You’ve probably seen the trailer. A group of beautifully dressed, 17th-century-inspired warriors wandering through a surreal landscape where a giant woman paints numbers in the sky. It looks like a high-budget prestige action game, something akin to God of War or Final Fantasy XVI. But then the combat starts, and suddenly, everyone is standing still, waiting for a menu to pop up. This is where the confusion begins. When people ask what kind of game is Expedition 33, they’re usually trying to reconcile those "triple-A" graphics with mechanics that feel like they belong in a 1990s Japanese role-playing game.
It’s weird. It’s ambitious. Honestly, it’s a bit of a gamble for a debut title from a French studio called Sandfall Interactive.
The Core Identity: Turn-Based Combat with a Massive Catch
At its heart, Clairobscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG. If you grew up on Final Fantasy X or recently lost 100 hours to Persona 5, the rhythm will feel familiar. You select an attack, your character performs it, and then you wait for the enemy to retaliate. But Sandfall isn't just making a retro throwback. They’re calling this "reactive turn-based" combat.
What does that actually mean?
It means you can’t just put the controller down while the enemy is attacking. You have to actively dodge, parry, and counter-attack in real-time during the enemy's turn. If you time a button press perfectly, you take zero damage. If you mess it up, your health bar vanishes. It transforms the traditionally slow, tactical pace of a turn-based game into something that feels much more twitchy and immediate. You're basically playing a rhythm game and a strategy game at the exact same time. It's a lot.
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A World Inspired by the Belle Époque
Visually, this isn't your standard "swords and sorcery" fantasy. The developers have leaned heavily into the Belle Époque era of France—think late 19th-century Paris, but if it were collapsing into a fever dream. The architecture is ornate. The clothes are impeccable.
The story is equally grim. Every year, a being known as the Paintress wakes up and paints a number on her monolith. Everyone of that age instantly turns to dust. This year, she’s going to paint "33." Our protagonists are the members of the 33rd Expedition, a group of people who are essentially on a suicide mission to kill her before she can finish her masterpiece. Because they are all 33 years old (or younger), they know they are the next to die. This gives the game a ticking-clock energy that most RPGs lack. You aren't just saving the world; you're trying to stop your own inevitable execution which is scheduled for later this afternoon.
Exploration and the "Metroidvania" Influence
While the combat is the star, the way you move through the world is surprisingly modern. This isn't just a series of flat hallways. Sandfall has built-in traversal mechanics that look closer to Uncharted or Jedi: Survivor. You’ll be grappling across gaps and climbing ledges to find hidden loot.
- Grappling hooks: Used for both puzzles and reaching vertical vantage points.
- Hidden Echoes: Narrative collectibles that flesh out what happened to previous, failed expeditions.
- Environmental Puzzles: Using character abilities to bypass magical barriers.
The level design isn't strictly open world. Think of it more as "wide-linear." You have a clear goal, but the environments are sprawling enough to reward you for poking your nose into corners you probably shouldn't be in.
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Why the "Reactive" System Changes Everything
In a normal RPG, if you are under-leveled for a boss, you simply can't win. The math is against you. In Expedition 33, the math still matters, but your skill can bridge the gap. If you are a god at parrying, you can theoretically beat bosses that should one-shot you.
This introduces a layer of "player agency" that usually doesn't exist in the genre. You can customize your characters with "Lumiere"—basically a skill tree system—to favor either raw power or better parry windows. It’s a delicate balance. If the parry windows are too easy, the game becomes boring. If they're too hard, it becomes frustrating. Sandfall is aiming for that Sekiro sweet spot where failure feels like your fault, not the game's.
The Technical Pedigree
It’s built on Unreal Engine 5. This is why it looks the way it does. The lighting, the cloth physics, the facial animations—it’s all top-tier. Most turn-based games don't get this kind of budget or technical polish because publishers often view the genre as "niche."
The voice cast is also surprisingly high-profile. You’ve got Ben Starr (who voiced Clive in Final Fantasy XVI) and Andy Serkis (Gollum himself). When a studio brings in talent like that, it’s a signal. They aren't trying to make a small indie RPG; they are trying to redefine what a modern RPG can look like.
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Common Misconceptions About Expedition 33
A lot of people think this is a Soulslike because of the parrying. It isn't. You won't lose your "souls" upon death, and the exploration isn't built around interconnected loops and shortcuts in the same way Dark Souls is.
Others think it's an action-RPG like Tales of Arise. Again, no. When it’s your turn, the world stops. You have all the time in the world to look at your items, check your mana, and decide which spell to use. The "action" only happens once you commit to a move or when the enemy swings at you.
How to Prepare for Release
If you want to get good at this game before it even drops, you should probably practice your timing in other games. Playing something like Hi-Fi Rush or Sea of Stars—which both use "timed hits"—will give you a head start on the muscle memory required here.
- Invest in a good controller: Since parrying is frame-dependent, input lag is your worst enemy.
- Brush up on French history: Not strictly necessary, but the "Belle Époque" vibes are much cooler if you recognize the architectural references.
- Check your specs: If you’re playing on PC, Unreal Engine 5 is notoriously heavy. Make sure your rig can handle the volumetric fog and high-res textures.
This game represents a weird, beautiful middle ground. It’s for the person who loves the strategy of XCOM but misses the cinematic flair of a Sony first-party action game. It's for the person who wants a story that feels adult and tragic rather than the usual "shonen anime" tropes.
Ultimately, Expedition 33 is an attempt to prove that turn-based combat isn't a relic of the past—it’s just been waiting for a coat of paint this stunning. Whether it succeeds depends entirely on how good those parry windows feel when the pressure is on. Keep an eye on the equipment system as well; the way you slot "Gears" and "Passive Skills" suggests a level of theory-crafting that could keep hardcore players busy long after the 30-hour story wraps up.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Watch the extended gameplay deep dive: Focus specifically on the UI indicators during the enemy's turn to understand the parry timing.
- Wishlist on your platform of choice: This helps the developers with visibility, especially for a new IP.
- Evaluate your hardware: If you're on console, ensure you have an SSD with enough space, as Unreal Engine 5 titles tend to have large file sizes.