When any piece of art makes me nervous to write about it, that’s how I know it’s an undeniable winner. Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is supposedly Sandfall Interactive’s debut effort. I don’t believe it. I can’t. Because I’m not even going to mess around and bury the lede: Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is turn-based RPG nirvana. As an ardent lover of that specific RPG subgenre, I expected it to be good from what we’ve seen via trailers and the like. But I didn’t expect to fall completely, irrevocably, in love with this damn game.

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 does so many things right, I’m trying my best to remind myself this is a preview impressions piece about the game and not an official review. So, let’s start at the beginning: the story. At the preview’s opening, I was greeted with a tasteful “Previously on Clair Obscur” montage of the prologue to get me up to speed for the journey ahead. This game is dark. The JRPG inspirations are so abundant in the best possible ways — and just when you think it’s going to zig, it zags.

I refuse to spoil anything regarding the narrative. But, the graphic, horrifying intro setting the stage for me to jump into Gustave’s boots? Instantly effective. Clair Obscur Expedition 33 establishes its high stakes early, immediately warning players that they aren’t playing some garden-variety, cutesy JRPG. No. You’re in Hell. And through sheer grit and determination, you have to be strong enough to crawl through the hellfire and brimstone.

‘Clair Obscur Expedition 33’ made me a graphics snob

The truth is: there isn’t a single screenshot of this game that can properly do it justice. In the preview alone, I roamed through lush, colorful plains. Enchanting and wistful “underwater” regions with small details in every corner. Expansive, decorative manors. Every half-hour granted me a different visual spectacle to be dumbstruck by, and it’s the first time I’ve been deeply affected by a game’s evocative aesthetics.

The music. God, the music. While you’re battling the creatures of Clair Obscur Expedition 33, you better prepare for some high-octane, head-bobbing beats. Because the game cycles through a few battle themes as you progress, from casual enemy encounters to boss fights. The grandiose, “epic” nature of the score perfectly blends into the impossibly beautiful environments. And, since I mentioned it, this is the perfect segue into the meat and potatoes of the core gameplay loop: the battles themselves.

genuinely one of the most engaging turn-based battle formulas I’ve ever played

It would be absolutely criminal for me to spoil this game’s battle-based nuances. But, here’s what I’ll give you. Gustave and Lune are the first two playable characters I encountered. Gustave’s skill set is centered around his gun, sword, lightning powers, and Overcharge ability. If you’re expecting a simple list of attack options to mindlessly select, you have another thing coming.

You can customize Gustave’s abilities to fit a playstyle that maximizes his place on the team. My Gustave, for example, sliced and diced with weaker but plentiful sword strikes. Which then gave him more Charge Points to use his Overcharge ability — which is a massive lightning-based skill that puts many enemies flat on their asses. Or, at least, pushes their Break Meter over the edge, stunning them for a turn so you can strategize and regroup. Clair Obscur Expedition 33‘s combat layers go even further!

Lune, to counter Gustave’s more physical style, is your quintessential Mage archetype. Except, you really want to pay attention to the spells you’re doing one after the other. You see, Lune’s magic grants her “Elemental Stains.” Fire, Ice, Earth, Electric, and Light. So, say you use “Immolation,” which is a fire-based skill that stacks Burn on an enemy. That gives Lune one Light Stain and one Fire Stain. You can then use a different spell that can “Consume” either of the stored Stains, which adds an extra buff to that spell when you cast it. …Trust me, it’ll click once you’re in the thick of battle and can actually apply these lessons because it took me a second to fully comprehend it myself!

you have complete control over how your teammates play off of each other’s attacks

Maybe Lune does Immolation and when Gustave’s turn comes again, one of his skills directly feeds into the enemy’s fresh Burn status effect. You have to consider that when accounting for your individual characters and their cohesion as a team. Once you establish that synergy? Oh, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 sings. That, and the Parry and Block mechanics make every fight a tense back-and-forth without ever feeling repetitive. There are Dodges, Perfect Dodges, satisfying frame-perfect Parries — and there are somehow even more gameplay nuances to discover!

This is for Sandfall Interactive personally: you got me with the first Chromatic Lancelier encounter. I rolled into that fight with so much unearned confidence and was thoroughly outclassed by that monstrosity. But, I got better and better with my Dodge and Parry timings, and after so many stubborn attempts? I beat ’em. I audibly cheered. It felt amazing to hit that “flow state” when your timing is immaculate and your team synergies are clicking!

Truthfully, I could fill three more articles with everything I adored about my (unfortunately) limited time with Clair Obscur Expedition 33. This will be my Final Fantasy 7. The weird, impactful, content-rich turn-based RPG royalty I’ll yammer on and on about for years to come. We’re looking at a generational hit that will inspire future game developers and players alike. “When One Falls, We Continue.”

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is set to release on April 24, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. It’ll also be available as a Day One Game Pass incentive.