You’ve probably seen the trailer. High-fidelity visuals, a melancholic Belle Époque aesthetic, and a premise that feels like someone dropped a bucket of Victorian paint onto a Final Fantasy fever dream. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 isn’t just another turn-based RPG trying to ride the coattails of the classics. It is a massive, ambitious gamble from Sandfall Interactive, a French studio made up of ex-Ubisoft developers who clearly had something to prove.
The game released on April 24, 2025. Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of Game of the Year awards, controversy over "Gen AI" textures, and a fan base that is deeply, sometimes violently, divided over the ending.
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Most people go into this thinking it’s a standard "save the world" quest. You play as Gustave and his crew on a suicide mission to kill the Paintress—a god-like being who paints a number on a monolith every year, erasing everyone of that age. This year, the number is 33. If you’re 33 or older, you vanish. Poof. Gone.
But if you think this is just a game about stopping a timer, you’re missing the point. Honestly, the real story of Expedition 33 is much weirder, and significantly more tragic, than the marketing suggests.
The Combat is Not What You Think
If you’re a purist who likes to select "Attack" and then go grab a sandwich while the animation plays, you’re going to have a bad time. Expedition 33 uses a hybrid system that feels more like Legend of Dragoon or Paper Mario on steroids.
The turn-based aspect is the foundation, sure. You manage Ability Points (AP) and wait for your speed stat to let you move. But once the enemy starts swinging? It becomes a rhythm game. You have to parry, dodge, or jump in real-time.
- Parrying (RB/R1): This is the high-stakes play. It’s hard. You have to hit it at the exact moment of impact. If you nail a full combo of parries, you trigger a massive counterattack.
- Dodging (B/Circle): Much safer. The window is wider, but you don't get the same offensive momentum.
- Jumping (A/Cross): Only works for specific ground-based attacks. If you jump during a horizontal swipe, you’re just making yourself an easier target.
There is a specific nuance most players miss early on: Gradient Attacks. These are unlocked at Monoco’s Station and allow you to chain turns together. You build charge by spending AP. The trick is that you can only "Play Again" once per turn. If you try to stack multiple turn-skip mechanics, the game just ignores the second one.
The "Verso's Drafts" Controversy and the End-Game
By October 2025, the game had sold over 5 million copies. To celebrate, Sandfall dropped a massive free update called "Thank You Update" which included a new area called Verso's Drafts.
This is where the game gets "meta."
Verso, voiced by Ben Starr (of Final Fantasy XVI fame), is a stranger who joins the party late. It turns out the entire world of the game—the continent, the city of Lumière, the monsters—is actually a painting created by a boy named Verso in the real world (an alternate-reality Paris). He died saving his sister Alicia in a fire on December 33, 1905.
His mother, Aline, couldn't handle the grief. She used her powers as a "Painter" to enter the canvas, recreate her family, and make them immortal. The "Paintress" isn't a villain; she’s a grieving mother whose mind is literally dissolving because she’s stayed inside the painting for too long.
A lot of players hated this. They felt like the first 30 hours of the game—the struggle for survival—was "rendered meaningless" because it was all just ink and pigment. But that’s the complexity Sandfall was aiming for. Is a life less real because it’s painted? The game argues no, but it doesn't give you an easy answer.
Why the Voice Cast Matters
The performances are genuinely top-tier. You’ve got Charlie Cox (Daredevil himself) as Gustave, providing a grounded, weary leadership. Jennifer English, who basically everyone knows as Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3, plays Maëlle, the 16-year-old orphan who is arguably the heart of the story.
And then there's Andy Serkis as Renoir. He plays the "curator," the one actually erasing the people in the painting. He’s trying to force Aline out of the canvas before it kills her. It’s a performance of "subtle menace," which is exactly what you'd expect from the guy who played Gollum and Caesar.
Real Talk: The Indie Disqualification
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. In December 2025, Expedition 33 was famously stripped of its Indie Game Awards.
Why? Because someone on Twitter found a low-res newspaper texture that was clearly generated by AI. Sandfall patched it out immediately, claiming it was a placeholder that slipped through the cracks, but the "hard stance" of the awards committee meant the win went to Blue Prince instead.
Does it ruin the game? Probably not. The art direction, inspired by the Belle Époque, is still some of the most beautiful work in Unreal Engine 5. But it's a reminder that even the biggest "indie" hits of the mid-2020s are navigating a messy technological landscape.
Getting the Most Out of Your Run
If you’re just starting your journey with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, don't just rush the main story. You’ll hit a brick wall around Act 3.
- Prioritize "Pictos": These are equippable items (210 in total). If you win four fights with one equipped, that perk is unlocked for the whole party permanently. It’s the only way to build a character that can survive the late-game "Endless Tower."
- Break the Shield: Never use your big Skills on a shielded enemy. Use multi-hit attacks or status effects like Burn to tick off the shield icons first.
- Lune’s "Stains": If you’re playing as the mage Lune, don’t just spam spells. Her elemental "Stains" stack on the battlefield. You need to spend them strategically to enhance her finishers.
The game is a roughly 30-hour experience for the main story, but if you want to see everything—including the "Verso’s Drafts" DLC and the secret boss Osquio—you’re looking at closer to 70 hours.
Actionable Next Steps
To truly master the mechanics and the lore, here is what you should focus on:
- Master the "Perfect Dodge": Before you try to parry everything, get the timing for a Perfect Dodge down. If you equip the "Dodger Picto," you actually gain 1 AP for every perfect dodge. It’s the most sustainable way to keep your momentum up without the risk of a missed parry.
- Check Your HUD Scale: A common complaint is the cluttered UI. In the "Thank You Update," the devs added a HUD scale setting (80% to 120%). Drop it to 90% for a much cleaner view of the enemy telegraphs.
- Explore "The Continent": The world is more open than it looks. Off-beaten paths contain "Gestral merchants" who sell unique outfits and weapon upgrades that you cannot find in the main hubs of Lumière.
Ultimately, Expedition 33 is a game about the cost of escapism. Whether you love the twist or hate it, the journey to the Monolith is one of the most unique RPG experiences in years. Just remember: when the screen goes dark for a Gradient Counter, hit the button earlier than you think. The window is generous, but the punishment for missing is absolute.