Although the gaming world is full of big-budget productions with massive marketing campaigns, it was this European JRPG from a French studio that pulled me out of my rut and drew me into its magical, melancholic world. Believe me, I had been struggling with gaming depression for some time. Nothing made me happy. Everything felt derivative. Due to my age, I thought I had seen it all. Brighten up your day and download Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for free.
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How did a game I initially considered generic become one of the most beautiful and moving stories I’ve experienced? The answer is simple: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not just a game. It’s an emotional roller coaster from which it’s difficult to recover.
Size doesn’t matter
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is Sandfall Interactive’s first game. The developers took on the challenging jRPG genre, and they aren’t afraid to show it. They dove headfirst into a world dominated by Persona, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy. Don’t be fooled by its small size; the installation won’t take up half your hard drive. Expedition 33 is like a box full of surprises — the deeper you delve, the more you discover. It’s amazing how much emotion can be packed into this modest production. You’re in for a wild ride because Expedition takes no prisoners!
A French JRPG? It sounds like an oxymoron. Yet, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proves that a European studio can create a production that rivals the Japanese masters of the genre in terms of atmosphere and emotion. Dark, mysterious aesthetics and a world full of melancholy and disturbing beauty are the norm here. The prologue of this game is simply magical. Right from the start, it moves and delights with its setting.
It’s important to note that the production does not explain the world it presents in great detail. The exposition is modest and throws us into an already established story. With each successive piece of information, we learn just how depressing the situation really is. Fortunately, the prologue is as addictive as a swamp. In accordance with the principle of drawing you in during the first 30 minutes, it captivates you and leaves you wanting more. It’s like entering a museum where every scene is a painting and every note of music is a poem. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve allowed myself to be consumed by this magic, forgetting about the rest of the world.
Music is a feast for the ears
It’s the heart of this game. It’s not just a soundtrack; it’s a character that guides players through emotional highs and lows. If you don’t fall in love with the music from the first notes, nothing will move you. The main theme of Clair Obscure is arranged in dozens of ways, from subtle strings in the background to delicate ambient music, to a full-fledged battle version. I can’t get this song out of my head, even though I finished the game a few days ago. On the other hand, whenever I hear the soundtrack somewhere, whether on TikTok or in a YouTube review, I never skip it. 🙂
In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the mysterious painter’s appearance on the horizon sends a thrill of excitement through you. This isn’t just a plot element; it’s a harbinger of destiny and a dark prophecy casting a shadow over the entire game world. A group of heroes who have only a year left to live set off on a journey to understand the meaning of their existence. This is not just an adventure; it’s a struggle for answers and a desperate attempt to escape an inevitable fate. I won’t reveal any more because I want each of you to experience it without any spoilers.
I will only mention that each act hits hard at the beginning and end. There are three acts, and each subsequent one deepens our faith in the writers’ vision. I hope that, at the end of the production cycle, a psychologist was watching over them. The painter and her mysterious number are not just a puzzle — they envelop the entire game world, forcing players to constantly ask, “Why?” Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is full of heart-grabbing moments that change your perspective on the whole story. When you think you know everything, you realize you were actually far from Kansas.
This is not a game that can be understood after a few hours. It’s a story that slowly reveals its secrets, forcing you to ask questions. Each scene is like a piece of a puzzle. The ending is something you have to experience for yourself. Suffice it to say, I was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions, which is not uncommon for me.
Romantic and human emotions
At the heart of this dark tale beats something incredibly warm: authentic human emotion. The relationships between the characters are convincing and moving. These are not paper heroes, but flesh-and-blood individuals whose problems and desires you can feel on your own skin. Each character is unique, yet they fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces. By the end of the story, we experience regret, sadness, and pain alongside them, but also genuine joy. Esquie is the icing on the cake and will remain in my memory as one of the brightest spots in the stagnation that surrounds us everywhere. In the words of the creators, “chapeau bas!”
There is no room for banal dialogue here. The relationships between the characters develop organically, and every interaction is genuine and emotional. These are not nameless warriors or archetypal characters from classic RPGs. Each team member has their own past, dreams, and demons to face. Although their time is limited, every moment with them is genuine and emotional.
It is a visual feast and an artistic masterpiece
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 looks like an interactive art gallery. I bet exceptional artists were responsible for the cutscenes because practically every frame is a screenshot-worthy image. Every location and every enemy is steeped in atmosphere and beauty. Inspiration from Beksiński and surrealist painting is visible at every turn. Seeing the bent Eiffel Tower or destroyed towns is heartbreaking. Yes, you can sometimes see poverty during exploration, and some textures only look good from a distance. However, the overall experience of interacting with this world fully compensates for any shortcomings.
The locations in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, are not just backdrops; they are living, breathing places filled with strange characters, secrets, and stories waiting to be discovered. Once you discover Esquie and the various ways to traverse the world, many locations will open up to you — even the optional ones offer something you won’t find in competing titles. Of course, nothing compares to the story sequences, which implement the “let’s squeeze everything we can out of this” protocol, but it’s nice to see that the rest of the world isn’t cobbled together with duct tape.
The combat system is complex yet satisfying
The combat system offered by the French developers is more than just simple turn-based combat. As a huge fan of Final Fantasy X, I saw a fragment of the first trailer and immediately turned it off. When I got to the fight scene, I knew I had to check it out, even though I thought it might be a B-grade adventure in the back of my mind. I beat my chest. Like Doubting Thomas, I saw and believed.
Combat is a symphony of decisions where every move matters, and the right timing can alter the outcome of a battle. If you like games that reward precision and reflexes, you’ll love this system. Fortunately, the developers anticipated that some might not be enthusiastic about the somewhat forced dodging and parrying system, so they prepared lower difficulty levels. Then, the lack of reflexes is not so severely punished, and you can approach the story with greater peace of mind.
