Clair Obscur: Expedition 33is an upcoming title from Sandfall Interactive. Despite it being the independent studio’s debut game, it finds itself in the rankings among many RPG fans' most anticipated list of games releasing this year. High production values, an interesting twist on turn-based combat and taking inspiration from popular JRPGs such asFinal FantasyandPersonaare a large part of why fans of the genre are taking note. But there have been many games in the past which appeared to have a lot going for them, and when it came time to play they just couldn’t match the hype. As the release date draws nearer, Hardcore Gamer was fortunate enough to be able to spend a few hours withClair Obscur: Expedition 33in order to get a greater feel of what one might expect when it does finally launch.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Channels Old School Final Fantasy to Satisfy Longtime Turned-Based RPG Fans
Turn-based fans might finally get their game this April when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Year Of Death
The premise ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33is one of morbid hope. Every year, someone known as the Paintress paints a number. This number is an age, and when the Paintress delivers her final stroke, the life of everyone of that age will end. Not wanting to accept that fate, every year an expedition sails to the main continent in hopes of erasing the Paintress from existence. Upon arrival to the continent, the Expedition has an encounter with a white-haired man who mercilessly destroys the crew. Gustave flees and wakes up alone in an unknown. Unsure of where he is, he begins the search for other survivors.
Beginning as Gustave, the player begins his solo trek searching for survivors until he’s eventually reunited with Lune and Maelle, introducing us to three of the six playable characters. Aside from their personalities, the biggest difference between these characters are what skills they bring to the battlefield. Gustave’s specialty is Overcharge, where he can conserve energy over several turns to unleash a more powerful attack. Lune has Elemental Stains, which are essentially different spells that can inflict elemental damage or status effects. Maelle has Fencing Stances, wherein how she welds her blade can lead to several different outcomes.
Getting across the continent is done on foot, but a run button and unlimited stamina can make it easy to get around quickly. The landscape doesn’t appear to be bound by the same laws of physics as our world, but grapple points and handholds make it easy to explore places that seem out of reach. Even though we only explored a small portion of the continent during the preview, the variety of landscapes only further piques the interest in exploration. A lack of a minimap and quest markers is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it does actually make the game feel more immersive, as the sense of adventure seems more real when you’re in an unmarked and unfamiliar land with no clue about where one needs to travel. On the other hand, while it does encourage exploration, having a clear sense of where one is or should be going can be helpful.
Turn-Based or Real-Time? Yes.
Combat is one of the more memorable aspects ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33. It follows the mold of traditional turn-based combat, but the stakes feel higher as real-time reactions can make a significant difference in the player’s success or failure. Each character takes a turn where they do a standard action such as using an item or attacking. Action points are accumulated during the course of battle, which can be saved up to spend on using special skills or can be used as ammo to shoot at enemies. Shooting the enemy does have benefits, such as setting them on fire to inflict continuous burn damage or taking down shields.
The real-time elements come into play a few different ways in battle. QTEs are used with certain attacks, where timing the press of a button correctly the attack will do more damage. When it comes to defense, players can use different buttons to either jump, dodge or parry. A successful parry can deliver a powerful counterattack, but timing that right is harder than dodging, which only allows damage to be avoide. Some attacks can’t be dodged or parried, but can be avoided by jumping, and a well-timed jump can lead to the party delivering a counterattack. It sounds like a simple act of combining this type of real-time action with turn-based combat, but it does a lot to the experience.
Meet the All-Star Cast of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive today dropped a new trailer revealing the all-star cast for their upcoming title, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
All The Stars Look Just Like Little Fish
Our time spent withClair Obscurwas short but left us wanting more. The world in which the party members of Expedition 33 were left to explore was a unique and imaginative environment, feeling as if the world had merged with the works of Salvador Dalí. The environments are heavily varied, ranging from the ruins of a city to brightly-colored flower fields to a place where fish swim through the sky. It felt like walking through a dream, and that feeling was only amplified by the accompanying music, which from the preview, already sounds like it will be one of the better original soundtracks of the year. The environments and music were enough to keep us captivated during our play time, but the combat is also a strong selling point. Blending real-time action with turn-based combat is becoming more common these days, andClair Obscur: Expedition 33was able to put its own unique spin on it, combining the best elements of both systems.
The environments were heavily varied, ranging from the ruins of a city to brightly-colored flower fields to a place where fish swim through the sky.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33currently has a release date April 24 PC via Steam and Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. This was a game that had looked interesting since details first appeared, but after spending some time playingClair Obscur: Expedition 33, it has the potential to be one of the year’s great RPGs.
