The Clair Obscur Expedition 33 review embargo has lifted, and it’s off to a phenomenal start.
Sandfall Interactive‘s debut game is scoring 9/10 and above from numerous sites, and at the time of writing, it has an average score of 91/100 based on 56 Clair Obscur Expedition 33 reviews on OpenCritic.
The story of Clair Obscur Expedition 33 concerns the dreadful power of the Paintress, a being who inscribes a cursed number on a monolith, which causes death. Each year she does this, an expedition is sent out to stop her. Unfortunately, they tend to fail…hard. Players lead the members of the titular Expedition 33 on their quest to finally destroy the Paintress.
The game world is heavily inspired by Belle Époque France (a late 1800s-early 1900s period in French history) and features a combat style that blends real-time and turn-based mechanics.
Let’s take a look at what some of the critics are saying then in a Clair Obscur Expedition 33 review roundup!
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Review Roundup Quotes
Erren Van Duine of Techraptor awarded it 9/10, writing that it was ”A milestone achievement for Sandfall Interactive,” before going on to add that ”Fans of turn-based RPGs should be right at home with its traditional stylings tuned for a modern age, and while difficulty can ramp up without warning, the challenge of getting through each battle makes it all worthwhile.”
Timothy Nunes of PlayStation Universe awarded the game 9/10, stating ‘‘I do not say this spontaneously or hyperbolically: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a generational RPG. The quality of writing is pitch-perfect at every step, vividly depicting the somber world and its tragic circumstances with glorious technique.”
GameSpot is another outlet that awards it 9/10. Richard Wakeling tells us that Clair Obscur ‘is a phenomenal RPG, telling a heartbreaking tale while incorporating thrilling action into its tactical turn-based combat.’
Robby Bisschop at Life is Xbox handed it a complete 100/100, confidently writing that it was ‘Quite possibly the best RPG of its kind. Epic story with heartfelt moments, best-in class combat, gorgeous graphics and music that will linger for the rest of my life.”
At RPG Gamer, Ryan Costa also gave a full score, with a 5/5 Clair Obscur Expedition 33 review, where he felt the game was “a true work of art that ties its brilliant components together into a complete package, which is awe-inspiring to come from a freshman developer.”
But Why Tho‘s Arron Kluz wasn’t quite as dazzled by the game, but in a well-reasoned review, does believe ”genre fans will likely be pleased.” by the game even if ”It does very little to iterate on the foundation laid by those that came before it.”
And finally, over at Loot Level Chill, we have a 9.5/10 Clair Obscur Expedition 33 review from Mick Fraser, who writes that it ”feels truly unique and artistic, and reminds us how moving, exhilarating, and provocative big-budget adventure games can be.”
Well, that’s made the relatively short wait for the game’s release a lot harder. What an excellent result for a new game from a debuting developer to get such high praise. We’ll have words on the game in the near future.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is available on April 24, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. It’s also available on Game Pass at launch.
