Sitting at home, working on The Divison 2 as part of Ubisoft, Guillaume Broche dreamed up the foundation of what would become Clair Obscur Expedition 33. Slowly but surely, Broche gathered a small team of talented developers who began working on the project in their spare time. Then, in 2020, Broche left Ubisoft to found Sandfall Interactive. While still an extremely small team at the time, they eventually crafted a vertical slice which was impressive enough to secure an investment from Kepler Interactive and, thus, the funds they needed to develop the full game.
Now a team of around 30, Sandfall is gearing up for the title’s release in just a few short weeks on April 24th. After making waves immediately upon its debut last year as part of Xbox’s summer showcase, and after causing an even bigger stir during Xbox’s Developer Direct earlier this year, how does it feel to actually play? Thanks to Sandfall and Kepler, I had the opportunity to find out for myself.
The Foundation
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 takes place in Lumiere, a fictional, island city resembling 20th century Paris. Lumiere is imagined in a time of extravagance with a focus on a possible variation of the art-deco movement according to the team at Sandfall. Meanwhile, in this distance sits a towering structure with an ominous, glowing number for all to see. Each year, an entity merely known as “The Paintress” lowers the number by one, and each of the residents of Lumiere over that age are erased. The residents of Lumiere have sent expeditions to reach the structure, but none have succeeded so far. Enter, Expedition 33.
What struck me immediately upon first seeing the footage of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 last year was the sheer artistry on display. And I’m happy to report, I’ve been even more impressed since getting hands-on time with the game. Upon launching Expedition 33, you’re immediately struck with a beautiful song accompanying the main menu, one that instantly conjured nostalgic memories of my favorite JRPGs. While I’m unsure exactly where the preview takes place in the arc of the full game, I was greeted with an introduction to the main characters and the events leading up to this moment in time, beginning with Gustave.
Over the course of the demo, I was able to add Gustave, Lune, and Maelle to the party. Gustave, an engineer, is a descendant of one of the founding families of Lumiere. He’s vocal, strong-willed, and fully invested in protecting their livelihood. Lune, meanwhile, is a scholar and a mage who has dedicated her life to solving the mystery of The Paintress. After a short while, I discovered Maelle, who is noticeably younger than Gustave and Lune. But it’s clear she’s just as invested in living life without the threat of The Paintress bearing down on her.
Narrative-Focused
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 being a narrative-focused game is readily apparent from the outset. There’s a lot of chatter between the characters, and cut-scenes are frequent, though, fortunately, they tie-in naturally as to not make the experience feel disjointed. You feel the weight of the situation with the characters, and I’m excited to explore that full journey with them, in particular because I’ll get to hear more of the music that accompanies you along the way.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 in the time I was allotted was the soundtrack. At times, I was in awe of the composition that had graced my ears. What makes it particularly stirring is that it manages to capture a range of melancholy, grandeur, and gravity, which we’ve seen out of the best JRPGs, while still managing to sound decidedly French. And I mean that in the best way possible. Similar to other aspects of Expedition 33, it manages to feel familiar, yet unique in the genre.
Battle Ready
As I worked through the early part of the demo, I was introduced to the battle system, an aspect that has intrigued players since the game first debuted. At its core, Expedition 33‘s combat system is turn-based, and, thus, I had no trouble acclimating quickly. However, as new characters and abilities were introduced, new layers became apparent, creating something more unique.
Lune’s weapon combines with her spell-casting abilities to enable multi-turn planning of attacks, while Maelle’s stance variations allow for similar. Even after just a few hours, combining skills, passive abilities, character agility and turn frequency, and status effect combinations across phases, there was already a good amount of variety in possible approaches to each combat. And I only expect that to expand deeper into the game.
As you may seen in prior footage of the game, there are also real-time actions during combat. Certain attacks or spells allow for timed button presses to increase their potency, and you are also able to dodge, parry, and even jump attacks from enemies. While dodging is generally easier, if you time your parries perfectly, you can initiate a very powerful counter attack. It’s a well-implemented risk-versus-reward system that is at its best when your back is against the wall.
Overall, I found combat very rewarding since it feels as though you are more invested than with traditional turn-based combat where you set actions in motion and merely watch them play out. These aspects are particularly pronounced on boss battles where, as you would expect, you have to be more thoughtful about your decisions, and the difference between winning or losing can come down to a perfectly timed dodge. And, continuing with the theme I’ve commented on multiple times now, the artistry on display during combat would make the Persona team at Atlus proud.
It’s a Beautiful World
While the demo only features a few world hubs and a small section of the world map, I continued to be in awe of the setting and the sheer sense of fantasy exhibited. Exploration in the hubs, at least in the early stages, feels fairly light, however. You traverse a few dividing paths here and there, find small items or currency along the way, and choose when to initiate combat with the monsters walking around. If I have one complaint at this point, it’s likely this design as it feels fairly by the numbers.
That said, upon first entering the isometric world map, I was delighted. Not only is it beautiful, but it feels like a modern realization of the overworlds from the classic JRPGs I grew up with, such as Phantasy Star, Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest), and, of course, Final Fantasy. As a connecting point for the gameplay hubs, I found it truly inspiring, and I look forward to being able to explore it in its entirety.
It’s exceedingly clear that the team at Sandfall Interactive is passionate about this project and have a love for the genre. That passion oozes across nearly every layer of the experience.
There’s a tangible, emotional feel to the story here. It’s one that is immediately engaging yet doesn’t feel like something you’ve played before and, at least through my time, didn’t feel weighed down by decades-old tropes. The characters are emotional, flawed, and damaged. They feel grounded against the backdrop of pure fantasy, which I welcomed.
The combat system takes several approaches we’ve seen through the years and throws them into a blender, mixing something up that feels familiar yet fresh simultaneously. It’s certainly not revolutionary, but offers unique wrinkles of strategy, timing, and planning. And it does so while putting the game’s artistry at the forefront, turning combat into an utter spectacle at times.
The environments are truly stunning. The sheer density of the imagery on display at any given moment is magnificent, made more-so by the level of detail, particle effects, and animations. And the world map is simply spectacular.
So far, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is shaping up to be a refreshingly unique entry in a beloved genre. I’m very excited to go on the full journey with Gustave and the team, and, thankfully, the wait is almost over. Tomorrow comes.
