A unusual RPG not fairly like something you’ve performed earlier than, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a type of video games the place the much less you already know stepping into, the higher. A lot of its programs, themes, and options will really feel pretty acquainted. Nevertheless, the best way first-time studio Sandfall Interactive has moulded these items collectively is uncommon.
This can be a good factor, for after so many formulaic efforts over latest years, the title looks like a breath of contemporary air. For those who’re prepared to let it take you on its trip, then Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 represents one of the vital bizarrely wonderful experiences on PS5.
Utilizing the traditions of the turn-based RPG style to craft equal elements fight and exploration, you’ll journey throughout The Continent to attempt to put a cease to The Paintress and her quest to depend right down to zero.
Yearly, she inscribes a quantity onto her Monolith, and each individual of that age is left with 12 months to reside earlier than they flip to mud. Every year, the town of Lumiere sends a battalion of warriors and mages of the age she paints to attempt to take her down. All have failed.
You be part of Expedition 33, which should now bear the load of humanity’s eventual extinction by itself shoulders and succeed the place others haven’t. The group meets quick catastrophe after arriving on the shores of The Paintress, however as a small group of fighters band collectively within the aftermath, there’s nonetheless a glimmer of hope issues is likely to be totally different this time.
What follows is a roughly 35-hour journey that includes a few of the most engrossing storytelling on PS5. Gustave is mostly seen because the chief of the pack that rises from the ashes, although as you recruit extra social gathering members, the story develops in depth and emotion to make each character a crucial half. With twists and activates high, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 marks a formidable debut for Sandfall Interactive.
There’s an actual sense of high quality coursing by the script and the cutscenes bringing it to life. The voice solid options stars like Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), Ben Starr (Last Fantasy XVI), and Jennifer English (Baldur’s Gate 3), and their on-screen personas are enhanced by skilful and stunning cinematography methods.
Whereas the lip-sync doesn’t all the time fairly line up accurately, each cutscene stays gripping, with an already intriguing plot heightened by distinctive digicam angles and wonderful voice appearing. It’s proof you don’t want the most important funds on the earth to supply one thing particular. With a sequence of occasions that dares to take dangers and refuses to drag any punches, the RPG builds on its compelling setup to ship probably the most absorbing of narratives.
Linking all these story sequences collectively are plentiful bursts of turn-based battles and exploration that comply with an attention-grabbing construction. The plot is instructed linearly and requires you attain particular areas to proceed its story. These locations are unfold throughout an overworld map referred to as The Continent, which you’re given free entry to traverse. You possibly can select to go straight for the primary goal off within the distance or take a while out to discover non-compulsory areas that flesh out the world with new settings and challenges.
Absolutely exploring these areas is how your playtime may comfortably balloon to 60 hours or extra, however they’re additionally the place you’ll encounter a few of the extra peculiar and comical aspects of the sport.
From off-the-wall dialogue to minigames that emulate different online game ideas, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a really weird expertise at instances. It could actually go from an emotional, intense cutscene to its model of Solely Up! inside a couple of minutes, or shock you with a comedic scene that enables the voice solid to thrive of their roles.
The distinction feels uncanny at first and may current a little bit of tonal whiplash. Nevertheless, the extra frequent it turns into, the extra you begin to take pleasure in it. You possibly can by no means accurately guess what’s going to occur subsequent, or what you may discover in a brand new space. It provides the sport a way of mystique, which, when coupled with the intense story, makes for one thing that’ll make you cry after which chortle by the tears. Sandfall Interactive finds a pleasant stability, although, permitting every emotion its place and sufficient time to come back to phrases with it earlier than transferring on.
What stays a relentless is the fight, which expands the traditional turn-based construction with dodges and parries that flip enemy assaults into one other probability to deal harm. You type a celebration of three for each battle, and each member brings with them their very own mechanic and types of assault.
Gustave, for instance, is repeatedly working to construct an Overcharge meter that delivers a lightning blast. He good points expenses from utilizing different skills, and the extra it’s powered up, the extra harm it offers. Maelle, in the meantime, switches between three stances that alter her stats primarily based on what assaults you employ, and Lune produces and consumes Stains to spice up her elemental expertise.
The social gathering members who be part of Expedition 33 after the beginning three even have their very own technique of engagement, offering a unique approach to consider fight and the way you strategy it.
The place the title goes above and past, nonetheless, is by morphing enemy turns into the chance to change into your personal. All of their assaults could be both dodged or parried, and particular strikes could be jumped over or prevented with a Gradient Assault. For those who efficiently parry each strike, you’ll retaliate with an assault of your personal that always offers extra harm than your commonplace skills — the identical goes for leaping and Gradient Assaults.
This mechanic provides the battle system its depth and magnificence, turning an enemy’s sequence of assaults right into a theatrical efficiency you have to match your button presses to. It’s particularly satisfying to counterattack after parrying a troublesome sequence of blows, and when you’ve mastered the whole lot they’ve to supply, you’ll begin to welcome their assaults greater than your personal.
Away from the battlefield, you’ll be able to customise your loadout by a collection of Pictos and Luminas. These two interlocking options show complicated at first, and the menu they’re discovered on does little to clear issues up.
Basically, the Pictos are perks you’ll be able to equip to your three social gathering members. After utilizing them for 4 battles, their impact turns right into a Lumina. These Luminas can then be outfitted onto your different characters in trade for a foreign money, successfully spreading the advantages of the Pictos to everybody in your social gathering as an alternative of only a single individual.
You’ll wrap your head across the features finally, however within the early sport, their implementation is puzzling. Fortunately, different sources of customisation like weapon upgrades and outfit adjustments are much more easy.
With such a trendy battle system of turn-taking and counterattacks accompanying enjoyable exploration, numerous customisation parts, and the excellent story, there’s by no means a second the place Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 falters. Its narrative-rich content material and stellar battles shine most, however Sandfall Interactive has created a sport so charming and interesting that each component oozes high quality.
The identical goes for the way it seems and runs — not less than on PS5 Professional. Our playthrough was largely performed in Efficiency Mode, the place the title ran at a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second. The visuals match with stunning surroundings each out and in of cutscenes, whereas most areas carry their very own vibe and color palette with them. The underwater sequences of Flying Waters and the icy mountain housing Monoco’s Station seem like they need to be worlds aside, but the overworld map of The Continent can put them underneath one roof.
A good bit of texture pop-in will trigger distraction as you enterprise from one landmark to the subsequent, however the sport ran flawlessly for us in addition to that. Then, should you’d relatively bump up the decision, High quality Mode will allow you to admire the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a bit bit extra. If something, it deserves to be. With a improbable soundtrack boasting greater than 150 tracks on high, it is a true delight for all of the senses.
