Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has all of the makings of a contemporary turn-based basic. After taking part in just a few hours of Sandfall Interactive’s darkish fantasy RPG, I can say that Expedition 33 grasps the melodrama of recent Closing Fantasy and marries it with the tactical turn-based fight followers of that sequence have been craving a return to for many years. On prime of this, the sport additionally has a Paper Mario-like timing mechanic to make that fight about extra than simply selecting which assaults and gadgets you employ throughout a flip. Sandfall Interactive is cooking with some glorious substances, and the small style I’ve gotten has me desperate to attempt the total meal.
If I wasn’t already on board for the unbelievable voice solid led by standouts like Daredevil actor Charlie Cox, Baldur’s Gate 3’s Jennifer English, and Clive Rosfield himself, Ben Starr, I’d have been pulled in by Expedition 33’s tragic premise. On this world, a malevolent sorceress paints a quantity every year, and everybody on this planet who’s of that age is Thanos-snapped away. The titular expedition is made up of people that go on a journey to attempt to cease her, however even in thee early hours I performed, there’s little hope that they’ll truly succeed. The expedition appears extra involved with carving a path for many who finally can. Nobody hopes for a lot in a world the place all the pieces you recognize and love might be gone within the stroke of a paintbrush. Rising outdated is so unbelievable that assembly a senior citizen is like discovering a member of an endangered species. The world of Expedition 33 feels thus far gone to the solid making an attempt to reserve it that the act of making an attempt seems like a futile suicide mission. It’s deliciously dreary, like listening to probably the most heartbreaking emo track I’d ever heard on a loop, reveling within the melancholy simply to really feel one thing.
Within the quick time I acquired to play Expedition 33, it launched loads of lore and jargon that I hope will make extra sense when seen within the context of the total sport, however even when I don’t know what all its correct nouns imply but, I’m already intrigued by how the sport commits to a damaged world that feels past saving. And but, the get together strikes ahead anyway. It’s tantalizing, and fortuitously the turn-based fight is simply as compelling.
Expedition 33 has a lot of the commonplace pillars of a turn-based battle system comparable to elemental weaknesses and get together members who concentrate on totally different roles. However there’s a refreshing mix of energetic fight programs to make fights really feel extra concerned and fewer repetitive. Every character has unique mechanics; as he makes use of commonplace assaults, for example, the swordsman Gustave builds up a reserve of saved energy which you’ll unleash after you’ve charged up sufficient on your liking, whereas the mage Lune makes use of “stains” that may be inflicted upon foes and used to extend the facility of sure spell mixtures. However in between these strategic selections, you even have fast time occasions to juice up assaults, ranged assaults that you simply purpose by hand to focus on weak factors, and a dodge and parry mechanic to waste your opponents’ turns. I take pleasure in these defensive choices in premise, however I’m not offered on the execution of them simply but. Some assaults that enemies dish out have a rhythmic high quality that makes them simple to learn and execute dodges or parries. Others really feel extra clunky, arbitrary, and tough to react to. A few of that sport sense will probably include extra time, nevertheless it was nonetheless a irritating impediment in among the tougher boss fights.
That small wrinkle apart, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 oozes drama, tactical depth, and magnificence. I can’t wait to dive into it when the sport launches on April 25.
