While I don't know what my top ten all time favourite games are off the top of my head, I know that the list of those includes titles such as BioShock Infinite, Baldur's Gate 3, several Final Fantasy games, and now, Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
From the ashes of some Ubisoft publishing house, come Sandfall Interactive, a studio of some three dozen people, armed with the Unreal Engine, and original piece of intellectual property, and a cast of absolutely lovable, charming, and memorable characters.
Think Disney levels of charm for the character Esquie, who becomes a mount that helps you traverse the world of Clair Obscur Expedition 33, only with the wit of Douglas Adams and dialogue that will have you genuinely grinning from ear to ear, which is something, given the dark undertones and story beats brought to you by Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
There's a monolith in town. Every year, a number is painted on it. Each year, that number decreases, and when the number matches your age, you're gone, converted to flowery, beautiful confetti, leaving the rest of the town in tears, families torn apart, orphans to foster homes, and a new expedition to go explore the fractured landscapes beyond the town of Lumiere.
And what a beautiful landscape it is, albeit behind a smeary, unsharp palette of visuals that tries to mimic vast paintings, but just doesn't quite hit the mark exactly with its art direction. The intent is there, but the game would definitely benefit from some shader tweaks. It is beautiful at still, but in motion, it can get a little jarring.
I think I'm just used to games with different art styles. Anyway, I'm complaining about visuals that are in fact excellent, but I'm complaining because they didn't match up with my artistic tastes or expectations. They're good, but they could be improved.
Combat in Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is a mixture of turn based combat and real time reactions. In fact, it probably plays almost the same of South Park: The Stick of Truth - time some button presses, dodges, jumps, or parries in order to actually get through the crushing combat difficulty.
But it isn't just button pressing that you need to do. You need to identify what creatures are weak to what, and adjust your load out of Pictos (magic stones) and once mastered, the Lumina build out of your characters which is strengthened through levelling up and finding items in the environment.
Now I go again to speak of the environment. It's beautifully alive, with the world map a charming tilt-shift camera style, giving you a sense of scale that is reminscent of the original Final Fantasy VII world map, only filled with an enormously ... larger amount of charm and exploration potential.
As you progress through the game, you get access to new skills for your mount, and unlock more and more areas where you can learn about the world and encounter incredibly unforgiving boss fights and extra quests featuring jumping puzzles in exchange for swim suits. My hatred of platformers is well documented, so you'll be happy to know that I wasn't rockin' swimsuits at any point throughout the game.
This is a game with a rich and dark story that unfolds as you progress, with several twists, turns, and a great selection of an antagonist that has unclear motives, which are engrossing and force you to continue playing.
While the game has had pretty much universal acclaim, it would be much more accessible with an even lower difficulty setting for those that just want to enjoy the story. For those types, there'll be a live action movie, and I will probably be going to the cinema to see it at some point in the future.
I am keen to see what this studio puts out next, as for a debut, this is a title to play, cherish, and put up on the shelf right next to my all time classics, which I'll have to decide ... what they are, in order to fit Clair Obscur Expedition 33 on the shelf among them.
Before I go, I will say one more thing about this game. It has a soundtrack that rivals the work of legends such as Nobou Uemastu. Yes, I said it. Now its your turn to go and play it. Not just the soundtrack, but the game too.
This is a rare ten out of ten. So far, it is game of the year, 2025 as far as I am concerned.
