Honestly, the first time I saw the trailer for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, I thought it was a trick. We’ve all been conditioned to expect "pre-rendered" lies from cinematic reveals, but Sandfall Interactive seems to be playing a different game entirely. It’s weird. It’s gorgeous. It’s French. And it’s trying to fix the one thing people usually complain about when it comes to turn-based combat: the sitting around and waiting part.
The premise is bleak as hell. Once a year, a being called the Paintress wakes up and paints a giant number on a monolith. Anyone that age? They just turn to smoke. Poof. Gone. This year, she’s painting 33. So, Gustave and his crew of "Expeditioners" are heading out on a suicide mission to kill her before she can pick up the brush again. It’s basically a race against a magical expiration date.
Why the Combat in Expedition 33 Actually Feels Different
Most people see "turn-based" and immediately think of menus and static characters standing in a line. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn't doing that. They’re calling it "reactive turn-based" combat. Think of it like the Paper Mario or Sea of Stars approach but cranked up to a high-fidelity, AAA level of intensity.
📖 Related: Why SOCOM: US Navy SEALS Still Matters Decades Later
You aren't just clicking "Attack" and checking your phone. You have to time your parries. You have to dodge. If you mess up the timing, you’re going to get flattened by some surrealist monster that looks like it crawled out of a nightmare in the Louvre. It’s a rhythmic dance. Sandfall is betting that players want the strategy of a JRPG with the "white-knuckle" tension of a character action game like Devil May Cry. It's a risky middle ground, but from the technical deep dives we’ve seen, it looks fluid.
They’ve also confirmed a "point-and-shoot" mechanic. You can target specific enemy weak points in real-time during your turn. It’s not just about hitting the guy; it’s about hitting the guy's glowing eyeball or his weird, floating shield. This adds a layer of precision that you usually only find in shooters or third-person adventures.
The Voice Cast is Honestly Overkill
Usually, indie or mid-sized studios play it safe with voice talent. Sandfall went the opposite direction. They brought in Charlie Cox (yes, Daredevil himself) to voice Gustave. Then you’ve got Ben Starr, who basically everyone loved as Clive in Final Fantasy XVI, and Andy Serkis. Putting Andy Serkis in a game is like a cheat code for gravitas.
The casting tells us a lot about the tone. This isn't a lighthearted adventure. It’s heavy. It’s a story about legacy and the fear of being erased. When you hear Cox’s voice in the trailers, there’s this exhaustion to it that fits a man who knows he’s likely walking toward his own funeral.
A World Inspired by the Belle Époque
Visually, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a standout because it avoids the typical "medieval fantasy" or "grimdark sci-fi" tropes. Instead, it leans into the Belle Époque—the "Beautiful Era" of French history. Think late 19th-century Paris but warped by a surrealist lens. The architecture is ornate, the clothes are stylishly flamboyant, and the lighting is high-contrast.
It feels like a painting. Fitting, considering the antagonist is a literal painter of death.
The environments aren't just background noise. The developers have emphasized that exploration is a huge part of the loop. You’ll be traversing through flooded ruins, crystal-cluttered caverns, and forests that look like they were drawn with a fountain pen. It’s not an open world, which, frankly, is a relief. It’s a focused, "wide-linear" experience. You get the scale without the bloat of a hundred meaningless map markers.
The Mystery of the Previous Expeditions
One detail that a lot of people overlook is that this is Expedition 33. That means 32 other groups went out there and failed. As you play, you’re going to find the remains and the stories of those who came before you. It’s a bit like Dark Souls in that regard—the world tells a story of repeated failure.
What makes this specific expedition different? Why is Gustave the one who might actually finish it? That’s the hook. We know the Paintress has been doing this for decades, maybe centuries. The world is littered with the "smoke" of past generations. It’s a haunting concept that keeps the stakes high every time you enter a new zone.
👉 See also: DBD PTB Patch Notes: Why The Stranger Things Return Is Actually Terrifying
Making Sense of the RPG Systems
Don't let the pretty graphics fool you; this is a deep RPG. You have a full party system, gear customization, and skill trees. But the "Stagger" system is what people need to watch. Just like in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, you’re looking to break an enemy’s guard.
- Parrying: Essential for building the stagger meter.
- Dodging: Better for avoiding unblockable "red" attacks.
- Chain Skills: Linking abilities between party members to maximize damage windows.
The game uses Unreal Engine 5, and it shows. The particle effects when you land a perfect parry are satisfyingly crunchy. It’s that hit of dopamine that turn-based games sometimes struggle to provide.
What We Still Don't Know
Despite all the footage, there are some gaps. We don't know exactly how long the game is. A 20-hour RPG feels very different from an 80-hour one. Given the fidelity, I’d bet on a tighter, 30-to-40-hour experience, which is honestly the sweet spot for a narrative-driven game like this.
There's also the question of difficulty. If the game relies on "perfect" timing for parries, will it be too hard for traditional turn-based fans? Sandfall has mentioned accessibility options, but finding that balance between "rewarding challenge" and "frustrating twitch-reaction" is a narrow tightrope to walk.
Is This the Start of a New Trend?
We’re seeing a bit of a renaissance for turn-based games. Between Metaphor: ReFantazio and Baldur’s Gate 3, the "menus are boring" argument has been thoroughly killed. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 feels like the next logical step—taking the genre and making it look and feel like a modern action blockbuster without losing the tactical soul.
It’s being published by Kepler Interactive, who have a decent track record for picking "weird but polished" projects. If this lands well, it could push other developers to stop apologizing for turn-based combat and start innovating on it instead.
Moving Forward with Expedition 33
If you're planning on picking this up when it drops, there are a few things to keep in mind to get the most out of the experience.
Watch the "Technical Gameplay" trailers specifically. Don't just stick to the cinematic ones. You need to see the timing of the parries to understand if the rhythm of the game clicks with you. It’s more Sekiro in its timing than Dragon Quest.
Brush up on the lore of the Belle Époque. You don’t need a history degree, but looking at the art of the era (like Mucha or Toulouse-Lautrec) makes the character designs in the game pop so much more. You’ll see the references everywhere once you know what to look for.
Check your specs. Since this is a native Unreal Engine 5 title, it’s going to be demanding. If you’re playing on PC, ensure your SSD is up to snuff; the seamless transitions between exploration and combat rely heavily on fast data streaming. For console players, this is a current-gen only title—PS5 and Xbox Series X/S—so don't expect a last-gen port to save you.
Prepare for a "One-and-Done" Story. The devs have hinted that this is a complete narrative. While there might be side content, the focus is on the journey to the Paintress. Go in expecting a heavy, character-driven epic rather than a "live service" game you'll be playing for six months.
Keep an eye on the official Sandfall Interactive social channels for the final release date announcement. Given the polish shown in recent previews, the wait shouldn't be much longer, but in the world of the Paintress, time is the one thing nobody actually has.