Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reviewDeveloper: Sandfall InteractivePublisher: Kepler InteractivePlatform: Played on PS5Availability: Out on 24th April on PC (Steam), Xbox Series X/S, and PS5/PS4
There’s a conversation at the start of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 that stuck with me throughout. A pair of ex-lovers discuss why they split up: one wanted children, the other did not. It’s the sort of human question that makes a fantasy story – no matter how surreal – a relatable one.
And Clair Obscur is certainly a surreal and thought-provoking game, obsessed with the notion of death. Each year The Paintress, sat atop a colossal monolith, paints a number that dooms all people of that age to die. Annual expeditions are sent out to defeat her, but it’s a seemingly impossible task. Death – in this world of painterly terms and sentient brush heads – is inevitable, which makes the question of children a pertinent choice. Is it selfish to not replenish humanity, or selfish to bring children into such a world? And before death comes for us all, what’s the legacy you’ll leave behind? Perhaps a child, a painting, or – in the case of French studio Sandfall Interactive – a video game.
Clair Obscur joins a long legacy of Japanese style RPGs, with clear influences from the likes of Final Fantasy, Persona, and FromSoftware’s Dark Souls games. Its use of turn-based combat and an interactive world map hark back to the glory days of 90s Squaresoft, while its stat bonuses and parry-focused combat are pure Soulsborne. Yet as an amalgamation of all this – with a healthy dose of French authenticity – Clair Obscur subtly nods to the past while maintaining its own unique identity.
Expectations should be set, however. It may look and feel like a modern epic, with its fanciful environments and impressively expressive characters, but it’s also an ambitious game from a team of just 30 people that’s smaller in scope than you might expect. That may disappoint, but it’s allowed the team to focus on what it does best, ensuring there’s substance beyond the style. This is an indie game in AAA clothing; or a small, intricate painting in a very fancy frame.