Being more of a linear storyline type of player, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not something I would usually pick up. Yet the hype around it intrigued me, so I pulled the trigger and gave it a shot, and I’m glad I did!
Art style and Atmosphere
As you launch the game, you’re immediately met with an artistic representation of a post-apocalyptic France, making use of light and dark shades as the name of the game would suggest. This sets the tone for the entire game, as it balances light-hearted humour with the impending doom of the gommage.
Unreal Engine 5 makes the game world itself quite a view to behold, especially as you get to the continent, which is the open world portion of the game, where all the colours pop and you eventually get to see all the places the story will take you to. That isn’t to say that UE5 isn’t without its problems, but more on that later.
One particular moment that really made me appreciate the art style was in Resinveil Grove, where you meet the Lady of Sap in a cave painted in deep crimson (probably quite the sight on an OLED panel, if only I had one…)
Plot
I am very much a person that needs a good plot in order to keep playing a game, and I would say that Sandfall delivered in that regard, albeit the story takes some time to ramp up. The characters are unique and relatable, and there isn’t a point where I felt like the pacing stalls.
At times, though, it felt like some character interactions came out of the blue. An example of this is when [SPOILERS AHEAD] Sciel and Verso apparently hook up off-screen, which left me confused as to where that came from. Similarly, there is another scene where Sciel says, “This mask cannot hurt me, because this mask is me” when fighting a particular boss. [SPOILERS OVER] These gaps in character development and writing felt a bit jarring when playing the game.
Combat & Gameplay
Expedition 33’s combat could be described, in my opinion, as familiar but different. Veterans of turn-based RPGs will easily feel at home when playing the game, as each character has a maximum of six skills at a time that can be used during encounters, with a maximum party of three.
Sandfall, however, takes inspiration from several other game genres, introducing dodge, parry, and counter attack mechanics similar to quick-time events that make combat vastly more satisfying when you execute them accordingly. The game also makes use of Pictos, which are passive skills that can be looted from fighting certain mobs or exploring the world around you.
Throughout my 40-hours of gameplay, I never found myself fighting repetitive enemies, which I feel is a big statement given the length of the game. One downfall though, is that the optional bosses, especially in the third act, become artificially difficult. While the bosses themselves look big and menacing, they are considered difficult because their health bar is gigantic – some over 45,000,000 HP – and their skills one shot you even if you are appropriately levelled to face them.
Surprisingly, the out-of-combat gameplay also takes inspiration from other genres, introducing some optional platforming trials as Gestral Beaches that unlock cosmetic items when beaten. Some of these may be grueling to do, but I found them to be a nice break from the rest of the doom and gloom that the game emphasises on as it progresses. It is also worth mentioning that the game rewards exploration, giving you substantial loot and even weapon upgrades for straying off the beaten path and fighting optional mobs and bosses.
Unfortunately though, when you’re not entranced in the chaos of combat and the visuals, you start noticing the lacking nature of character animations. Movement like jumping and scaling walls feel like they’ve been left on the default pre-sets from Unreal Engine, not to mention the pixelation effect that the cutscene’s vignette has on the characters’ hair.
Conclusion
For a debuting studio, Sandfall did a wonderful job in taking a classic game genre and putting their own spin on it by building a beautiful world to explore and introducing new mechanics. In spite of some Unreal Engine 5 issues like buggy hair textures, animations looking like they’re stuck on default settings, and the story being a bit lackluster, the game is fun to get into, and it’ll certainly scratch that itch for RPG enthusiasts and beginners alike.
For what it’s worth, I believe that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is at the very least in the top 3 games of 2025, solely for how unique it is, and for the clear passion the devs put into this game.
I sincerely cannot wait to see what Sandfall comes up with in the future.
