Masterpiece isn’t a term I like to throw around often when discussing different forms of media from books to movies to video games, but Sandfall Interactive’s debut game, “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” checks all those boxes and then some.
“Expedition 33” is set in the city of Lumiere, 67 years after it and the surrounding world were thrown into chaos after an event known as the Fracture. With the Fracture, the world was set on a course to end as each year, a being known as the Paintress paints a number on this giant monolith, slowly counting down to zero. Each year all the people of that age group are “gommaged” at the end of the year, effectively disappearing into a cloud of flower petals. Also each year, the residents of Lumiere that are set to gommage when the year is up form an expedition to attempt to take down the Paintress before their clocks run out.
As the name suggests, the game follows “Expedition 33,” the 67th expedition to attempt to take down the Paintress. This expedition includes the main cast of Gustave, Sciel, Lune and Maelle, who unlike the rest of the expedition is just 16 years old. Along the way, the crew also picks up the mysterious Verso and the gestral Monoco, a member of a race of battle hungry, puppet-looking people.
With the stage set, I am going to refrain from talking too much more about the plot as there are so many twists and turns that I highly recommend experiencing for yourself. I will say that a decision you must make at the end of the game is gut wrenching and, having seen both outcomes, both are thought provoking but heartbreaking in completely different ways. It’s one of those things that will keep you thinking well after you have put down the game.
Immediately as players are dropped into the game, they are met with a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack with incredible vocals and a stunning, hand-painted art style that leads to a variety of environments that each look incredible.
In terms of gameplay, “Expedition 33” is a turn-based game, similar to and heavily inspired by traditional “Final Fantasy” games. The spin on the system for “Expedition 33” is that in addition to the turn-based combat, the game also features a parry system similar to that of FromSoftware’s “Sekiro,” which can lead to devastating counters against your enemies, as well as a dodge system to safely avoid enemy attacks. Overall, I thought the combination of turn-based with real-time mechanics is simple on the surface, but is difficult both in practice and to master. While a simple system in practice, it is quite fun and satisfying to learn and attempt to master.
The voice talent is also incredible, from famous actors Andy Serkis as Renoir and Charlie Cox as Gustave, to voice acting up-and-comers Ben Starr as Verso and Jennifer English as Maelle, this is by far one of the biggest and best performances from a cast I have seen in a video game. While the whole cast is excellent, the performances of the four I’ve listed above are powerful and at some points gut-wrenching.
The cast of characters are incredible, from the turtle Francois and the mythical being Esquie, who are scene stealers every time they speak, to Verso and Maelle, who really become the main characters by the game’s second act. In one instant, the game will have you laughing out loud because of something silly they said to feeling complete existential dread in another. The narrative and characters are compelling in a way I have not seen in a video game in quite some time.
The game is also very French, as Sandfall Interactive is based in France, so expect to hear a few French accents, learn a few French swears and to hear all the vocal tracks for the music in French. Also expect to see mimes, baguettes and other silly gestures to French culture throughout your play time.
Structurally the game is broken into three acts, with significant events at the end of each. While Acts 1 and 2 are linear pushes through the story, Act 3 opens up with new methods of traversal giving players the freedom to explore the world before doing the final area, which is available as soon as Act 3 begins.
I highly recommend tackling side quests for your main party and then going straight to the end as otherwise the final area will be a breeze as your party gets over leveled. Plus, the way the plot pushes you and the characters’ arcs complete you will want to finish it as soon as you can. Thankfully, you can continue playing after the credits roll so you won’t miss anything.
I have to credit the development team at Sandfall Interactive for what they were able to do. When development teams now have upwards of hundreds of people, Sandfall put out “Expedition 33” with a team of just around 30 people. To be able to create such an amazing game on par with anything released in the last few years with a small team is something that cannot be overlooked in the current videogame development landscape.
From top to bottom, “Expedition 33” is one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I can confidently say it has cracked my top 10 list. I am so excited to hopefully see more from this universe and will be ready to play whatever Sandfall cooks up next.
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
