"Clair Obscur – Expedition 33": Picturesque nightmare
In "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" by Sandfall Interactive, an original scenario meets an exciting game principle.
(Image: Kepler Interactive)
“Clair Obscur” takes players into a bleak world where nothing is as it seems at first glance. In an alternative reality of the European Belle Epoque, players fight their way through all kinds of monsters to save their world from destruction. But is that really the case? Sandfall Interactive plays with narrative conventions and fans' expectations in its debut work.
The inhabitants of Lumière live on borrowed time. Every year, a mysterious painter draws a cursed number on a monolith, killing entire generations of human life. Out of sheer desperation, the townspeople send an expedition to the monolith every year to kill the painter. Every year they fail. Meanwhile, 67 years have passed and the eponymous Expedition 33 sets off. For one person, it is not only a journey into an inexplicable world, but also into the darkest corners of their own past.
"Clair Obscur" angespielt (5 Bilder)
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)From the very first minute, a melancholy, morbid mood pervades the story. The streets are sparsely populated, and the cafés are empty. The buildings are dilapidated and everyone wistfully remembers their lost or killed friends and lovers. In short, it is very different from the time of the “Belle Epoque” – the “beautiful era” – that historians usually associate with the mid/late 19th century. Instead, death, grief, and devastation reign in this alternative reality.
The unusual starting point initially causes confusion. What are we actually doing here? What is this mysterious gommage that haunts us? Nevertheless, it is exciting. A few hints slowly reveal the background to the story. And it has a lot to offer: there is a surprising twist at the end of the first act and the plot is completely turned on its head at the end.
Turn-based battles with a real-time twist
Our team can freely explore the world on the way to the monolith. Sandfall relies on the visual tilt-shift effect, which makes our characters look like miniatures. Only when we enter individual labyrinthine areas via a gate does the view switch to a shoulder perspective. Enemies then swarm everywhere. Elegant knights with spears, small flying balls of wool or large stone monsters that ram their shields into the ground to trigger an earthquake – The variety of enemies is huge and only repeats itself at the end of the game.
When we encounter enemies, the game switches from real time to the turn-based combat typical of the genre. The team must discover the enemy's weak points and attack them skillfully. Every enemy attack can be countered – provided we press the button on the gamepad in time. This is no problem on the easiest difficulty level “Story”. If you choose the highest difficulty level, “Expert”, you will want to throw the gamepad against the wall a few times in frustration.
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Each of the six characters has a specific type of weapon and special combat characteristics. The striking power is often linked to additional factors. The foil master switches between fighting stances; the sorceress collects elemental pigments, which she unleashes, and our sword master must increase his precision rank with every strike and counterattack. There is no simple recipe for success. We often had to switch weapons, skills, and team members during the game to crack stubborn enemies.
As usual, it rains experience points after every fight, which are distributed via attributes such as strength or defense. The skill points flow into the abilities. Macabre: The shapeshifter learns new fighting techniques from the corpse parts of his opponents. Later in the game, we encounter merchants who we first have to defeat to obtain special goods. Later in the game, we can improve weapons and equipment in our warehouse. There is also time for a bit of small talk, including romantic entanglements.
With minor flaws
Equipped in this way, we can engage in exciting and effective battles in the style of the latest Final Fantasy games. Unlike the JRPG competition, “Clair Obscur” does without excessive grinding. We were able to collect experience points without killing the same enemy over and over again. Despite the unconventional scenario, this makes for a smooth gameplay in which the story doesn't fade into the background in endless open-world monotony.
There are hitches wherever the game deviates from this game principle. Climbing passages feel awkward and spongy. Small puzzles seem lovelessly cobbled together in comparison to the rest of the game. Sometimes the dialog is repetitive and all too often the miniature look in the open world makes it difficult to get an overview.
But that's complaining on a high level. Sandfall stages its adventure in a richly detailed adventure world that offers plenty for the eyes and ears, from steampunk to dark fantasy. Some characters were voiced by well-known actors such as Charlie Cox, known as MCU's “Daredevil”, or Andy Serkis. In short, the B grade is also right. Hopefully, “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” is not just a one-off adventure trip into one of the most unusual game worlds of the year.
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Conclusion
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” is the stuff of which cult hits are born. Sandfall Interactive mixes an original scenario and a catchy combat style to create an exciting role-playing adventure. Even though the development studio was clearly inspired by hits such as “Persona 5” or “Final Fantasy”, it manages to walk the fine line between original new game world and copy. This is also due to the sometimes profound story and the complex characters. A melancholy, morbid nightmare adventure that could play its way into the hearts of many fans.
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33” will be released on April 24 for Windows, PS5, and Xbox Series. It costs around €50 and is included in the Game Pass. For our text, we played through the game on the PS5 version.
(mho)
