Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 changed my brain chemistry | A spoiler-free review
This game was tailor-made for me, thank you Sandfall
Play time: 35h
Played on: PS5
Difficulty: Expeditioner (Normal) almost the entirety of the game. Story (Easy) on a few optional boss fights
This is the spoiler-free review of the game. Next week, I will do a full deep-dive into the game where I go into the themes, characters, endings. Subscribe if you want to be updated!
I somehow missed the initial hype of this game. I think it was after a week of its release that my husband told me that there is a new game that is gathering a lot of praise and it looked like something I would enjoy because he knows exactly what I enjoy playing. I checked out the trailers and yes, it did look right up my alley. I was in the middle of playing other things then, so I wishlisted it and decided to wait for a discount.
Then my childhood friend, who has known me for 30 years, told me that he has been playing this game and one of the first things he thought of was "Oya would love the hell out of this game." I trust his judgement, especially because he knows my gaming habits really well. Then he told me that it’s free on Game Pass.
That sealed the deal. That, and having just recently finished Final Fantasy XVI, I needed another game that would break my heart (mission accomplished, I guess?).
The people who know me the best were recommending the game to me so fervently - who am I to say no?
I immediately downloaded the game on my PC and started it. On the main menu, as this song played, I realized that my PC or my Steam Deck might not be good enough to run this game decently. I hadn’t even started the game, but I realized that I need to experience this without having to worry about performance.
So I took the plunge and bought it on PS5 in full price.
It absolutely deserves its price tag.
My thoughts are all over the place with this game. Trying to write a coherent review for this game will be difficult, but I want to try my best. Such a well-made game deserves a well-written review too.
First impressions
Expedition 33 sucks you right in with dreamy visuals and incredible soundtrack that sets the mood perfectly. Walking around in Lumière with rose petals swirling around you everywhere, the lovely Parisian setting, the Belle-Époque inspiration everywhere… I was immediately on board.
The first parts of the game leave you confused and hungry for answers. The prologue does a fantastic job at giving you an introduction. It does not explain much and lets you take in the world around you. Exposition is done very tastefully and without being in your face. It embodies the ‘show, don’t tell’ approach.
Then you get hit with some really shocking scenes, and it lets you know of the stakes.
God knows that I won’t forget the moment where we first form a ‘party’.
Mechanics
Being extremely familiar with the JRPG genre definitely helped me get the grasp of Expedition 33 rather quickly, especially with the gameplay mechanics. It takes really strong cues from other games. You can see it in the Persona-esque battle system (even the Free Aim mechanic is similar to Persona 5), Final Fantasy X’s turn based system (also used in Honkai Star Rail), Final Fantasy VII-IX inspired overworld map… I felt right at home.
Except for the dodge/parry mechanic.
That was brand new to me. I avoid soulslikes for this very reason - I’m just not good at it. So I was skeptical of how much I would enjoy the combat.
It quickly became one of my favorite systems of all time.
One downside of the usual turn-based combat system is that you really can’t do much when it’s your opponent’s turn. When the boss casts Megidolaon on you, all you can do is to sit back and hope that your party’s defense is good enough or that their evasion stats are high enough so that they can dodge.
The dodge/parry mechanic gives you control over this. You are an active participant of the battle. Parrying is more difficult but more rewarding. At first I was too afraid to try parrying anything. So I dodged my way through Act I. Then I realized that I was getting perfect dodges pretty often, so I decided to try parrying. When you realize that there is a musicality to the enemies’ attack patterns, it becomes easier. You really feel amazing when you successfully parry a long combo.
Of course, there are some bullshit bosses that try to trick you.
Another thing I really liked is how all the characters are viable. You can build Lune to be a healer or damage dealer. You can build Maelle like a tank or have a crit build for her. These are all valid and there is no right way to build a character.
All of these aspects combined were enough to make me actually want to do random battles, whereas in other games it can make me groan out loud after a while.
Music
The music of this game deserves all the awards it can get. They apparently found the composer on Soundcloud?? That’s crazy to me.
"One day, I shared one of my compositions on an indie video game forum. That’s when Guillaume Broche, Game Director at Sandfall Interactive, discovered my work. He reached out and asked if I would compose the soundtrack for his game.
