Amid all the hype surrounding the release of Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, another game is quietly launching on April 24. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an upcoming role-playing game developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. Reviews for the game dropped online this week, and so far, it's received universal acclaim.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 currently sits in the low to mid-90s on Metacritic. Labeled a "must-play" by the review aggregate website, it has a 95/100 on Xbox and a 92/100 on PC and PS5. There aren't a ton of reviews posted right now, but the ones that are have endless praise for the game.
"Wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 paints itself into the pantheon of great RPGs with a brilliant combat system and a gripping, harrowing story," reads IGN's 90/100 review.
GamesRadar+, also scoring it a 90/10, adds: "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an outstanding visionary debut from Sandfall Interactive, which isn't merely a love letter to JRPGs but builds on its traditions with a distinctly French identity, making for one of the most exciting and rewarding action and turn-based hybrid battle systems ever devised, while putting you through the emotional wringer. This is an old-school feeling JRPG as dynamic as Persona but with parry-filled battles as hard-won as Sekiro."
Game Informer notes that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 embraces the familiar turn-based RPG genre, but "does so without falling into any of its traps."
"The adventure isn’t overlong, and you don’t spend more time than necessary fighting," the review reads. "The world, art, and narrative are unique, but it makes me nostalgic for a game I remember from the past. It’s as though developer Sandfall Interactive managed to make a classic RPG with only the good parts."
By all accounts, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a bona fide hit, which makes its untimely release this week all the more unfortunate. Previously an empty week for new games, the entire gaming world was thrown into a whirlwind by the sudden—but not totally unexpected if you were paying attention to the leaks—release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. We don't have many scored reviews of the Oblivion remaster, but the early impressions have all been very positive.
As a new IP in a niche genre, it may be hard for Expedition 33: Clair Obscur to gain widespread attention, but those who enjoy turn-based RPGs will almost certainly want to check this one out.
Taking place in a dark fantasy Belle Epoque setting, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 follows members of Expedition 33 on a quest to destroy the Paintress, whose god-like powers can kill everyone of a given age she draws.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launches on April 24, 2025. It's available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC for $49.99. It will also be available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.