ANerdzLife

INTRO:

Expedition 33, or as it’s also known ‘Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’ is technically an indie game by today’s standards. It was developed by a very small development team and published by a publisher who’s biggest game to date is probably Sifu. Add on to all of that the game’s $40 price point, and this game should have been right in line with the many other indie games coming out every day. However, despite the small team, small publisher and seemingly small budget, Expedition 33 is a masterpiece and is one of the best games of this generation.

STORY:

Expedition 33’s story takes place in the dark fantasy Belle Epoque land known in universe as ‘Lumiere.’ On Lumiere, there is a dark event that happens once a year: a giant, Grudge like creature draws a number on the side of a mountain indicating which residents of Lumiere will be snapped out of existence, Thanos style. For 67 years this has been tradition counting down from 100 and the actual event, known as the Gommage, is sort of a celebration of life for those leaving this earthly plane.

For many years, the residents of Lumiere have been sending groups of fighters, known as Expeditions, across the sea in an attempt to stop The Paintress (grudge lady) from drawing the next number and snapping even more people out of existence. Our story picks up right as the number is changed to 33, and signifies the start of the Expedition for team 33.

We pick up the expedition with the main character of the story, Gustav (NOT ROBERT PATTINSON!) as he embarks on Expedition 33 along with his co-members: Lune, Maelle and Sciel…each hosting their own move set during battle.

The story of Expedition 33 is one of the most original and interesting stories I have encountered in any medium. The originality of the land, characters, plot and enemies are all fantastic. One thing I don’t see talked about enough is also how scary this game can be. I’m not saying it should be talked about with the likes of Resident Evil or Silent Hill, but there were several moments that took my breath away out of sheer terror for what is unfolding on screen.

GAMEPLAY:

The combat in Expedition 33 is pretty reminiscent of the combat in games like Persona 5. It is turn based, much like many old Final Fantasy games, but also adds in a few abilities that are new to the JRPG scene: namely the ability to dodge and parry attacks from your enemies. This is a much needed and welcomed addition that keeps the player engaged at even the most ‘boring’ moments of combat.

Outside of combat, the gameplay consists of an overworld where the player travels to different points of interest and then warping into those areas via a portal a la a Mario warp pipe. The overworld concept is really my only gripe with this game. Off the top of my head, I don’t know what a better solution would be…I’m thinking maybe just an open world map like something like Skyrim would add a bit more of a sense of emersion to the experience.

VISUALS/MUSIC:

The graphics and music in Expedition 33 are exceptional in every facet of the word. The visuals are clean and crisp…the different biomes are stunning from a design perspective and the character and enemy designs are just plain bad ass.

The Soundtrack is also stellar (That Renoir theme tho), and is worthy of an add on Spotify.

CONCLUSION: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is nothing short of amazing. The team over at Sandfall Interactive should be incredibly proud of the game they have put together. It’s beautiful, fun, incredibly interesting and is my current front runner for Game of The Year 2025. Looking at the rest of the year, and this game has a very good chance to take home that title.

SCORE: 9.5/10.0