The showcases in 2024 gave us a ton of upcoming games to look forward to. From Doom: The Dark Ages to Perfect Dark and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, plenty of new entries to beloved franchises are on the way. However, nothing gets us quite as excited as a new game set in a mysterious world we’ve never seen before. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 comes from a new developer but has the promise to be one of the best games in a stacked year already. With so much to discover, join us on our expedition to learn everything there is about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
You don’t have to wait long for this title, but there are plenty of other upcoming PS5 games, upcoming Xbox Series X games, and upcoming PC games to put on your watch list.
Release date
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will set course on April 24, 2025.
Platforms
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be available on all current-gen platforms including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Trailers
We got our introduction to Clair Obscur during the Xbox Games Showcase in 2024. The trailer shows a twisted and broken world with a massive tower in the distance with a glowing 34 on its surface. The narrator, who we later learn is named Gustave, explains that a mysterious painter reduces the number by 1 every year. Anyone who is that age will vanish into thin air, which will eventually lead to the extinction of humanity. However, each year an expedition is sent to try to stop her. Our journey will take place one day before the number 33 is to be painted in a final effort to end the cycle of death.
We learn that the paintress first appeared over 70 years prior, with the years counting down until Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 begins.
We don’t know the details of what this expedition will be or what challenges await, though part of it will involve discovering the fates of some of the previous 32 expeditions and why they failed to stop the painter.
The game and world are said to be inspired by the art of Belle Epoque-era France, which is apparent in the many references to French architecture. The trailer shows a diverse range of environments we will travel through, including warped cities, snowy mountains, and even the ocean floor. The story isn’t intended to be a tale of good vs. evil, but the characters overcoming an existential threat.
Our cast of characters on this expedition includes an outsider named Verso, Renoir fighting for his family, the engineer Gustave, Lune the mage, warrior Sciel, and the young orphan Maelle.
Sandfall has released individual character trailers for the main cast of Clair Obscur. Each one gives a brief look at the character’s past, motivation, what weapons they wield, and a flashy gameplay montage of some of their moves in action. The first starred the game’s main protagonist Gustave.
Second up for a character trailer is the rapier and fleuret-wielding Maelle.
Gameplay
Clair Obscur is a turn-based RPG, but with real-time elements. Most commands will be issued via menus at your own pace, but button prompts to deal additional damage, dodge, or parry will appear that require quick reflexes and for the player to stay engaged. On the other hand, missing the button prompt or opportunity to react will result in you dealing less damage or taking more. Gear will play a part, as you would expect in an RPG, along with various status effects and elemental attacks.
The gameplay first look gives us a nice slice of the game to see how it all works. We can see how we will control one character as they roam around an environment, though the entire party is implied to be there. Enemies will appear in the world and allow you to attack them to gain an advantage in combat, which implies that the opposite could also occur.
Besides your usual options for items, skills, and attack, there is also an aim option where you can freely target an enemy with a ranged attack.
A turn order is displayed on the left side of the screen so you know exactly when the enemy’s turn will come, but it looks like some actions could influence the order.
There are also bonuses you can achieve for more XP after combat, such as +20% more XP for winning without taking damage.
We got a chance to play Clair Obscure ourselves prior to launch and came away thoroughly impressed. So far, it is living up to the lofty expectations many have for it.
Our preview began after the prologue, where the expedition is ambushed by someone who appears to be older than 33 despite that seeming to be impossible. This isolates your main character and begins a quest to find the other members so they can go back to their main goal despite already feeling like a lost cause.
The gameplay felt like a mix of an Atlas RPG with the action commands of a Mari RPG in the best ways. It is flashy but never overbearing or feels like a chore to manage. It doesn’t necessarily have anything you can’t find in other RPGs, but instead sticks to what works and delivers a gameplay system that should remain engaging for the entire adventure.
Preorder
You can preorder Clair Obscur on all platforms right now via the official website. There will be two versions available, so let’s check out what they have:
Standard Edition – $50
- The base game
Deluxe Edition – $60
- The base game
- The “Flowers” Collection – Six outfits and hairstyles inspired by the Flowers of Lumière, along with six additional “Gommage” outfit variations. One for each playable character.
- “Clair” – A custom outfit for Maelle
- “Obscur” – A custom outfit for Gustave
