| Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | DLC & Pre-Order | Review |
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 follows the journey of Expeditioners as they set off to end the cycle of genocide enacted by the goddess-like figure, The Paintress. Read on to learn how it plays, what it’s about, and everything else we know so far.
← Return to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 main article
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Gameplay
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 makes its mark in the turn-based RPG genre by putting its own spin on the formula with real-time inputs and quick-time events (QTE), letting players dodge, parry, and execute stronger attacks or buffs to win battles. Though not the first RPG title to implement these mechanics into its combat, Clair Obscur uses these features to reward aggressive "push forward" playstyles where fights are won by proactively engaging enemy attacks with counterattacks and successful dodges and parries.
Combat
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players command a squad of Expeditioners, each with their own set of skills, combat mechanics, and weapons. Battles are fought in turns, but the player must remain actively engaged even outside of choosing skills—timing dodges, parries, jumps, and counters to survive enemy assaults.
Each character has their own number of AP (Action Points) displayed on a blue meter at the bottom of their icon. AP is used for executing the characters’ unique skills and can be earned by using normal attacks and, through the use of certain equipment or character skills, through parrying and dodging. As more equipment and skills become available, more of the game’s mechanics can begin rewarding players with AP by attacking a status-inflicted enemy or even by just playing a turn, for example.
After battle, your party earns experience points, with more rewarded to those who are on-field. If the on-field fighters lose in battle, players are given the option to send in the remaining inactive members to continue the fight.
Dodge, Parry, Jump, and Counter
Rather than simply absorbing damage or letting defensive buffs handle incoming attacks, players must take direct control to defend themselves in real-time. Dodging provides a fairly generous window to evade attacks completely, which makes it suitable in fights with enemies that players are fighting for the first time or certain attacks that are difficult to follow.
Parrying, on the other hand, yields a higher risk-reward payoff. Successfully parrying all hits from an attack negates damage and will trigger a powerful counterattack, turning an enemy's offense into a lethal opening.
Some attacks, particularly those sweeping across the ground, must be avoided by jumping instead of dodging horizontally.
Free Aim
One of Expedition 33’s defining features in its combat is the Free Aim mechanic. Players can manually aim and fire at enemy targets, letting them target specific weak points and inflict critical damage or status effects. In some fights, targeting the weak points will weaken an enemy’s attacks, lowering the damage dealt or hits landed. In some cases, enemies can even dodge all your normal attacks and skills, making free aim the most optimal way to take them down.
Pictos, Luminas, and Tints
Each character wields a set of unique abilities that can be customized and enhanced through two key systems: Pictos and Luminas. Pictos are pieces of stat-boosting equipment that give passive abilities to the characters they are assigned to. If the Pictos are used several times in battles, their passive abilities will become available as equipment called Luminas.
Luminas are a set of passive abilities that can be shared across party members. Each member has a set number of slots to equip Luminas, which can be increased using the items called the Colour of Lumina. To increase the characters’ Lumina capacity, it is available by consulting the Curator at the camp. Every Lumina will occupy a set number of slots, so choose which ones to bring with you wisely!
In lieu of traditional RPG items, Clair Obscur has Tints, which let players restore Health, AP, and revive teammates. They are replenishable when resting at an Expedition Flag and can be upgraded by presenting either the Shape of Health, Shape of Energy, or Shape of Life to the Curator at the Camp.
Optional Bosses
Throughout Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the world is peppered with powerful optional bosses that players can seek out and challenge for valuable rewards. Each optional boss is uniquely designed, often much tougher than the main story fights, demanding mastery of the game's dodging, counterattack mechanics, and adapting to enemy movement and behavior.
Character Building
Upon leveling up, characters receive three attribute points and one skill point. Attribute points can be allocated to five primary stats—Might, Vitality, Defense, Agility, and Luck—each influencing aspects like health, attack power, defense, and critical hit chance. Skill points are used to unlock new abilities within each character's unique skill tree, allowing for specialization and strategic depth.
An item called Recoat can be used to reallocate Attributes or Skill Points, which opens the doors for build experimentation. Recoats can be found as occasional enemy drops or items sold by Gestral merchants scattered across the world.
