We had the chance to explore the fascinating world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, an ambitious fantasy Role-Playing game developed by French studio Sandfall Interactive. After more than four hours of playing an early version, we were impressed by the game’s innovative combination of traditional RPG and action elements, coupled with an immersive narrative, stunning graphics, and exceptional sound design. Here are our first impressions of a game that will be the talk of 2025.
This customized preview allowed us to get into the story shortly after the prologue in Lumière. In this part, a summary video (“The Story So Far”) was included for contextualization, although this will not be present in the final version, so we will not give more details to avoid spoilers.
How the demo starts
Expedition 33, led by Gustave, Lune and Maelle, is decimated after an encounter with a mysterious white-haired man. Gustave, the sole survivor, wakes up in an unknown location, marking the beginning of our adventure.
In this build, we had 3 playable characters:
- Gustave: A resourceful engineer with the combat mechanics of Overload. Voiced by Charlie Cox (English) and Alexandre Gillet (French).
- Lune: A passionate scholar and mage who uses Elemental Blurs. Voiced by Kirsty Rider (English) and Céline Melloul (French).
- Maelle: A hermit and Gustave’s adopted sister, an expert in fencing stances. Voiced by Jennifer English (English) and Adeline Chetail (French).
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Innovative gameplay
One of the highlights of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is its reactive turn-based combat system, which requires precision and mastery of enemy timing and movement. Blocking and counterattacking, along with evasive maneuvers and jumps, add a strategic layer to combat. Exploration plays a crucial role, with multiple side paths offering optional equipment and challenges. In addition, weapon targeting allows you to exploit enemy weaknesses right from the start.
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Sound and audio
The soundtrack, sound effects and dubbing (English and French) enhance the game experience by doing a great job, it will undoubtedly be one of those memorable soundtracks. The title will have text and subtitles in: German, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian.
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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is shaping up to be one of the great RPGs of 2025, thanks to its compelling story, stunning visuals, and innovative gameplay mechanics. It is scheduled for release on April 24, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (Day One on Game Pass) and PC. Without a doubt, this will be a title that fans of the genre will not want to miss.
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