Clairvoyant Games. It’s a studio name you probably hadn't heard much about until a single trailer dropped and basically melted everyone's expectations for what a modern turn-based RPG should look like. Specifically, we're talking about Clairvoyant Games' Expedition 33—formally titled Clairvoyant Games: Expedition 33. People keep calling it the "death bomb" game because of its grim, high-stakes premise, but the actual mechanics and the world-building are where things get truly weird.
Every year, a woman known as the Paintress wakes up. She paints a number on a monolith. This number represents an age. Anyone that age instantly turns to smoke—or "dies" in a puff of monochromatic dust. It’s a terrifying, cyclical genocide. Expedition 33 is the latest group of survivors—mostly young people who know their time is up—venturing out to kill the Paintress and end the cycle before the number hits 33.
What's actually happening in Expedition 33?
The game feels like a fever dream. Imagine Final Fantasy had a baby with Bloodborne and then decided to let a French art house director handle the cinematography. Developed by Sandfall Interactive (a studio based in Montpellier, France), this is their big swing. They aren’t playing it safe.
Most RPGs give you a sense of progression where you feel like you're growing more powerful to save the world. In Expedition 33, the vibe is much more "suicide mission." You aren't just exploring a map; you're racing against a literal countdown to extinction. The protagonist, Gustave, and his companions like Maelle are living on borrowed time.
What's really fascinating here is the "Reactive Turn-Based" system. Usually, in turn-based games, you select "Attack" and then go get a sandwich while the animation plays out. Not here. Sandfall took inspiration from games like Paper Mario or Sea of Stars but cranked the fidelity to eleven. You have to time your parries and dodges in real-time. If you mess up, you're punished. It keeps the tactical depth of a menu-based RPG but adds the visceral anxiety of an action game. Honestly, it’s about time someone did this with AAA production values.
The Paintress and the Numbered Deaths
Let’s talk about the Paintress. She isn't just a boss; she’s an existential force.
- The Monolith: A massive structure where the numbers appear.
- The Curse: It isn't a disease or a war. It's a visual erasure of existence.
- The Expeditioners: These aren't seasoned soldiers; they are the people who are "next."
You've got a world that looks like Belle Époque France—beautiful, ornate, crumbling—contrasted with these horrifying, supernatural elements. The visual storytelling tells you more about the stakes than any lengthy dialogue tree ever could. You see the empty clothes of the people who were erased. It’s haunting.
Why the "Death Bomb" label sticks
In many gaming circles, the term "death bomb" is used to describe a high-stakes, explosive narrative hook that fundamentally changes the world state. Expedition 33 fits this perfectly. The stakes aren't "the world might end"; the world is currently ending, one age group at a time.
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Ben Kahn and the team at Sandfall have been vocal about wanting to bring back the "Golden Age" of JRPGs but through a Western lens. That means no "filler" content. Everything is tight. Every encounter feels like it matters because, narratively, your characters might literally cease to exist if they don't move fast enough.
Breaking down the combat mechanics
It’s not just "hit X to win."
You have to learn enemy patterns. It’s rhythmic. One of the characters, Maelle, uses a rapier. Her animations are fluid, but if you don't time her follow-ups, your damage output drops significantly. Then you have the "Gifts"—supernatural abilities that consume resources. Balancing these while managing your real-time defense is a massive mental load.
A lot of people are comparing it to Persona 5 because of the stylish UI, but the actual flow of combat is much more demanding. You can’t just out-level your problems. If you can’t time a parry, a boss will wipe the floor with you regardless of your stats.
The voice cast is actually stacked
Usually, new IPs from mid-sized studios struggle to get big names. Expedition 33 went the opposite direction.
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- Charlie Cox: (Daredevil himself) voices Gustave. He brings that weary, determined energy you’d expect from a man leading a doomed expedition.
- Ben Starr: Known for his powerhouse performance as Clive in Final Fantasy XVI, he plays Rico.
- Jennifer English: Shadowheart from Baldur’s Gate 3. Need I say more?
Having this level of talent suggests that the script is doing something special. Actors like Ben Starr don't jump onto RPG projects unless the emotional beats are heavy. The chemistry between these characters is going to be the glue that holds the "suicide mission" vibe together. If you don't care about the people dying, the "33" gimmick doesn't work.
What most people get wrong about the setting
A lot of early previews compared the game to Lies of P. While the aesthetic has some overlap—European architecture, clockwork vibes—Expedition 33 is much more focused on the "surreal."
It’s not steampunk. It’s "Lumière-punk" or something entirely new. There are giant sea creatures floating through the air. There are landscapes that look like half-finished paintings. It’s much more poetic and less "gritty" than your standard Soulslike. It’s art-house fantasy.
Technical Ambition and the Unreal Engine 5 factor
Sandfall is using Unreal Engine 5, and it shows. The lighting in the underwater-style segments and the way the "smoke" effects look when a character is erased is top-tier.
But with great power comes great hardware requirements. While it's coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S (and Game Pass on day one), PC players are likely going to need a beefy rig to see those brushstroke textures in full 4K. The developers have emphasized that they want the game to look like a "living painting," which is a tall order for any engine.
Is it actually a JRPG?
Technically, no. It’s a French-developed RPG. But it wears its JRPG influences on its sleeve. From the turn-based menus to the over-the-top special attacks, it’s a love letter to Lost Odyssey and Final Fantasy.
However, it avoids the "grind" associated with the genre. The developers have stated they want a more focused experience. You won't be killing 500 slimes to level up. You'll be moving through a curated, high-stakes narrative where every battle is a hurdle in your path to the Paintress.
How to prepare for the release
If you're looking to get the most out of Expedition 33, there are a few things you should do to get into the headspace of this specific sub-genre.
- Play Sea of Stars or Bug Fables: These will get your brain used to the "timed hits" mechanic in a turn-based setting. It’s a different muscle memory than standard RPGs.
- Watch the "Belle Époque" art movements: The game's aesthetic is heavily influenced by late 19th-century French culture. Understanding the art of that era makes the "Paintress" concept much more terrifying.
- Check your Game Pass subscription: Since it’s a day-one launch title, it’s the most cost-effective way to jump in.
The game is scheduled for a 2025 release window, which means the marketing machine is about to go into overdrive. Keep an eye on the "numbers." In the world of the Paintress, they are the only thing that matters.
The real test will be whether the "Reactive Turn-Based" system stays fresh over a 30-plus hour campaign. If Sandfall can keep the enemy variety high and the timing windows fair, this could be the sleeper hit that changes how Western developers approach turn-based combat. It’s a bold, weird, and beautiful experiment that looks like nothing else on the market.
Don't expect a happy ending. You're part of Expedition 33. Historically, Expeditions 1 through 32 didn't make it back.
Next Steps for Players:
Keep an eye on official Sandfall Interactive social channels for "Deep Dive" gameplay clips focusing on specific character "Gifts." Understanding the synergy between Gustave's tanking abilities and Maelle's high-speed DPS will be critical for surviving the early-game monolith encounters. Check your PC specs against the Unreal Engine 5 baseline—specifically looking at VRAM requirements—as the "living painting" aesthetic is notoriously heavy on GPU memory. Also, revisit the reveal trailer to spot the "hidden numbers" in the environment; fans have already started decoding what the various background paintings reveal about the Paintress's origins.