Camp
During free-roam in the overworld, players can set up Camp, a hub where players can rest and prepare for future expeditions. Players can speak with their fellow Expeditioners to listen to their thoughts about the current situation and, once they’ve progressed further into the story, spend time with them to deepen their relationships.
Players can also take their time to upgrade and prepare through the Expedition Flag for Attributes and Skills or with the Curator for the Expeditioners’ weapons, Pictos, Luminas, and Tints.
Exploration
Exploration plays a massive role in the overall experience of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The world is layered, intricate, and filled with secrets to uncover.
The Continent
The game features an overworld map called the Continent that connects various regions, including unique locations like the Flying Waters or the Ancient Sanctuary. Esquie, a mythical marshmallowy creature, can take the entire party for a swift ride across the Continent. As players progress through the story, Esquie can traverse through challenging terrains, including swimming across bodies of water, breaking corals, and even flying and diving later on.
The Manor
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Manor is a mysterious, interconnected structure that players will gradually unlock as they explore the Continent. Scattered throughout the world are ancient, ornate doors—some hidden, some in plain sight—that all lead back to different parts of the Manor. Each time the player finds and unlocks a new door, it reveals a previously inaccessible area within the Manor that contains certain journal entries, items, and even costumes.
Paint Cages
Inside various levels are Paint Cages, which are glowing nest-like objects that contain valuable loot like Tint shards, weapons, or Pictos. Paint Cages can be opened by shooting three glowing locks, all usually within their vicinity.
Friendship Level
Although Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 includes a friendship system that is tied to story progression. Players can build bonds with their Expedition members through conversations and optional dialogue scenes, with certain characters even being romanceable. By reaching certain relationship levels, characters can learn new skills, obtain other items like haircuts, and even give out sidequests tied to their character arcs.
While the friendship system is optional and relatively straightforward (at least by RPG standards), it’s an opportunity to get deeper into each of the characters’ backstories and their personal stakes in the mission.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Story
The Gommage
The world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is bound by the ritual of the Gommage. Each year, the Paintress decrees an age, and anyone of that age is erased from existence. This ritual instills fear across the population, as the age limit continues to decrease, threatening everyone’s survival. The fate of the people is in constant flux, and the Gommage becomes the key motivator for the game's characters as they seek to end this vicious cycle.
Expedition 33
The story follows Gustave, an engineer who bids farewell to his former lover, Sophie, on the day of the 67th Gommage. Sophie, having turned 33, vanishes in accordance with the ritual, and Gustave, who only has a year left to live, joins Expedition 33 with the hope of slaying the Paintress and ending the Gommage. However, shortly after making landfall, the expedition is ambushed by a mysterious white-haired man, scattering the Expeditioners throughout the Continent.
Gustave, along with his companions—Lune, Maelle, and Sciel—struggles to survive and regroup. Moreover, Maelle begins experiencing troubling visions of the white-haired man and a masked girl.
New Allies and Discoveries
Along the way, Gustave and the other Expeditioners are joined by Esquie, a marshmallowy creature who helps them cross dangerous terrain, Verso, a former member of a previous expedition, and Monoco, an old and powerful Gestral. As the party travels deeper into the world, they begin to unravel the true nature of the Paintress, the Gommage, and the tragic history of the land they are trying to save.
The Heart of Lumière and the Path to the Paintress
As the group ventures into ancient locations, they encounter challenges and confront powerful enemies. Their ultimate goal is to reach the Paintress, who resides in a hidden place protected by an impenetrable barrier. Along the way, they must gather critical resources and craft powerful weapons to break through these defenses and confront the entity responsible for the Gommage.
Throughout their journey, the party must also grapple with their personal motivations and the ties that bind them to the fate of the world. The more they uncover, the more they realize that their mission is intertwined with a much larger cosmic struggle.
Confronting the Paintress
The story builds toward a final confrontation with the Paintress, where the true nature of the Gommage, as well as the dark history of those involved, will be revealed. However, as the group reaches the heart of the Paintress's domain, they must make difficult choices that could reshape their world forever.
In the end, the choices made by the player will determine not only the fate of the protagonists but also the world they inhabit, with diverging paths that lead to different endings.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Similar Games
 |
Ballad of Antara RPG, Soulslike |
 |
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition Action, Adventure, RPG, Open World |
 |
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Action, Adventure |
 |
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered Open-World, Adventure, RPG |
