Painting With Purpose : Why Expedition 33 Stands Out
I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as much as I have. What started out as a visually striking curiosity has blossomed into one of the most engaging, polished, and emotionally resonant experiences I’ve had in recent years. I wrote up some first impressions a while back, but now that I’ve properly sunk my teeth into it, I wanted to come back with a more detailed follow-up — because this game deserves that kind of attention.
Story and Worldbuilding
The narrative is one of the game’s strongest assets. The world is surreal but not nonsensical — richly layered, emotionally weighty, and full of unexpected moments. Without spoiling anything, there’s a sense of melancholy and thought, threaded throughout that gives weight to every decision and every encounter. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on what’s happening, it pulls the rug out from under you in the best way possible.
The storytelling is nuanced, with moments that hit surprisingly hard. Every character seems to carry a burden, and there’s a quiet beauty in how those burdens are revealed through dialogue, environment, and even combat. Cutscenes are never wasted; every one adds depth or pushes the story forward. It’s a game that respects your time.
Combat and Challenge
Preparing for an attack : Clair Obscur Expedition 33
Combat remains a standout — tight, responsive, and genuinely rewarding. I’ve never been much of a completionist, but this game brings out that side of me. It wants to be mastered, and it makes the process feel worthwhile. Some boss fights are intense, pushing your reflexes and pattern recognition to the limit, but it’s never unfair. Every defeat teaches you something. Every victory feels like you earned it.
And yes, some encounters made me sweat (and I even managed to break the right bumper on my 8BitDo controller with all of the parrying that I’ve been trying to do) — not just because of the difficulty, I wasn’t grinding through enemies; I was invested in what was happening.
The encounters that you will have as part of the main storyline will also not only move the story along but in some instances also make you question your choices or what you think you knew about the characters.
Art and Atmosphere
An in game screenshot from Clair Obscure - Expedition 33
Graphically, it’s stunning, even on an Xbox Series X, so I can only imagine what it looks like on a PC with a high-end card. From crumbling cities to lush, dreamlike forests, the game constantly throws new environments at you that are as beautiful as they are eerie. The use of colour, contrast, and lighting is genuinely artistic — there’s a painterly quality to many of the scenes that reminds me of classic concept art brought to life and perfectly fits with the whole “paintress” theme / arc.
Sound design deserves a special mention, too. The soundtrack is haunting and ethereal, perfectly matching the tone of each area. Ambient audio does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to immersion, and during fights there are a lot of audio cues for when you should dodge or parry. It’s really worth playing the game with a good pair of headphones. I also often found myself stopping just to take in the sounds and sights around me.
Overall Thoughts - And Features That Should Be In (Almost) Every Game
It’s rare to find a game where every element — story, gameplay, visuals, audio — feels like it’s working in harmony. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of those rare games. It’s not just worth your time; it’s the kind of game that reminds you why you fell in love with the medium in the first place.
On top of all of that, it’s only $50, so given the current discussion about charging $80 for games, it raises the bar for what you could expect for that price point but also poses a very good argument to not rush games out but to let them develop until they are done and released as a complete game.
One thing I have to mention, I would be remiss if I didn’t given that I have strong opinions on this topic and wish it would be in more games but I really wanted to thank the developers for not only adding the ability to pause the game anywhere but also even during cutscenes!
And, if that wasn’t enough, when you are in camp, you can even look up your current task/objective and get a reminder of what you are supposed to be doing. This is just amazing, it really should be in all games and I wish it were.
Lack Of Mini-Map - Not A Problem?
I’ve seen some complaints and comments online where people were lamenting that there are no mini-maps or quest markers, or highlights when you reach a quest objective or something along those lines and I’m so glad that there isn’t.
I do agree that some games need those things and it suits them but in this game in particular it would just be an overload of information that’s not necessary. It respects your intelligence and doesn’t hold your hand. All of the main quest or story routes have some kind of visual indicator, usually light-based, that shows you were to go. Lamps or torches light main routes, platforms that move have a different light to them and so on. If you don’t see those cues, then you’re on a side quest or avenue.
As for the lack of maps, I don’t feel that the levels are so large that you need them, plus there are distinctive features in each area that act as visual markers and help you remember if you went down this particular path before. My wife says I have no sense of direction and yet I never feel lost or frustrated here, it’s more a sense of exploration and what’s around the corner. Often I’m more worried about triggering a boss or a cutscene before I’ve had chance to fully explore and find everything.
Final Thoughts
Clair Obscur - Expedition 33
I’ve still not finished it, I’m in act 2, but it’s still living rent-free in my head. I keep thinking about certain lines of dialogue, certain choices, and wondering what might have happened had I chosen differently. I wonder what’s going to happen next with the story and that keeps me going forward.
I think that one thing that strikes me most of all about this game is that it reminds me a lot of games from the late 80s and early 90s and the energy or vide that they had, Ghost & Goblins, Rick Dangerous, Lemmings, Cannon Fodder, to name a few, in terms of its vibe and atmosphere. Those games didn’t have the ability to rely on graphics, they had to depend on solid gameplay, story and have a hook to keep you playing. They also didn’t do a lot of hand holding and could be quite tough to get through, some were a real challenge but above all, I feel like they respected your time and wanted to provide you with a fun experience and leave you with some lasting memories. Not just be the next thing you need to speed run through to get to the next game in your queue.
I feel like Clair Obscure Expedition 33 perfectly captures that essence and atmosphere, I’m looking forward to what’s coming next in the game and from the developer. I’m taking my time to play through it, so I can enjoy it as long as possible.
I honestly think you should too and if you haven’t tried this game yourself yet, then you owe it to yourself to try it.
That’s the mark of something truly special.
