Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Reviews
Thanks to its setting, its fantastic combat system and its emotional story, Expedition 33 is one of the greatest game I've played in the past few year
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sandfall Interactive delivers an impressive first game with this turn-based RPG that channels JRPG’s like Persona and Final Fantasy. The game tells a fantastic story and offers stunning visuals to boot.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a rare gem — the kind of game that rekindles your love for the medium. With a deep combat system, a moving story, and a stunning artistic direction, it stands out in today’s gaming landscape. It's not without flaws, especially in exploration, but what it achieves in emotion, design, and gameplay more than makes up for it. If you’re looking for a JRPG-inspired experience with a bold artistic soul and heartfelt storytelling, this is a journey you won’t want to miss.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterful RPG. It brings a stunning art style that stays front and center while revamping a classic combat system into something engaging and accessible. It's an easy contender for GOTY and a terrific debut for Sandfall Interactive.
Final Fantasy, Persona, Chrono Trigger are just some of the inherent influences, but it was the inspiration from Sekiro and the French heritage of Sandfall Interactive that made Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 feel like the dawn of a new era of turn-based RPG’s, as it equally pays tribute to those who came before, as much as it innovates for those who will come after. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a breath of fresh air because it prioritizes a compelling vision over following trends. It doesn’t resort to witty sarcasm in its dialogue or try to capitalize on current popular settings for the story, and there isn’t an attempt to infuse the latest real-time gameplay gimmicks. Sandfall have made a bold decision, especially considering it’s their debut title, to deviate from modern RPG conventions. Trends don’t age well, but artistic vision does and Expedition 33 has all the markings of becoming a timeless classic.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the most stunning surprises of this generation delivering a deep philosophical story set in a visually breathtaking world with gorgeous graphics and an addictive turn-based combat system! With its tense battles and unpredictable twists, it'll keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're looking for an experience that echoes the best of turn-based while adding modern and innovative touches then this game definitely deserves a spot on your must-play list.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 not only deftly improves upon the idea of active turn-based combat, but delivers it in a gorgeous and realized world. The characters are incredible, it dodges some of the more grating aspects of turn-based RPGs, and delivers a mature, and at times haunting, story, without falling into the traps of too much violence for the sake of maturity. A big narrative turn flattens the experience, and a few too many rough edges keep it from masterpiece status, but it is still an incredible experience.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a resounding triumph from Sandfall Interactive. It delivers a refreshingly bold RPG experience that stands out in a genre often crowded with titles that miss the mark. With meticulous balance, the game offers a blend of old meets new while crafting a tightly woven narrative alongside an excellent turn-based combat system that is simple to learn and strategically deep.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 feels truly unique and artistic, and reminds us how moving, exhilarating, and provocative big-budget adventure games can be.
I have to admit, when I first saw the title, I was expecting a solid game inspired by classic JRPGs—but I never imagined the level of emotion and quality that Sandfall’s debut would end up delivering. It’s almost like the Final Fantasy XVII of our dreams. It features one of the best narratives I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing, with gameplay that’s both engaging and addictive. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is, in many different ways, a masterpiece. When one falls, we continue.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a journey that blasts the senses from beginning to end. The melancholic and bleak moments are balanced by the characters' perseverance, which makes their triumphs shine much brighter. There's a profound sense of style and substance that only expands as more of the world is uncovered. What results is a true work of art that ties its brilliant components together into a complete package, which is awe inspiring to come from a freshman developer.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an ambitious take on an old genre that is just as gratifying to look at as it is to engage in. A new franchise is born.
Simply put, Sandfall Interactive’s debut game is a masterclass in presentation, storytelling, and gameplay. It’s a game you need to play to experience.
Veterans will love the callbacks and tributes Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 pays to its inspirations, and get a sublime experience out of it. Even if you're new to the genre, its narrative and unique world will draw you in, with its turn-based and combat mechanics spellbinding you like a world class French arthouse flick would to film critics. Très magnifique, une expérience merveilleuse, as they say.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a competent new JRPG with which genre fans will likely be pleased. However, it does very little to iterate on the foundation laid by those that came before it. Instead, it’s content to offer its flavor of what has worked before.
As you can hopefully tell, I absolutely adore Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It’s the first game in some time that I’ve found myself utterly lost in, so much so that I genuinely did not want to put the controller down. Any minor gripes there might be to have (some areas can get a little confusing to navigate at times, though none are so big that it remains a problem for long) are easily outnumbered by the sheer brilliance of the full product from start to finish. Combat, presentation, exploration, story; it’s all so damn good that I cannot recommend highly enough that you go play this game. We’ve still got a long way to go this year, and a few big hitters to come, but man, it’ll take something special to give Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a run for its money.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a special role-playing game that is full of love and passion. It's beautiful, the soundtrack is a splendor, the battles always challenge you without being unfair or losing the fun and the story offers an unusually adult approach. With great acting performances, hard-hitting twists and all kinds of endgame content, you'll have fun for a long time. If you've ever planned to play an RPG, play this one.
Review in German | Read full review
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is destined to become a classic, with a deep and well-written storyline, a spectacular soundtrack and top-notch graphics, along with a well-tuned combat system. One of the best JRPGs around.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Expedition 33 is a game that spoke to my soul. I quickly fell in love with this awe-inspiring yet melancholic world and the survivors left in it, and even though it tore my heart to shreds multiple times, I’d happily do it all over again.
"An adventure that stands proudly among the giants of the RPG genre." Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an adventure that stands proudly among the giants of the RPG genre, despite being an independent project. It combines unique strategic combat, a moving narrative emotion, and stunning art direction inspired by Symbolist art of La Belle Époque. The game succeeds in creating an experience rich in meaning and deep mechanics without sacrificing the quality of the presentation or the narrative focus. Some technical flaws are present, but they do not overshadow the overall visual power.
Review in Arabic | Read full review