That moment marked the beginning of a beautiful collaboration—one that changed my life." - Lorien Testard, composer
And they found the lead writer on Reddit. It shows that talent can be found in many places, you just have to look.
The moment you open the game, you get hit with Alicia. Its slow start with the beautiful singing immediately captured me. The haunting tone of the song immediately occupied a place in my mind.
I can’t choose a favorite song yet, but currently Une vie à t’aimer, Dualliste and Lumière are sitting right on top.
I won’t forget the moment Une vie à t’aimer played. I felt my soul ascending to a higher plane of existence. It’s hard to describe it in words. I think probably everyone stopped playing for a few moments just to take the song in.
The male and the female vocalists, singing AT each other, almost like an argument, singing contrasting lyrics…
Though if you speak French, I’d recommend not listening to the song before you play. It hits different when you hear it the first time, and the lyrics can add to the experience. And they are a little on the spoiler-y side.
I can write a whole essay on this song. But for now, without giving away spoilers, I’ll only say that the part where the male vocalist sings, almost screaming ‘‘L’aimer toujours même s’il n’est plus ici/Loving him still, even if he’s no longer here’’ will never not make me emotional.
I came to really appreciate Dualliste later, when I was listening to the OST after beating the game. The boss fight itself was magnificent, but the song carries it to new heights without you even being conscious of it. One of the best boss fight songs I’ve ever heard.
As for Lumière, I was walking around in the streets of Côte d’Azur last week, singing “Clair-obscur, trouble de rature, courberaaa Eiffel”. You can probably tell how much I enjoyed this song.
The leitmotifs established in this song can be heard throughout many others, and it does a great job at giving the city of Lumière its unique identity.
It takes itself seriously but manages to be funny
The game has a great way of mixing deeply serious and somber moments with humorous writing and fun interactions. From the outside, the game looks dark and depressing, but with these moments sprinkled in, there is a nice balance.
One of my biggest complaints in some games - or any fictional media in general - is that when they don’t let the serious moments stew. They don’t let you feel sad or angry. I talked about this in my Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review too. God forbid the player experiences a negative emotion. No, the player has to get back to laughing immediately after an intense scene, or else they are not enjoying the game.
Expedition 33 does not do this, thankfully. Moments have their weight, and that weight sits on your shoulders as you play.
As I am too familiar with loss and grief, the game’s way of tackling these subjects was cathartic, in a way. Because yeah, pain and grief make us do irrational things. And they can be cruel. But they also show us that there is comfort in companionship. We are in pain because we cared.
And underneath all of it, lies one emotion that we all know, that seems simple but is actually incredibly complicated.
Love.
This is, in its core, a game purely about love.
Masterfully done, Sandfall.
Verdict
There are very few games that I finish and immediately think "I have to play it again". The fact that I went on vacation to France right after finishing the game did NOT help. I was thinking about it while swimming, chilling on the beach and hanging out with friends!
I also had studied in France for 10 months as an exchange student in 2016-2017 (which remains one of the best years of my life), so the country does have a special place in my heart, but this game not only rekindled my love for it, it actually made me love it more.
With its snappy battle animations, incredible art direction, great writing, this is a really strong contender for my personal Game of the Year. Unless there is another game that will blow my mind this year, this one has found its place pretty comfortably on top.
A game about grief and pain and how it affects us, a game about that makes you question what it means to be human…
…and you can play the entire thing wearing sunglasses and a beret and with a baguette strapped to your back.
I dare you to tell me this trailer is not peak.
I had my reservations after seeing the hype around the game, but now I’m the one hyping it up. For what the game promises to offer, it delivers it spectacularly.
I disagree with people who are using this game to put down other RPGs like Persona and Final Fantasy; it’s very clear that the devs have a lot of love for the genre and would probably not appreciate it being used to devalue the other games.
10/10 recommendation for anyone who enjoys a strong narrative with a fun twist on the turn-based battle system.
We Continue.
This game broke my heart - and was a return to JRPGs for me, after a childhood spent playing Kingdom Hearts but an adulthood spent in Stardew Valley esque titles. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the themes next week.
I thought it was an okay game