neil Replicant – But even so, many games don’t look like that. Certainly, it had an all-star audio cast, dynamic turn-based combat, unforgettable scores, distinctive art style, and a design of creatures that felt like they were passing through Walvur in the Mushroom Louvre. But as someone who lives for motifs, I have found myself captivated by its mythical grandeur, the layered depths of its worldbuilding, and the themes of viscerality. For me, the game rises from entertaining romps to pantheon-worthy experiences when creating stories that remain on the edge of my fantasy. clear clear nabure: expedition 33 When it was first announced on the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024, I had the chair reflexively step forward, and I’m thinking about it after I’ve completed it.

Clear: Expedition 33The debut title of independent French studio Sandfall Interactive paints a terrifying dystopian picture, determined by a ritual in which the fate of humanity is immersed in necessity. Every year, God, known as a sedative, approaches the towering monolith that rules the horizon, ticks a steadily descending number – the countdown is now at 33. Their end.

As survivors navigate the dark reality, Gomage has become more than just a cruel inevitability. It is treated like a bittersweet tradition. Phrases like “We’re already dead and we’ll just catch up” roll off our tongues with the ease of casual greetings. Some people criticize those who refuse to take their children to a world characterized by orphanage and premature loss. Others either face the shadow of looming extinction or clung to the vulnerable thread of hope, adopting the cries of the rally. “When a person falls, we will continue.” Those who register with this mindset choose to join the revolving doors of people known as expeditioners to embark on a dangerous annual mission to pain relief. Of course, these expeditions have yet to succeed in defeating her.

Optimism is a product that expeditioners find difficult. Most of them will no longer fight for victory. They acquiesced into expecting to die, revealing as much information as possible about painkillers to help the next generation in stopping their slow ulling. The story follows the 33rd expedition, a team with little optimism from the town of Lumiere. Already resigned to failure, people have placed hope for the expedition itself rather than victory, and their goal is to leave insights of those who inevitably try again. However, members of the 33rd Expedition marched in March to completely end the sisyphean struggle of humanity.

Few games have captivated my art ho’s eyes Clear. What’s most memorable about it is the engrossing mix of Belle Epoque character design, Art Deco, high fantasy environmental design and avant-garde creature design. Clear Accessing a bold and innovative third-person overworld traversal system, the party looks like a miniature of a warhammer walking through a diorama that earns a living. On their way to the Pain Officer, they run along with Nevron, a hostile Eldrich creature who unexpectedly ended a past expedition. Elsewhere, hostile creatures are set up ClearA dreamlike world is ambiguous in human struggle. For them, you are the latest in the annual trail of expeditions passing through. Still, I found myself taking a scenic route to expedition time-sensitive quests, inhaling the sights and trying to analyse how non-human cultures work. The game’s design also cleverly tweaks you from the beaten path. For explorers like me, who are instinctively 180 apart from areas that don’t look like progress, even hitting a wall as if the road magically appears to be impacted, taking an off-route approach is rich and habitually rewarding. Not only did I discover trinkets that boosted team combat statistics, I also discovered a journal from past expeditions that included nuggets of advice on the most trickiest areas and boss fights.

Even if most expeditions don’t completely help to prevent solutions to enemy weaknesses, I have found the game’s focus on learning from those who have come before and leaving behind a legacy to become one of its most heartbreaking elements. Their off-cuff diary style journal resonates like haiku of Zen monks on the brink of death. In reality, these moments worked just like codexes scattered across countless other games, but the resonance of those themes brought them to something very moving.

These final words with narration – usually illuminated by the puppies by strong enemies towering over statues-like corpses, but I shook me every time I left my course of progression outside the hierarchy ClearA picturesque, beautiful dystopian world. Some of these final confessors came from haughty big-name hunters who prioritized chasing the latest conquest over passing on knowledge to the next generation before they could reach the literal deadline. Others resigned to their fate as a research run aimed at helping the next generation overcome past failures, like helicopter parents scrawl all the fleeting thoughts on a child’s lunchbox notepad. Still, all over 60 journals are scattered ClearAvant-Garde Vistas urged them to ignore their fate by strengthening the statistics of Expedition 33 to be strong enough to kill God twice.

Like a self-esteem turn-based RPG, Clear It is equipped with a robust combat system and an overabundance of skills, attributes and updates that transform dynamic real-time dodges and parry mechanics into a chess match with the demigod as my work. Each battle encounters Clear It’s not your usual turn-based blow exchange. Instead, it blends real-time action with traditional strategies. Unleash a powerful QTE to unleash your attacks and unleash your attacks. But the risk is real. I quickly learned that lesson when a huge “risk” fireball aimed at defeating three enemies exploded in my face and crumpled into the miserable mountains.

