Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Evaluate (PS5)

A unusual RPG not fairly like something you’ve performed earlier than, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a type of video games the place the much less you recognize getting into, the higher. A lot of its programs, themes, and options will really feel pretty acquainted. Nonetheless, the way in which first-time studio Sandfall Interactive has moulded these items collectively is uncommon.

This can be a good factor, for after so many formulaic efforts over current years, the title looks like a breath of contemporary air. In the event you’re keen to let it take you on its journey, then Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 represents one of the crucial bizarrely wonderful experiences on PS5.

Utilizing the traditions of the turn-based RPG style to craft equal components fight and exploration, you’ll journey throughout The Continent to try to put a cease to The Paintress and her quest to depend all the way down to zero.

Yearly, she inscribes a quantity onto her Monolith, and each particular person of that age is left with 12 months to reside earlier than they flip to mud. Every year, town of Lumiere sends a battalion of warriors and mages of the age she paints to try to take her down. All have failed.

You be part of Expedition 33, which should now bear the burden of humanity’s eventual extinction by itself shoulders and succeed the place others haven’t. The group meets speedy catastrophe after arriving on the shores of The Paintress, however as a small group of fighters band collectively within the aftermath, there’s nonetheless a glimmer of hope issues is likely to be totally different this time.

What follows is a roughly 35-hour journey that includes a number of the most engrossing storytelling on PS5. Gustave is mostly seen because the chief of the pack that rises from the ashes, although as you recruit extra get together members, the story develops in depth and emotion to make each character a important half. With twists and activates high, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 marks a powerful debut for Sandfall Interactive.

There’s an actual sense of high quality coursing by means of the script and the cutscenes bringing it to life. The voice solid options stars like Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars), Ben Starr (Closing Fantasy XVI), and Jennifer English (Baldur’s Gate 3), and their on-screen personas are enhanced by means of skilful and shocking cinematography methods.

Whereas the lip-sync doesn’t all the time fairly line up appropriately, each cutscene stays gripping, with an already intriguing plot heightened by distinctive digital camera angles and wonderful voice performing. It’s proof you don’t want the most important finances on the planet to provide one thing particular. With a series of occasions that dares to take dangers and refuses to tug any punches, the RPG builds on its compelling setup to ship essentially the most absorbing of narratives.

Linking all these story sequences collectively are plentiful bursts of turn-based battles and exploration that observe an attention-grabbing construction. The plot is informed linearly and requires you attain particular places to proceed its story. These locations are unfold throughout an overworld map referred to as The Continent, which you’re given free entry to traverse. You may select to go straight for the principle goal off within the distance or take a while out to discover non-compulsory areas that flesh out the world with new settings and challenges.

Absolutely exploring these areas is how your playtime may comfortably balloon to 60 hours or extra, however they’re additionally the place you’ll encounter a number of the extra peculiar and comical sides of the sport.

From off-the-wall dialogue to minigames that emulate different online game ideas, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a very weird expertise at instances. It could go from an emotional, intense cutscene to its model of Solely Up! inside a couple of minutes, or shock you with a comedic scene that enables the voice solid to thrive of their roles.

The distinction feels uncanny at first and may current a little bit of tonal whiplash. Nonetheless, the extra widespread it turns into, the extra you begin to take pleasure in it. You may by no means appropriately guess what’s going to occur subsequent, or what you may discover in a brand new space. It provides the sport a way of mystique, which, when coupled with the intense story, makes for one thing that’ll make you cry after which snicker by means of the tears. Sandfall Interactive finds a pleasant stability, although, permitting every emotion its place and sufficient time to return to phrases with it earlier than transferring on.

Second Opinion

I’ve all the time struggled with JRPGs. Whether or not it’s the sillier strategy to storytelling, the all-over-the-place character design, or the repetitive grindy nature of their fight programs. That’s to not write off your complete style; it’s simply not for me. Nonetheless, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, takes a few of these hallmarks of the style and provides in some AAA spice, not solely making it extra interesting to somebody like me however really making it an engrossing expertise.

Proper from the beginning, Clair Obscur grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, with a surprisingly heavy-hitting story — and it’s not afraid to wallow in these moments of despair. There’s a cheeky sensibility to it that harks again to these JRPG inspirations, however throughout its slick fight, its attractive setting, its likeable characters, and emotional story, it made somebody who isn’t into JRPGs, into this one.

I’m nonetheless pretty early on — roughly 10 hours into the sport — however I’ve been blown away by how a lot Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has gelled with me.

Aaron Bayne

Video Producer, Push Sq.

What stays a relentless is the fight, which expands the traditional turn-based construction with dodges and parries that flip enemy assaults into one other likelihood to deal harm. You type a celebration of three for each battle, and each member brings with them their very own mechanic and types of assault.

Gustave, for instance, is repeatedly working to construct an Overcharge meter that delivers a lightning blast. He positive aspects prices from utilizing different talents, and the extra it’s powered up, the extra harm it offers. Maelle, in the meantime, switches between three stances that modify her stats primarily based on what assaults you utilize, and Lune produces and consumes Stains to spice up her elemental expertise.

The get together members who be part of Expedition 33 after the beginning three even have their very own technique of engagement, offering a unique method to consider fight and the way you strategy it.

The place the title goes above and past, nevertheless, is by morphing enemy turns into the chance to turn out to be your individual. All of their assaults could be both dodged or parried, and particular strikes could be jumped over or prevented with a Gradient Assault. In the event you efficiently parry each strike, you’ll retaliate with an assault of your individual that usually offers extra harm than your commonplace talents — the identical goes for leaping and Gradient Assaults.

This mechanic provides the battle system its depth and elegance, turning an enemy’s sequence of assaults right into a theatrical efficiency you could match your button presses to. It’s particularly satisfying to counterattack after parrying a tough sequence of blows, and when you’ve mastered the whole lot they’ve to supply, you’ll begin to welcome their assaults greater than your individual.

Away from the battlefield, you possibly can customise your loadout by means of a collection of Pictos and Luminas. These two interlocking options show complicated at first, and the menu they’re discovered on does little to clear issues up.

Basically, the Pictos are perks you possibly can equip to your three get together members. After utilizing them for 4 battles, their impact turns right into a Lumina. These Luminas can then be outfitted onto your different characters in change for a forex, successfully spreading the advantages of the Pictos to everybody in your get together as an alternative of only a single particular person.

You’ll wrap your head across the features finally, however within the early sport, their implementation is puzzling. Fortunately, different sources of customisation like weapon upgrades and outfit modifications are much more easy.

With such a trendy battle system of turn-taking and counterattacks accompanying enjoyable exploration, numerous customisation components, and the excellent story, there’s by no means a second the place Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 falters. Its narrative-rich content material and stellar battles shine most, however Sandfall Interactive has created a sport so charming and interesting that each aspect oozes high quality.

The identical goes for the way it seems to be and runs — a minimum of on PS5 Professional. Our playthrough was principally carried out in Efficiency Mode, the place the title ran at a rock-solid 60 frames-per-second. The visuals match with lovely surroundings each out and in of cutscenes, whereas most places convey their very own vibe and color palette with them. The underwater sequences of Flying Waters and the icy mountain housing Monoco’s Station appear like they need to be worlds aside, but the overworld map of The Continent can put them underneath one roof.

A good bit of texture pop-in will trigger distraction as you enterprise from one landmark to the following, however the sport ran flawlessly for us apart from that. Then, should you’d moderately bump up the decision, High quality Mode will allow you to recognize the world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 slightly bit extra. If something, it deserves to be. With a implausible soundtrack boasting greater than 150 tracks on high, it is a true delight for all of the senses.