CLAIR OBSCUR: EXPEDITION 33

A New Living Legacy

- 

It might be on-the-nose to say that a game which is so strongly focused on literal art has reminded me of the potential of video games as an artistic medium, but that's exactly what Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has done.

The beauty of video games is their potential to bring every aspect of art—visual art, music, drama, writing—to bear through a technological medium, and give players the ability to interact with and control these experiences. And this debut title from France's Sandfall Interactive excels in all of these departments, providing a feast for the eyes, ears, and soul alongside a stimulating gameplay experience.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful hybrid of several genres. At its heart, it is a turn-based RPG following strongly in Persona 5's footsteps, but featuring prominent action-based prompts—Quick Time Event-like inputs to increase the power of certain attacks, or precise reactions to avoid being attacked in return. Exploration feels reminiscent of traditional classics like Final Fantasy X, while the camp feature evokes memories of speaking to companions in Dragon Age or Baldur's Gate 3.

However, while one can say “this feature looks like that game,” or “this mechanic reminds me of something else,” Expedition 33 does not feel derivative. The true beauty here is that Sandfall has taken all of these components and woven them into something new, self-sufficient, and thrilling, thanks in large part to its premise and setting.