I’ve been enamored with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 since it was announced during 2024’s Xbox Games Showcase. My excitement grew as I learned more about the game in the months after and saw how it incorporates elements from RPGs developed in Japan with more Western art and character designs, all with a story that feels unabashedly tied to modern anxieties. I don’t believe I’m alone in this view, as I’ve seen lots of excitement for the game online and believe it can become one of 2025’s surprise hits.
After going hands-on with a bit of Expedition 33 ahead of its release next month, I found that what I played lived up to that excitement. It delivers that enjoyable kind of high-budget, turn-based RPG thrill that’s typically relegated to Japanese studios like Atlus and Square Enix. That’s balanced with a narrative about finding the will to live on when everything around you feels like it’s deteriorating. I can’t wait to see how Expedition 33 continues to unfold across this ambitious adventure.
A relevant fantasy tale
In the world of Expedition 33, a being called The Paintress paints a new number in the sky every year. As that number ticks down, everyone above that age dies. To try and combat this, expeditions are sent to “The Continent” every year to try and take down The Paintress, although none have succeeded. This game follows the surviving members of the titular expedition as they explore The Continent on a quest that I’d expect puts them directly in conflict with The Paintress more than any expedition before them.
The preview build of Expedition 33 that I played picks up after the prologue. The number painted in the sky ticked down from 34 to 33, people close to our main characters died, and they set off on an expedition. When this expedition lands on a beach on The Continent, though, they are ambushed by a man who clearly looks older, and most of the expedition is seemingly killed. My time with the game began as Gustave, portrayed by Daredevil: Born Again’s Charlie Cox, wakes up and believes he is the only survivor.
He nearly kills himself but is stopped by a fellow expedition member named Lune, who convinces him to live, helps her find other expedition survivors like Gustave’s foster sister Maelle, and ultimately completes the mission that Expedition 33 was sent to the continent to do. Thematically, I found the small amount of story content I experienced poignant and relevant to modern struggles.
I’m an anxious, younger person in a world that feels like it’s getting worse day after, and I can sometimes feel quite helpless to fight back. While Expedition 33 certainly wallows in that despair for drama’s sake, this is shaping up to be an ultimately optimistic adventure about finding the will to live and fight back, even when doing so can feel daunting and pointless. This makes Expedition 33 a timely game despite its fantasy setting, just like Avowed.
Clearly inspired
On the gameplay front, Expedition 33 owes much of its gameplay identity to RPGs from the likes of Atlus. It’s a turn-based RPG that spreads party member and enemy turn order across a timeline. On a character’s turn, they can attack, use an item, activate a skill using AP, or aim and shoot with a ranged attack. Each party member has a distinct flair to their skills. For example, Lune generates different kinds of “Elemental Stains” with some magical skills, which others can then consume to buff their effects.
This is all presented with the UI flair of a Metaphor: ReFantazio and the action commands of games like Mario & Luigi: Brothership, and players complete QTEs to increase a Skill’s effect or dodge and parry an enemy attack. It’s a pure interpretation of a classic turn-based RPG formula, and French developer Sandfall Interactive understands what works about the games it’s inspired by.
The UI and presentation of battles are flashy but not inscrutable. Action commands feel important and satisfying to pull off, but don’t waste the player’s time like they sometimes can in other games with this kind of battle system. This is a battle system I can see myself enjoying for the long haul while playing the entire game. Expedition 33 doesn’t seem like it plans on reinventing the wheel for RPGs significantly, but it doesn’t need to.
The success of games like Metaphor: ReFantazio shows that there’s demand for this kind of RPG, which simultaneously feels like it pays respect to a classic RPG gameplay formula while feeling thematically relevant and up-to-date with modern technology. My early playtime with Expedition 33 did nothing to deflate my interest; now, I just want to play more as soon as possible.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launches for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on April 24. It will be on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate the day it releases.
