Not Exactly Paint-By-Numbers

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the debut title from French studio Sandfall Interactive, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is just some upstart indie title: Sandfall features former Ubisoft devs and other AAA talent behind the scenes, which translates into a gorgeous RPG with its own identity and quirks. Let me tell you why it’s no surprise that it’s a leading nominee for Game of the Year at this year’s Game Awards.

Clair Obscur follows the citizens of Lumière who, every year, witness the awakening of a mysterious Paintress. From atop her sinister monolith she paints a number. One year later, everyone older than that number dies, but in an equally artistic manner: they dissolve into petals and smoke. 

Previous expeditions have been sent out to try to stop the Paintress but all have failed, so the question is: will Expedition 33 succeed, or will everyone older than 33 fade away like a painting in the rain?

Meet the Gang

Lumière and its surroundings are inspired by France’s Belle Époque era that ran from the end of the 19th Century to the start of the Twentieth. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t the first game to borrow elements of the “Beautiful Age” for a Soulslike RPG (Lies of P comes to mind) but it is the first to use it as the basis for a deeply human story complemented by unusual turn-based combat.

But before I get to that, let’s take a look at the characters in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. As with typical RPGs, you’ll get to choose a party and occasionally upgrade each member (more on that later). Your first member is Gustave, who starts the game by spending the day with Sophie, his ex-girlfriend. She’s fated to disappear so theirs is a bittersweet reunion; it also helps set the tone and existential fears running through and underneath the game.

Gustave also interacts with his teenage foster sister, Maelle. Together, they decide to become Expeditioners and set off to stop the Paintress. It’s also in this extended prologue that you’ll get to try out parkour and basic combat; anyone who’s played an action RPG lately will know what to expect from the latter, with dodges and parries being the order of the day.

You’ll also encounter Lune (a scholar and mage), Sciel (a seemingly carefree fighter), Monoco (a construct-like being called a Gestral), and Verso (a mysterious stranger). There’s also Renoir, an elderly gent who appears immune to the Paintress’ power and who could be an ally or an enemy – I won’t spoil how that plays out.

Sandfall gets to show off its budget with the characters, as most are voiced by known movie/TV and game actors such as Andy Serkis, Charlie Cox, Jennifer English, and Ben Starr. I like that this sets expectations early on that you’re in for something a cut above a typical indie title. However, I did find this to be something of a double-edged sword the longer the game went on, as Sandfall’s narrative ambition starts to fray at the edges like old canvas.

Turn-Based QTE Frenzy

Other than the setting, combat is where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 really shines. On the surface it’s turn-based, like a great many RPGs beforehand from the Final Fantasy series to Sea of Stars. However, there’s a strong rhythm element involved that, honestly, takes a bit of getting used to. Parries and QTEs allow for real-time changes to each combat encounter, whether it’s deflecting an enemy attack or launching a fireball. 

This turns each fight – whether it’s with a weird automaton sentry or towering rock beast – into something like a cross between the strategic dance of a Soulslike battle with frantic last-minute Hail Marys as you fumble a QTE and then try to launch a successful counter. It is tricky, but Sandfall lets players freely switch between difficulties on the fly: Story is the easiest, all the way up to Expert. For the purpose of this Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review, I played primarily on Expeditioner Mode, the default setting, with occasional switches to Story.

Fans of min-maxing character builds in Diablo IV and the like will be happy, as Expeditioners can be upgraded with Pictos (character abilities), unique attributes, and Luminas (these are passive Picto abilities that can be equipped by any character, even if a different character already has those Pictos equipped). 

It’s entirely possible to create game-breaking powerhouses that can deal huge damage in one hit, although you’ll need to experiment quite a bit and watch out for abilities that also come with trade-offs, like allowing you to deal more damage but also take more.

Light and Dark

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering what Clair Obscur means. It’s, fittingly, French for “light-dark” and refers to an artistic term better known as chiaroscuro. This is the strong contrast between light and shadow, and aside from the nice tie-in to the main Paintress narrative, it also serves to show how the game itself is a mix of good and bad.

First, the good stuff: the bleak-but-beautiful setting, the richly-detailed world map that feels like a hand-crafted diorama, and the overarching fatalism of the world feel lived-in and really do stand-out. The combat takes some getting used to, but once it clicks, then oh boy, does it click. It’s also, thankfully, possible to retry a failed battle. The suitably epic soundtrack by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier is worth a mention, too.

Now the less-good: facial animations have an occasionally off-putting robotic effect that made me feel like I was watching intricate puppets. There are some frankly abysmal platforming sections that I would happily launch into space and never see again. The story, while well-written and genuinely emotional, does occasionally take a few sharp turns that don’t feel earned. 

My Verdict on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The best paintings start as a rough sketch before each delicate brush stroke gradually adds layers of detail. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Metacritic scores generally view this game as a masterpiece so it should come as no surprise that my Clair Obscur review joins their ranks…with a few caveats.

Gamers used to the open worlds and intertwining maps of the best Soulslikes and Metroidvanias may be disappointed by the linearity of Clair Obscur and occasionally lackluster dungeon layout, but these shortcomings are painted over with surreal sights like a distorted Eiffel Tower being sucked into a maelstrom, and characters you’ll actually care about.

The combat system is a breath of fresh air (although it takes a bit of getting used to) and the skill trees are extensive and encourage creative builds. While the plot occasionally threatens to go off-the-rails, it manages to maintain a clear throughline that sensitively handles grief and despair, but with a touch of hope.

You can examine The Game Awards 2025 winners list to see exactly how this standout title performed against the competition.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review

C’est magnifique!

Sandfall Interactive’s debut title is a thoughtful, gorgeous RPG with an unusual combat system and evocative world-building. While the studio’s ambition occasionally stretches the game’s canvas a little thin, it does far more right than it gets wrong. Because after all, the best works of art use light and shade in equal measure.