Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was revealed for the primary time at Xbox Video games Showcase, and wowed an unsuspecting viewers with its mixture of beautiful visuals and RPG fight, set inside a very distinctive fantasy world impressed by the French Belle Époque. It’s all of the extra spectacular for being the debut recreation from Sandfall Interactive, telling the story of a world through which the ominous Paintress often condemns everybody of a set age to loss of life – and the group of adventurers who got down to put an finish to the cycle.
That reveal was a tease for what’s to return – and in a walkthrough at gamescom 2024, I bought a much more in-depth have a look at the sport. Watching a celebration helmed by Gustave, a personality we met within the reveal trailer, I noticed two areas from the sport: a fantastical underwater realm known as Flying Waters (with beautiful, shifting lighting and large coral reefs) and a glimpse of Historical Sanctuary, lined in blood crimson vegetation and dotted with imposing buildings on the horizon.
However maybe probably the most detailed a part of the walkthrough centered on fight, a mix of traditional turn-based methods accented with real-time inputs. Clearly impressed by the Persona sequence, and with flashes of current Last Fantasy titles, it’s instantly putting in the way it turns what could possibly be acquainted, simplistic methods into one thing deeply trendy and gratifyingly reactive.
Right here’s a rundown of the way it all works:
Exploration and Pre-Battle
Areas in Expedition 33 are freely explorable – you management a single character (it’s your selection who out of your occasion that can be) as they navigate places, discovering treasures, secrets and techniques, and factors of curiosity. Enemies roam these areas, and interacting with them kicks off an occasion of battle – however you will have the chance to strike them earlier than they strike you, providing a flip benefit because the battle begins.
Your Flip
When in a battle, you and your enemies’ flip order is displayed prominently always, permitting you to organize for battle accordingly. When one in all your characters’ turns arrives, you’ll be introduced with a slick menu, providing the power to assault, use gadgets, use abilities, or enter a free-aim mode (extra on that under).
Your abilities are the important thing level of distinction between characters, providing particular bodily assaults, elemental skills, stat buffs and debuffs, and extra. Key to all of your abilities is timing – every assault comes with an onscreen immediate, asking you to hit a button on the appropriate time to make the ability extra highly effective or add extra helpful results.
Every character additionally has a completely distinctive potential that modifications how they play. Gustave has a mechanical arm that’s charged by different skills, and does enormous harm when unleashed. Lune can create “elemental stains” which can be created by casting spells and will be consumed to unleash further results, whereas Maelle can seemingly take up completely different swordfighting stances to permit for a variety of various skills and stat modifications.
Free-Goal Talents
As talked about above, you can begin your flip with a free-aim potential that acts barely otherwise to different choices. Your character will use a pistol or magic, and also you bodily intention them at your enemies, including further harm. This may include some added advantages – within the instance I noticed, an enemy known as a Demineur was hooked up to a floating sea mine, which could possibly be shot and detonated with Gustave’s gun. This dealt harm to all of the enemies, slightly than only one, and made the evasive Demineur weak to follow-up bodily strikes.
Enemy Turns
You’ll be able to’t take your eye off the ball throughout enemy turns, both. Expedition 33 has a neat risk-reward system for enemy assaults – many assaults will be dodged or parried with well-timed button presses, however which you select can decide how nicely you succeed. A profitable dodge has an extended enter window, and can negate all harm you obtain. Parries, nevertheless, are tougher to tug off – however handle them efficiently and you’ll carry out huge counterattacks in addition to avoiding the harm. Neither is designed to be straightforward to tug off, however there’s a transparent indication about how it’s best to prioritize which to make use of throughout more durable bouts.
Boss Battles
I solely noticed sections of a single boss battle – in opposition to a huge monster known as Goblu – however it’s clear that Expedition 33 will add extra to consider in its signature fights. Goblu can assault all of your occasion members without delay, making dodges and parries extra essential than ever – and naturally comes with an infinite well being bar meaning your selections are extra essential than ever.
Publish-Battle
Whereas I solely noticed a glimpse of its ability timber, Expedition 33’s battles finish with the loot and XP rewards you’d count on – in addition to extra in-depth stats like the very best harm you probably did, the variety of profitable parries and dodges, and extra. You’ll be able to even get a bonus for taking no harm in any respect inside a struggle, teasing the potential of doing a difficult no-hit run of the sport for die-hard gamers. How all of this ties into your occasion’s development continues to be a thriller, and I sit up for seeing extra.
Even in a brief have a look at the sport’s fight, it’s clear that Expedition 33’s fight is as flashy and in-depth as you’d hope for from that first look – and a tease of the areas and enemies we’re nonetheless but to see guarantees that there’s a lot extra to seek out out.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 involves Xbox Sequence X|S in 2025, and also you’ll be capable of play on day one with Recreation Go.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Kepler Interactive
“Yr by 12 months, She erases us.”
Annually, the Paintress wakes and paints upon her monolith. Paints her cursed quantity. And everybody of that age turns to smoke and fades away. Yr by 12 months, that quantity ticks down and extra of us are erased. Tomorrow she’ll wake and paint “33.” And tomorrow we depart on our ultimate mission – Destroy the Paintress, so she will by no means paint loss of life once more. We’re Expedition 33.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with distinctive real-time mechanics, making battles extra immersive and addictive than ever. Discover a fantasy world impressed by Belle Époque France through which you battle devastating enemies.
Reactive Flip-based Fight
On this evolution of JRPGs, real-time actions improve the guts of turn-based fight. Craft distinctive builds to your Expeditioners that suit your playstyle through gear, stats, abilities, and character synergies. Open an lively dimension in fight – dodge, parry, and counter in actual time, chain combos by mastering assault rhythms, and goal enemy weak factors utilizing a free intention system.
“Tomorrow Comes”
With just one 12 months left to dwell, be part of Gustave, Maelle, and their fellow Expeditioners as they embark upon a determined quest to interrupt the Paintress’ cycle of loss of life. Comply with the path of earlier expeditions and uncover their destiny. Get to know the members of Expedition 33 as they study to work collectively in opposition to unimaginable odds.
A Hauntingly Lovely World
Discover a fascinating realm populated by surreal adversaries. Wander by way of breathtaking landscapes, from the Island of Visages to the Forgotten Battlefield, discovering secrets and techniques and hidden quests alongside the way in which. Discover allies of fortune in creatures of legend and recruit particular companions, entry new journey strategies and uncover secret areas within the World Map.
Expertise the debut recreation from Sandfall Interactive, absolutely realized in Unreal Engine 5 with beautiful graphics and a heartbreaking soundtrack.
