A new game called Clair Obscure Expedition 33 is about to shake things up in the turn-based RPG category. This game is made by a new company called Sandfall Interactive.
They’re mixing classic RPG features with new game mechanics and an interesting story.
As we get closer to the game’s release date, let’s look at ten important things players should know before they start this mysterious adventure.
1. An Exciting Story
Clair Obscure Expedition 33 has a really interesting story. In this game world, there’s a mysterious person called the Paintress who wakes up once a year. She writes a new number on a big stone, and when she does this, all people of that age disappear. To try and stop this, groups of people whose age matches the new number go on expeditions each year.
You’ll join Expedition 33. Your job is to beat the Paintress and stop this from happening again. This way, no more expeditions will be needed, especially not Expedition 32. The story feels urgent because each year, younger people have to go on these dangerous trips.
2. Innovative Combat System
This game is a turn-based RPG, but it adds something new to fights. It uses quick-time events (QTEs) in two ways, making battles more active and fun.
When it’s your turn to attack, you’ll see buttons to press at certain times. If you press them right, you’ll do more damage. When enemies attack you, you can choose to dodge or block.
Dodging is easier but doesn’t give you much benefit. Blocking is harder, but if you do it well several times in a row, you can counterattack powerfully.
This mix of rhythm game elements and RPG strategy should keep the game exciting and make every fight feel different.
3. Emphasis on Exploration
Clair Obscure Expedition 33 is like other RPGs where it’s good to explore a lot. You can finish the main story faster, but if you look around more and do extra quests, you’ll enjoy the game more.
If you want to find everything in the game, it might take about 60 hours. This is a lot of time for players who like to see everything.
Exploring more doesn’t just give you more time to play. It also helps you understand the game’s world and story better. The game makers want you to look around carefully so you can really feel like you’re part of the game world.
4. The Break Bar Mechanic
In fights, there’s something called a break bar that’s important. When you hit enemies, you fill up this bar. When it’s full, you can use special moves to “pop” it. This stops the enemy from doing anything on their next turn.
Knowing when to use the break bar is really important, especially if you’re playing on harder levels. Being able to stop an enemy from attacking can really help you win. This is especially true in fights that always happen the same way, where you can learn what the enemies will do.
The game also lets you aim at weak spots on enemies to do more damage. This makes fights more interesting because you have to think about your strategy and also be good at aiming. This should make the fights both hard and fun.”
5. Your Choices Matter
Many games say your choices are important, but they don’t really change much. Clair Obscure Expedition 33 wants to be different. The game makers say that the choices you make will really affect your journey through the game.
We don’t know exactly how big these changes will be yet, but it’s a good idea to think carefully when you make choices. This means the story might change a lot based on what you do. You might want to play the game more than once to see different stories.
6. Different Characters with Unique Ways to Play
Clair Obscure Expedition 33 has many characters you can play as. Each one fights in a special way. This means fights will stay interesting and you can try different ways to win.
Gustav, the main character, uses something called an overcharge system. When he hits enemies, blocks attacks, or uses certain skills, he builds up charge. He can use this charge to make his other abilities stronger.
Lon, another character, uses elemental stains. She can put these on enemies or use them to change her spells. Mel is really interesting because she can change her fighting stance. This changes how well she can attack or defend.
These different systems mean you can really change how you play and make good plans for fights.
7. Flexible Character Roles
Even though each character has their own special way of fighting, they’re not stuck doing just one thing.
By choosing different skills and equipment, you can make any character good at different jobs in a fight. They could do lots of damage, or help keep the team alive, or anything in between.
This means you can keep using your favorite characters but still have different ways to fight. It also means you might want to play the game again, because you could make the same character fight in a completely different way.
8. Interesting Characters
The game has many different characters, each with their own stories and reasons for what they do. Gustav is a 33-year-old engineer who wants to protect his city. Myel is only 16 and thinks the expedition will be fun.
Lon loves learning and wants to solve the mystery of the Paintress. Seiel used to be a farmer but now teaches, and has some secrets. Monaco isn’t human and thinks of fighting as a way to meditate.
All these different characters mean the story could be really interesting, with lots of different viewpoints and relationships between them.
9. A World That Feels Real
Clair Obscure Expedition 33 wants to make you feel like you’re really there in the game world. The people who made the game have created a big world with a mystery at its center. They want players to really get into the world and its history.
To help make the world feel real, the game has great music. It also has voice acting from well-known actors. Players are encouraged to let themselves get lost in the game’s world, enjoying the music, sounds, voices, and visuals.
10. A Passion Project from a New Studio
One of the most interesting things about Clair Obscure Expedition 33 is who’s making it. It’s the first game from Sandfall Interactive, a new game studio. The people working there have made games before, and some used to work for a big company called Ubisoft.
The head of the studio really wanted to make this game. They thought there weren’t enough big, realistic turn-based RPGs (role-playing games where you take turns in fights). They were inspired by older games like Persona 3 and Final Fantasy VIII but wanted to do something new.
Because it’s a new studio making the game, they might try some new ideas that other game companies wouldn’t. This could make the game feel different from other games you’ve played before.
Final Thoughts
Clair Obscure Expedition 33 is getting ready to come out on April 24 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, and it looks like it could be a great new turn-based RPG (role-playing game).
It mixes things we already know about these kinds of games with some new ideas. The story sounds interesting, and there are lots of different characters. This means both people who love these games and people who are new to them might enjoy it.
You might want to play this game if you like:
- The new way of fighting in the game
- The mysterious story
- Trying a new kind of RPG
Clair Obscure Expedition 33 looks like it will be an adventure that will test how good you are at playing, make you think, and maybe even change how people think about RPGs.
