A Genre-Defining Debut That Converts Skeptics
The real question is: can a turn-based RPG actually feel thrilling? For someone who's spent decades avoiding the turn-based genre, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 answered that with a resounding yes. Sandfall Interactive's debut doesn't just iterate on turn-based combat, it fundamentally reimagines what the genre can feel like. And lowkey, it might be the best argument for turn-based systems I've ever played.
The setup hooks you immediately: a mysterious paintress erases anyone who reaches a certain age each year, and Expedition 33 represents humanity's desperate attempt to stop her before she paints away the 33-year-olds. It's grim, it's French-inspired dark fantasy (for better or worse), and it wastes zero time getting you emotionally invested. Within the first fifteen minutes, I was hooked. 80 hours later, I'm left with that hollow feeling when you finish something that leaves a piece of your soul behind.
Combat That Actually Demands Your Attention
At its core, this is where Expedition 33 separates itself from every turn-based game that put me to sleep. The combat system blends strategic planning with active timing mechanics that keep you engaged every single second. You're not just selecting attacks from a menu and watching animations play out. You're parrying, you're timing reactive abilities, you're managing cooldowns while repositioning for advantage.
If you played any Soulsborne game, you'll recognize the UI influence and the emphasis on reading enemy patterns. But instead of real-time action, it's a strategic dance where every decision compounds. The skill customization runs deep with multiple progression trees, reactive abilities that chain together, builds that genuinely change how encounters play out. For context, I'm someone who typically finds turn-based combat tedious, and I spent hours grinding optional encounters just because the system felt that satisfying to engage with.
Boss fights deserve special mention. These aren't damage sponges with predictable patterns. They're multi-phase encounters that demand you adapt your strategy, exploit weaknesses, and sometimes completely rethink your approach. The difficulty curve hits that sweet spot where victories feel earned without crossing into frustration. I personally almost rage quit the Simon fight multiple times, but once I defeated him, I was left with an immense sense of pride.
Expedition 33 is the first time I actually enjoy a turn-based game
A World That Looks and Sounds Sublime
The audiovisual presentation is where Expedition 33 flexes hardest. The dark fantasy aesthetic and unique art style creates something genuinely unique. The world's design beautifully balances linear progression with open exploration, giving you room to breathe without overwhelming you with empty space.
That been said, the Unreal Engine 5 implementation isn't flawless. Character models in cinematics look incredible – Charlie Cox's performance capture, in particular, is movie-quality. But then you hit a menu screen, and everyone looks like shiny mannequins in a boutique window. Exploration can feel stiff, with your character handling like a drifting speedboat locked into rigid movement planes, and there's occasional texture inconsistency and traversal stutter that breaks immersion if you're being picky.
But here's the thing: the soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission. There's a running joke that the menu music is "the first battle you need to overcome" because you'll sit there listening instead of playing. The score weaves through combat, exploration, and story beats with this haunting beauty that stays with you. Weeks after finishing, I'm still humming themes and checking if the orchestra is ever planning to visit my city.
Visual artistry with sublime worlds and a masterpiece soundtrack
Story That Earns Its Emotional Weight
The narrative is where Expedition 33 feels truly refreshing. This isn't a typical save-the-world plot going through the motions. It's adult characters wrestling with grief, regret, mortality, and hope in the face of inevitable doom. The writing has that Last of Us quality where conversations feel genuine, relationships develop naturally, and emotional beats land because they're earned. Different players will have their own favorites, but that's the beauty of it all.
Campfire sequences between missions bring you closer to each character. These aren't throwaway dialogue trees – they're opportunities to understand your companions as fully realized people (and unlock some cool abilities/gear in the process). The game makes you feel a mixture of emotions and forces you to genuinely reflect on life itself, which sounds pretentious but it's true. When a turn-based RPG makes you care this deeply about its cast, something special is happening.
The pacing deserves credit too. At roughly 30 hours for a complete story playthrough, it never overstays its welcome. Compare that to 100-hour JRPGs that pad their runtime, and you appreciate how Sandfall prioritized coherence over scale. Every hour feels purposeful. For those diving deeper, our Verso Drafts walkthrough covers the endgame content that adds another layer to the experience.
Performances elevated the story to the next level in Expedition 33
Technical Polish and Minor Frustrations
For a debut from a 30-person core team, the level of polish is genuinely shocking. The game mostly runs smoothly with seamless fight sequences, most players report consistent 165fps at 4K max settings on high-end rigs, with minimal stuttering but I personally had a blast on my PS5.
The trophy hunting experience gets mixed reviews. Most objectives feel natural and rewarding, but some late-game challenges (specifically those Gestral Beach trials) cross into frustrating territory. I personally went for the platinum and enjoyed every second of it. Besides the end-game boss fights, fast travel is generous, backtracking is minimal, and with a strong build you can pretty much cruise through most fights.
TLDR:
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the game that finally made me understand what turn-based combat can actually be. Not a relic of gaming's past that we tolerate for good stories, but a genuinely engaging system that demands attention and rewards mastery. Sandfall Interactive took inspiration from Final Fantasy X, Lost Odyssey, and Soulsborne games, then molded something with its own identity and rhythm which stands today as the most awarded game of all time.
If you're into narrative-driven RPGs, this is essential. If you've been curious about turn-based combat but never found your entry point, this is it. If you couldn't get yourself to get through any of the 327 Final Fantasy games like me, give Expedition 33 a shot anyway; believe me when I say, it's genuinely different. I typically enjoy open combat and slashing around in games like God of War or Black Myth Wukong, but even then, I fully enjoyed this game and found myself trying to finish the entire story in one weekend. I highly suggest giving it a chance, the soundtrack alone makes it worth it.
This is a once-in-a-generation game that reminds you what video games can actually be. It's not trying to be the next anything, nor is it latching onto popular genres; it's establishing itself as the first Clair Obscur, and that's exactly what gaming needs more of. Fresh ideas, and developers that clearly “love” what they're working on.