The pure power I gained from challenging the optional boss that challenges Arm’s Reach of Main Quests™ made me feel like I was calibrating the first five of the basketball dynasty in Expedition 33. Strategies to play with new games and revisit.

One of the most fascinating aspects of ClearThe synergistic-centric turn-based combat of the centre of the ‘countless hours I spent tinkering with the menu, devising strategies with the accuracy of a world-class chessmaster. By combining Pictos (in-game name of character abilities), unique attributes, and Luminas (passive pict abilities that can be equipped to other characters regardless of who is equipped with the original Pictos), it felt like God was revealing the equation that satisfies a lasting end.

Earning game credits (many side content and bosses still remain unexplored) in about 20 hours of the 31-hour Odyssey, I designed the core trio: Sciel, The Shredded, Scythe-Wireding yu-gi-oh– Escu’s duelist throws stat stacking cards at him. Rune, me Avatar– Landscape, barefoot gliding, Smartypants Mage; and Monoco, Fuzzy, wise, Chewbacca-esque brawlers power steel Naruto– Style movement. Their interlocking skills and attributes are meshed into ouroboros loops and effectively transform them into my own iron curtains.

Even the way they get bored towards the battlefield, rolling their shoulders and turning their heads aside, Michael Jordan’s aura is about to make a miracle happen in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Meanwhile, during a spontaneous retouring session of the character’s abilities (both early and late in the game), I found myself sifting through three towering pillars of the interjectional mix of Pict and Lumina. It was almost overwhelming. Despite my victory, I felt like I was trying to capture the overall spectrum and complex details of the vibrant tapestry, armed only with the limited vision cone of the dog.

ClearThe fascinating battles and stories outweighed the terrible issues I had in the game, but they are. That’s beautiful, but the game doesn’t have a photo mode. In other words, the pause menu always overtook the center and sides of the screen, covering picturesque photography like Lumiere’s twisted Eiffel Tower, reminding me of French photographer Robert Dois Noh Optical distortion. The occasional stints on the platform in the game are also hellish. But these were small complaints about my overall pleasant experience Clearfired all cylinders in the battle and story of that movement.

in spite of ClearThe painful premise and theme of France, not disgusting with the existential horror and misery of its obviously dark journey, nor is it a joke. During camp downtime, you can just kick back and chat with party members. These characters are not typical RPG archetypes. They feel truly human, flawed and hopeful, and have the charm that ensures that every part of your thinking ability completes the story with a happy ending. The cast featuring talent is clear daredevilCharlie Cox, Gate 3 of Baldur‘s Jennifer English, and Final Fantasy 16Ben Starr is completely in their element. They bring emotional gravity that captures the character’s vulnerability to dangerous missions, while exhibiting infectious chemistry with each other. They exchange jokes around the campfire during quests, and even pour warmth into the game as the seemingly doomed heroes fight to overcome the strangeness of the gorgeous, nightmare world.

The ending isn’t just about sticking to people most in RPGs. They are also things that can make and break them. Unfortunately, I felt like the game had lost its plot completely in its first march towards the finale. ClearI came across the final act as somewhat fragmented, as if a story of high conception from a completely different story would otherwise have been sewn into a strong premise. Despite its nasty and clunky nature, the later twists were able to find its footing through a last-minute revelation of new, contradictory themes and a repetitive, yet loosely connected element of the story’s early foundations. Ultimately, much of the weight of the story was carried by voice acting, helping to soften the contradictions of the final act of the game. The twist felt like an extravagant writing flex – indulging in that ambition, trying to eat a cake and eat it, and I was completely lost in the sauce until the game’s deadline moment managed to pull things back.

Sandfall Interactive’s debut game, clear clear nabure: expedition 33 It’s far from a fleeting experience. It’s a robust reminder of what happens when a group of creative people filmed what was once a solo passion project and turned it into something more. Innovative combat is a game that fulfills a unique original story that challenges and inspires even when all hope appears to be lost.

clear clear nabure: expedition 33 It will be released on April 24th on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using the PrerElease download code provided by Kepler Interactive. Vox Media has an affiliate partnership. VOX Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links, but these do not affect editorial content. Additional information on passthecontroller’s ethical policies can be found here.