What if I advised you there’s an upcoming sport that’s a cross between Ultimate Fantasy XIII and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Yr Door? Would that excite you, or fear you?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 definitely feels like somebody’s fever dream, however I couldn’t cease taking part in it. In truth, I performed by the preview 4 instances, discovering one thing new every time. I performed it on a number of difficulties till I turned proficient on the highest one, and I leveled my characters as excessive as doable after I realized there was nothing extra to do.
And I used to be unhappy that there was nothing extra to do.
I’ll admit, the preview didn’t do an important job explaining the core story idea. The introduction was somewhat imprecise, and I didn’t totally perceive the motives behind the characters. Gustave, an engineer, appears to be the principle character within the act I performed. I used to be additionally launched to Lune, the daughter of famend researchers, and Maelle, a younger orphan. I’m not precisely certain how they bought their powers or the encircling lore. For the reason that preview presents itself as a slice of the sport, I assume this vagueness is intentional.
The performing, nonetheless, is really phenomenal. Even when I’m unsure why Gustave acts the way in which he does, each line is delivered convincingly, and I can really feel the authenticity in his character. At sure factors, the preview felt like beginning a e-book midway by, however the scenes had been so highly effective that it hardly mattered.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s aesthetic strongly jogs my memory of Ultimate Fantasy XIII, particularly within the first space—a wealthy, majestic forest. Initially, the sport seems somewhat linear, which makes the comparability even stronger. In subsequent playthroughs, I spotted simply how a lot depth there may be to this seemingly linear world. As an example, on my second playthrough, I found an enigmatic mime enemy (due to course there’s a mime) and snagged a slick new outfit after taking it down. If something, after mastering the battle system, I loved my second playthrough greater than my first.
This brings me to the gameplay, which I might outline as Paper Mario on steroids. Every character has sure actions that may be powered up by timing a QTE immediate. To inflict the utmost quantity of injury, you could time all prompts completely. It appears easy in principle, however I admire the truth that you might be studying assaults as your characters do. Identical to with Paper Mario, it’s a pleasant twist on the usual turn-based components.
When an enemy assaults you, you have got the choice of dodging or parrying the assault. Parrying has a smaller timing window, but when profitable, your reward is a devastating counterattack. It’s so sturdy that you would be able to utterly decimate encounters for those who get your timing down. Ultimately, you additionally learn to leap, which you should use if an enemy assaults your total occasion. A well-timed leap lets the entire occasion land an extremely highly effective counterattack.
Alternatively, for those who fail to dodge or parry an assault, the implications are extreme, typically leading to on the spot loss of life on any problem setting. Consequently, not solely are you inspired to pick out the suitable strikes as in a standard turn-based sport, however you could additionally study the patterns for every encounter.
Regardless of the preview’s brief size, I felt a real sense of development as I leveled up my characters and unlocked new customization choices. Along with the usual gear system, you possibly can equip Pictos, equipment that improve sure abilities and character traits. I discovered this method to be a genius implementation as a result of it lets you utterly customise your characters and alter their playstyles. You may also allocate stat factors once you degree up, and these have a significant influence. Even a number of factors in a stat appeared to realize important outcomes, although this can be adjusted in Clair Obscur‘s last launch.
The world opened up considerably as I progressed to the second and last location within the preview: a mysterious underwater zone. If I had one criticism, I might say that it’s typically unclear the place to go for the principle story. On this case, I’d counsel utilizing delicate indicators, just like the lamp posts scattered across the setting, to information the participant. That stated, I assume the builders need gamers to totally expertise this place and uncover its secrets and techniques for themselves, and I commend them for this effort.
Throughout my journey, I encountered extra enemies, together with the eccentric Chromatic Troubadour, whose assault patterns are actually etched into my reminiscence. There’s one thing so satisfying about nailing every encounter, nearly like studying a track on an instrument. As I accomplished the second space and defeated the ultimate boss of the preview, I spotted I wasn’t able to cease.
I didn’t need to be performed with this sport.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 releases on April 24, 2025 and is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection X|S, and Steam. Study extra on the sport’s official web site.
