Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Preview - This may just be the standout RPG of 2025

As someone who has played A LOT of RPGs spanning three decades, experiencing something that feels fresh and new is rare and exciting. Spending some time with a demo of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the debut title from French developer Sandfall Interactive, entranced me with its strange world, mysterious lore, engaging combat, and absolutely gorgeous graphics. In just a couple of hours, Expedition 33 soared close to the top of my most anticipated games of the year.

In Expedition 33, you play as Gustav (who looks uncannily like Robert Pattinson) and the other members of the titular Expedition 33 as you attempt to reach—and, I assume, stop—a being known as the Paintress while contending with creatures called Nevrons that stand in your way. The aesthetic of Expedition 33 is inspired by Belle Époque France but infused with fantasy elements that would feel right at home in Final Fantasy or Lost Odyssey, such as the Flying Waters region, which behaves as though it’s underwater—with floating bubbles and waving seaweed—or an extravagant mansion hidden inside a giant seashell. The vistas presented in the demo amazed me, and I can only begin to imagine what the rest of the game has in store.

Even in this early demo, Expedition 33 is an absolutely gorgeous game, ranking near the top as one of the best-looking games I have ever played. Admittedly, I was playing the demo on my powerful home PC, a platform I wouldn’t usually use for this type of game, but even at low settings, it was impressive and lovely to look at.

In addition to the large explorable areas, I also spent some time strolling around a snippet of the world map, one of the key features that Sandfall Interactive has highlighted in previous trailers. Akin to RPGs from earlier generations, such as the PlayStation or Super Nintendo era, Expedition 33 features a classic world map to explore, complete with secret items and other goodies to discover along the way. I had access to only a small portion, but peeking at the full map teased a vast world waiting to be uncovered. The little taste I had did a fine job of scratching that retro itch and made me realize just how much I miss running around a sprawling world map in my RPGs.

The knockout star of the show, however, is Expedition 33’s combat and RPG systems, which pull inspiration from genre classics like Final Fantasy and The Legend of Dragoon while modernizing those mechanics for a new generation. Each member of the expedition has access to unique skill trees, attribute allocation, and equippable abilities known as Pictos, which feel as though they were ripped straight out of Final Fantasy IX—equipping them grants benefits, but mastering them allows you to equip the ability permanently for a cost. Attributes can be improved à la Shin Megami Tensei, with an added touch of Souls games, where certain weapons deal additional damage based on specific character stats. Speaking of weapons, beyond simply looking awesome, they have their own levels and skills you can unlock, such as enabling basic attacks to inflict burn on enemies. Party members also have unique mechanics, like swapping stances or stockpiling charges to unleash heavy burst damage—and this was just what the demo had to offer! There seems to be so much RPG goodness crammed into this game that it makes my head spin (in the best way possible).

Stats, weapons, and all those other goodies are great, but they need a solid combat system to ground and support them—to make everything worthwhile. Luckily, Expedition 33 looks to have nailed this too, evolving and cranking turn-based combat up to 11. Battles feature a turn-order system displayed in the corner, similar to Trails Through Daybreak or Final Fantasy X, where characters and foes act when their turn comes up. The game utilizes an AP system, with special attacks consuming different amounts of this resource while normal attacks restore varying amounts of it. Many attacks feature a quick-time event (à la Legend of Dragoon or Shadow Hearts) that rewards well-timed button presses with additional damage. This feature can be turned off in the accessibility menu, though doing so means losing out on the extra damage potential.

Each character also has a ranged attack—such as Gustav’s pistol—that allows you to aim at specific weak points or objects on an enemy to deal greater damage. In one instance, I was able to shoot a floating naval mine that an enemy was carrying like a balloon, causing it to explode and damage all nearby foes. These attacks consume a single AP, and successfully identifying and exploiting weak points feels both satisfying and worthwhile. Altogether, these mechanics make combat far more engaging than what’s typically seen in turn-based RPGs today.

The best part, though, is that engagement doesn’t stop when your turn ends and the enemy’s begins. When an enemy attacks, a small blurb of text appears at the top of the screen, hinting at the type—and, more importantly, the speed—of the attack they’re about to perform, such as “so-and-so is about to do a quick attack.” Recognizing attack patterns and animations is crucial, as you can either attempt to dodge, avoiding damage altogether, or, if you’re feeling daring, parry the attack with a tighter timing window to deliver a powerful counterattack.

I fell in love with pushing my luck, trying to perfectly time my parries (and paying the price in many instances). But when I landed a string of parries against a boss’s multi-hit attack—oh man, did it feel good. While I do enjoy a good mindless grind session, Expedition 33 gives me reasons—both offensively and defensively—to stay engaged. It injects an action-based feel into the turn-based formula, breaking away from the traditional back-and-forth combat people typically associate with the genre. If the game maintains this level of quality throughout, it could be one of the best takes on turn-based combat in recent years.

Everything I experienced during my short two hours with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would have impressed me had it come from a long-established studio. The fact that this is a debut release from a new studio makes it all the more remarkable. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that Sandfall Interactive can maintain that same "WOW!" factor throughout the full game. If they can pull it off, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Expedition 33 making waves at The Game Awards later this year. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the final game when it releases on April 24, and any longtime RPG fan should keep their eyes on it too. I think the team at Sandfall Interactive has something special on their hands with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.