I understand that there will be an outcry. What? A turn-based game with dodges and parries? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a combination of Final Fantasy, Sekiro, and Dark Souls — a combination that usually doesn’t work, but does here. If you play on normal difficulty, dodging is more than advisable; it has a greater window of success. However, you are rewarded only with the ability to avoid damage.
Depending on the passives you choose, parries can strengthen your character, restore action points, heal you, and give you more bonuses. The downside is the smaller window of frames in which you can effectively parry damage, especially if your opponent attacks multiple times in a single turn. Some boss attacks are pure masochism, with five or more hits in a row, often drawn out like Lewandowski’s penalties.
I like Souls and Sekiro, so I saw learning my opponents’ attack animations as a challenge rather than an obstacle. The greater the challenge, the greater the satisfaction of overcoming it. Believe me, a few story bosses will crush you in the first round if you’re not careful. You can theoretically get through the game by constantly dodging and blocking attacks, but if your team isn’t properly leveled up, the fight will go on forever. Just wait until you encounter gradient attacks and counters!
A unique progression system — not just levels!
The character improvement system works in three ways. After reaching a level, you can distribute three stat points. Depending on the character and weapon, different traits affect development more or less significantly. This is a slight nod to Souls, where selected weapons also scaled with other stats.
The second way is to equip yourself with Pikto, which are similar to accessories. Each character has three Pikto slots, and after four rounds, they “learn” the assigned passives. Passives can be equipped using Lumina points, which can be obtained during combat or exploration in the form of items. These items can be exchanged for Lumina at each flag. Flags serve as savepoints where characters can be healed, stats can be distributed, and skills can be purchased if the character is not already equipped with them.
The more Lumina points unlocked for a character, the more passives they can equip. This can lead to overpowered combinations, especially if we assign most of the Lumina to one character. It’s a complicated system that could take up half of this review, but there are plenty of online guides for those who are less familiar with it. There’s no need to go into detail here. 🙂
Another way to strengthen your characters is to use skill points to unlock specific skills in a unique skill tree for each character. Some heroes are born mages, some serve as supports, and some are battle-hardened fighters with high HP and powerful melee attacks. The rule is simple: Each character gets one skill point for each level gained. Most of them have many noteworthy skills, but you can only equip six at a time. This forces you to combine and juggle them, especially when you encounter a boss and need to change your tactics.
Is grinding necessary to advance the story? Not necessarily, but your ability to block and parry attacks is important. Forget about typical level grinding. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 introduces a more complex and emotionally engaging character development system. Your decisions matter — they affect not only statistics, but also relationships between characters, their attitudes, and even the endings of their stories.
Moral dilemmas that really hurt!
If you think Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will give you easy answers, you’re in for a rude awakening—practically right from the start. Every decision you make can have devastating consequences. In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, morality is fluid, and your conscience is your greatest enemy. This becomes especially apparent as you delve deeper into the plot, but I don’t want to give too much away. Be aware that you can’t simply turn back time and fix your mistakes in this story. It’s a story that forces you to live with the consequences of your actions. Every decision carries weight, and every sacrifice leaves a mark. It’s a brutal reminder that, just like in life, there aren’t always easy solutions.
Be prepared for this game’s ending to break your heart. It’s not a trivial “happily ever after.” It’s an ending that forces you to reflect and rethink everything you’ve experienced. Many games try to play on players’ emotions, but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 does so with ruthless effectiveness. Some of the choices you make will haunt you — and not just during the game. I questioned my own actions in the game, and even today, I sometimes wonder if I acted too hastily.
This game’s story is like a carefully woven tapestry — every thread and detail matters. Nothing here is accidental. Although the plot slowly reveals its secrets, the tension never lets up. You will often find that cutscenes from previous stages gain meaning, though you won’t learn about it until many hours later.
Beneath the surface of this dark story lies a question that accompanies you throughout the game: What does life mean when you know it will soon end? This is not just a game—it’s a philosophical reflection on transience. It’s about the frantic struggle for survival. It’s about protecting your loved ones at all costs. It’s about making sacrifices that may not be rewarded. I’m not someone who usually lets emotions guide me in life, but it’s been a long time since I played a game that evoked such a wide range of feelings I didn’t even know I had. This is how games should be made!
Why should you play Clair Obscur? Expedition 33?
I won’t hide it — I love Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 captivated me. It’s more than just a good JRPG. It’s a game that leaves a mark on your soul. It’s a game that forces you to reflect on your choices and feelings. It’s a game I’ll never forget and may return to someday. I still have a few side activities and collectibles to complete, but I am already satisfied and ready for a well-deserved rest.
It’s an emotional journey full of beauty, pain, and uncertainty. It forces you to think about life, death, and the value of every choice. It’s full of atmosphere, with a unique artistic style and memorable music. The story is deeply moving, the characters live their own lives, and the ending is one of the best I’ve seen in a JRPG in the last 10–15 years.
Let yourself be absorbed by this world. Let yourself be carried away by your emotions. Just remember—you won’t be the same person when you finish it. I’m not exaggerating when I say that Clair Obscur is to the JRPG genre what The Last of Us was to TPP games in its day. Sure, the budgets and sizes of the studios are incomparable, but the feeling that stays with you after finishing it is real. All the more kudos to the studio that poured its heart and soul into the game and gave us one of the biggest surprises of the last decade.
Click below to download the 2025 Game of the Year: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, completely free of charge.
- Here is the link to purchase the game: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Genre: RPG games
- Supported languages: ES/ENG/MULTi
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 system requirements
Minimum:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB / AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6 GB / Intel Arc A380 6 GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 55 GB available space
Recommended:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8 GB / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 55 GB available space