Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

An exceptional RPG with stunning visuals, great combat, and an incredible story. UX issues hold it back slightly, but this is still one of 2025's best games.

Introduction

I spent 70 hours with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and earned every achievement, and I can confidently say this is an absolutely amazing game. Sandfall Interactive somehow pulled off the impossible with their debut title, creating a turn-based RPG that feels fresh, engaging, and polished to a degree that rivals studios with ten times their resources. This is a game that will be remembered.

Artistically Masterful

The visual design and sound design in Expedition 33 are stunning. Every environment feels meticulously crafted, from the turn-of-the-century French-inspired architecture to the surreal enemy designs. The art direction creates this haunting atmosphere that stays with you long after you've finished playing. The soundtrack is equally impressive, with compositions that perfectly complement the emotional beats of the story. This is one of those rare games where you stop just to take in the scenery because it's genuinely breathtaking.

A Story That Keeps Twisting

The story is genuinely unique with great characters and amazing voice acting across the board. What makes it special is how the world constantly subverts your expectations. Just when you think you understand how everything works, the game introduces a twist that completely breaks your understanding of the world. And somehow, in the long run, it all makes sense. The characters are well-developed and the voice performances bring them to life in ways that make you care deeply about their journey.

Combat That Feels Fresh

The combat system sits in this sweet spot between traditional JRPG turn-based mechanics and active real-time elements. You're making strategic choices about abilities like a classic turn-based game, but then you're also dodging and parrying enemy attacks in real-time, timing your strikes for maximum damage, and using free aim to target weak points. It creates this engaging rhythm where you're always mentally engaged, never just watching animations play out. The system rewards both strategic planning and execution skill, which keeps battles feeling dynamic throughout the entire game.

Boss battles showcase the full depth of the combat system, requiring both strategic planning and real-time execution to overcome massive, visually stunning threats.

The combination of traditional JRPG strategy with action elements creates a unique rhythm that keeps you engaged for the entire 70-hour journey.

The Pictos System

The Pictos system is genuinely brilliant. These are accessories that provide stat boosts and unique passive abilities called Luminas. The variety and depth of build options this system creates is fantastic. You can craft entirely different playstyles by mixing and matching Pictos and Luminas, and experimenting with combinations is endlessly fun.

The Pictos UX Problem

My biggest frustration is the menu system around Pictos. The visual clarity is poor, and there's no preset or loadout system to save your builds. I spent several hours just navigating these menus, which is rough when you're constantly experimenting with different combinations. The requirement to win four battles before a Pictos Lumina unlocks globally feels unnecessary. You can just temporarily equip something, beat four easy encounters, then swap back to your original build. This creates an annoying hurdle where you're forced to navigate the terrible UX just to unlock something, then navigate it again to swap back. A loadout system would solve so many of these issues.

Minor Immersion Breaks

The characters rarely interact with each other outside of camp or cutscenes, which breaks immersion at times. It reminds you that you're playing a game rather than experiencing a living world. I wish the party members would comment on things around them more, similar to how Baldur's Gate 3 handles party banter. Not asking for that level of reactivity, but something in between would have added even more depth to these already great characters.

The area maps were occasionally confusing to navigate, and the lack of a minimap stands out. Though honestly, this might be intentional to hide the somewhat corridor-heavy level design, which isn't necessarily a bad thing given how beautiful those corridors are.

Verdict

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a triumph. Sandfall Interactive did the impossible and created one of the best games of 2025. The visual artistry, compelling story, engaging combat, and clever systems combine into something truly special. The Pictos UX issues and lack of ambient party interaction are real problems that hold it back from being an all-time great, but they're not enough to diminish what Sandfall has accomplished here. I genuinely believe that once they iron out these issues in their next game, they'll create something that reaches that legendary status. If this is what they can do on their first try, the future is incredibly bright.