A game about a dystopian future where expeditions are sent every year to fight a malevolent force called The Paintress to free their world. It’s unmistakably French, but has a style all its own. Is there any substance behind that style? Let’s get into it.

You are expedition 33 and it’s your turn to head out and fight The Paintress. In this world, the number she paints on a distant monolith determines what age people die, so most take the opportunity to join the expeditions before their final year to destroy her once and for all. It’s a very mysterious world that’s lore is slowly revealed through clever moments rather than exposition dumps. This method of storytelling where they provide the player with just enough breadcrumbs to continue forward kept me on the hook for the entire story. As the expedition begins and their past lives fade away, they are decimated by a lone assailant. You then have to try and get the group back together to continue the mission at all costs. It’s a struggle for our protagonist, but he keeps going with the intervention of another member. As the story progresses, you’ll meet new characters and go to various locations in pursuit of The Paintress and freedom for your home. In the opening sections of the game you’ll be met with devastating loss that makes the pursuit of the Paintress a priority for you as a player. Because of the dire circumstances, I wanted to take her down as soon as possible. Being a rpg, that journey is extensive but nothing that you do is superfluous. In a world full of painted beasts, called Nevrons, there’s danger around every corner. Keep moving forward and don’t give up.

This group consists of Gustave, a kind hearted gentleman who wants to make a difference; Maelle, his adopted daughter/sister (they never figure that out) who wants to make her place in the world and Lune, a no-nonsense, by the books intellectual that hides her true emotions. These are the main characters in the group that you’ll get to know and their diverse personalities lead to some great character moments. Gustave’s heart and sincere care for his team makes the group feel like more of a family instead of just a team. Lune’s practicality keeps them from losing their nerve, while Maelle’s complexity and strange connection to the story provide some much needed insight. The characters complement one another well and the additional members keep the dynamic from becoming stale. I love the sincerity of the performances as well, because each character’s voice carries so much weight that the emotional impact is substantial. I fell for each of them in their own way, but Gustave and Maelle were the stars. Despite the focus being on them, the other characters have great moments too. These can be seen during camp dialogues, so make sure to talk to each of them every chance you get. This depth gave me the feeling that I was a true member of the crew and that I really got to know and appreciate my fellow expeditioners. Forming attachments to fictional characters can be difficult if they aren’t written well, but this cast was crafted to give everyone someone to relate to and they’re so full of life that I couldn’t help but care for each and every one of them. The villains are also very dynamic. I could relate to them through their motivations, but simultaneously hated them at the same time. This design philosophy is present throughout the experience, not just in the characters.

The gameplay has some interesting elements to it. There’s a lot more platforming than you would expect in an rpg. These sections were really strange to play as I really enjoyed exploring the gorgeously unique environments, but the platforming felt awkward. Having a jump button in a turn-based rpg was strange enough, but when you throw in clambering and a grapple hook, I was admittedly thrown off. There’s also places where you’ll ascend or descend a glowing rope to reach different areas. Magically floating along these also felt out of place. This is a minor gripe as it doesn’t detract from the overall experience though. You can hold forward through each area, but because of the level design, you’ll still be able to bask in the atmosphere created here. It’s a fantastical world with a dark undertone that made me feel simultaneously at ease and tense. It’s a cohesive world with some strange gameplay elements thrown in to diversify the experience. Running from one combat encounter to another can be taxing as some later encounters take a decent amount of endurance to overcome, so these breaks are necessary but not super exciting.

Coupled with platforming and exploration is a take-turn combat system with the general trappings of weakness and resistance elements, but it also includes parry and dodge mechanics to keep you active during the enemy’s attack phase. It makes the fights feel like more of a brawl than a back and forth tactical experience. That’s not to say it’s not tactical as the level system allows for some experimentation in how each character can play. Each has their own skill tree and unique style that keeps you engaged as you battle. They all have some sort of resource management that results in a satisfying damage dump if done properly, but the way they get there varies. Maelle has to manage stances to maximize her damage, while Gustave builds up an electric charge from attacking and Lune needs to diversify her spells to collect different elements to hit harder. Each party member beyond the initial ones plays differently and you get to experiment with these through their skill trees and the Lumina/Pictos system.

The skill trees let you specialize the character in different ways. If you want someone to be a crit machine, you can choose to unlock abilities that increase crit chance. If you prefer them to set up statuses on enemies for your allies to take advantage of, you can build them that way too. You have to think about how they’ll play off of one another, to ensure you can overcome any challenge. To pair with the abilities, you can equip Pictos. These are passive enhancements that play into different styles. There’s a Pictos that you get early on that gives you back an action point upon dodging, which is honestly useful for most of the game, and others that give enhanced critical hit chance upon being brought to low health. Some Pictos give crazy buffs, like a revive, but they cost a lot of Lumina. Each character can equip three Pictos at a time, but they can also use Lumina to equip mastered Pictos for further augmentation. To master a Pictos, you only need to win four battles with it, then any character can equip it with Lumina. (Putting the dodge Pictos on every character is a great way to start.) You can increase the Lumina pool for each character by finding it in the world or beating up Nevrons. On top of this, you can also purchase them at vendors, which keeps you from getting too far behind if you don’t explore too much.

The combat scenario scaling is a little off, but I think this is intentional. It makes the player think more about their character’s build as they may need to be adjusted based on encounter. The game forces you to change your characters on the regular, or struggle. You can brute force encounters with good parrying but it’s not going to be easy. In the late game, parrying becomes essential as you’ll be decimated if you can’t perform. The game doesn’t stray away from difficulty, which makes the sensation of successful parries even more fulfilling. I will say it does get taxing on the fingers because some enemy combos will be five or more hits later on. This is why the platforming and exploration helps break up the pacing. You’ll also be in menus leveling up stats, adjusting Pictos and unlocking abilities, so you’ll have regular breaks between fights if you do it right. This menuing can be tedious at points, but is wholly necessary to be able to do meaningful damage.

Another aspect that comes in act two is a relationship mechanic. I was initially really put off by this addition as it gamified my want to get to know the characters. It makes sense from a story perspective, but I don’t think the giant numbers denoting the friendship level were necessary at all. Simply hiding these would reward players for talking to their party members with abilities, without being overtly obvious about it. It’s not really a problem, but it made me roll my eyes when the number went up after a conversation.

There are also multiple challenge levels you can complete for extra rewards that’ll help you improve your combat effectiveness. These are brutal, but are entirely optional. I was around level 70 when I went to the final fight and it was pretty easy at that level. I’ll say that it’s probably not meant to be difficult as the choice you make is the hardest part. Regardless, those challenges are there for the hardcore completionists and the sense of accomplishment I got for defeating many of them cannot be understated. This stems from a satisfying combat system that rewards those that are methodical in their decision-making as well as those that can execute mechanically. Solving these optional fights is rewarding externally, even if the in-game rewards aren’t very memorable.

I also feel the need to mention the music as it’s just as unique as the rest of the game. Sometimes you’ll hear electronic-dance beats while other tracks are more symphonic. Each fits the given scenario perfectly and despite the various genres, they complement each other well. The tracks with vocals have lyrics that hint at different ideas within the narrative which only serve to emphasize the game’s themes. I found myself excited to hear the new battle themes in each area and for the bosses. Even if I was getting destroyed, I still found myself jamming out.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a fantastic game. Its complex characters and themes shine in a unique world featuring a well-constructed combat system that intertwines with its rpg leveling and skill system seamlessly. There are some strange choices with the platforming sections and a seemingly tacked-on relationship mechanic later on, but these minor flaws don’t take away the impact of the experience as a whole. It's wholly unique and unapologetically stylistic. There’s nothing like it, which is a feat in today’s gaming landscape. If you like rpgs or crave a complex story with something important to convey, this one is a must-play.