Is Expedition 33 as Good as They Say? An Honest Review

Hello everyone and welcome back to another blog post. Ok, so there’s been some debate whether this game is an indie or not. The game started with a small team of devs, but gradually, multiple subcontractors began working on the game as well, so instead of just calling this game an indie or a AAA, we’ll stick with something in between, calling it a AA game. But, Is Expedition 33 as Good as They Say? The hype for Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is so thick you could paint with it.

Is Expedition 33 as Good as They Say? Or is it just a gorgeous, exercise in frustration? Here’s an honest review.

First, What Is Expedition 33?

For those who’ve been living under a rock that isn’t being mercilessly judged by a supernatural entity, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG from Sandfall Games.

Here’s the pitch: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 takes place in a dark fantasy Belle Époque setting. Every year for the past 67 years, the people of the isolated island of Lumière suffer the “Gommage.” This cheerful event involves an entity known as the Paintress (Tracy Wiles) painting a number on a monolith, after which everyone that age or older promptly vanishes. You know, standard uplifting stuff.

The only solution? Send a group of volunteers, an “Expedition,” to the mainland to kill the Paintress before she can finish her next masterpiece. Because that always works out so well. Expedition 33 is the latest—and, let’s be honest, probably not the last—to try their luck.

The Good: Where It Absolutely Nails It

1. Turn-Based Combat, But You Actually Have to Pay Attention

Let’s be honest, sometimes in turn-based RPGs, you can just spam the “Attack” command while you check your phone. Expedition 33 will punish you for this distraction with the fury of a thousand suns. This isn’t your passive grandpa’s RPG.

The genius twist is that you can dodge, parry, and even jump during enemy turns. You get to be active while it’s not even your turn. It’s like the game saw you relaxing and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, are you bored? Here, have a quick-time event… but make it fashionable.”

The catch? You can try to parry anything, but the results are… unpredictable. Trying to parry a giant’s club might just stun you for longer, essentially letting the enemy hit you with a bonus attack for your trouble. It’s the video game equivalent of saying, “I could have taken him!” right before getting knocked out. The tutorials are great at explaining the buttons, but true mastery requires the patience of a saint and the reflexes of a cat on caffeine.

Mastering this requires developing the reflexes of a cat and the patience of a saint who’s had too much coffee. It turns every encounter from a spreadsheet calculation into a brutal, beautiful ballet where you’re just hoping not to face-plant.

2. A World That’s Art (Literally)

The game is stunning. The art direction, blending Belle Époque aesthetics with a decaying, painted world, is a visual feast. Every environment feels like a living canvas. It’s the first game in years where I’ve constantly used the Photo Mode not for screenshots, but just to look at things. The Paintress has impeccable, if homicidal, taste.

But—and this is a “but” the size of a Paintress-brushed monolith—this beauty has a cost. The environments are so devoted to looking like abstract art that they sometimes forget to be functional spaces. You will get lost. You will stare at a gorgeous, crumbling archway for ten minutes, realizing it’s just a wall, not the path forward.

3. A Narrative That Actually Makes You Care About the Clock

For a game centered on a literal death-countdown, the story could have easily been a simple backdrop. Instead, the narrative is a genuine highlight. The game masterfully weaves in poignant character backstories and world-building that make you feel the weight of your mission. You’re not just trying to stop the Paintress; you start to genuinely care about saving the world and the flawed, fascinating characters in your party. It’s that rare RPG where the story successfully makes the gameplay tension feel meaningful, and not just an arbitrary mechanic. Who knew a ticking clock could have so much emotional depth?

The Not-So-Good: Where the Hype Falters

1. A Few Rough Edges in the Polish

For a game that’s literally about a painting, some of the brushstrokes are a bit… sloppy. While the overall art direction is stunning, you’ll occasionally hit a cutscene where the character animations are surprisingly stiff, pulling you out of the moment. It’s a classic case of a game having a fantastic art style but not always the AAA budget to back up every single cinematic moment. Also, being a complex new release, it has its share of bugs.

None were game-breaking in my playthrough, but I did encounter a few hilarious instances of characters T-posing on a cliffside and one frustrating bug that required a restart after a battle didn’t trigger properly. It’s not a disaster, but it’s enough to remind you that you’re playing an ambitious AA game, not a flawlessly polished corporate product.

2. Getting Lost in the Art (And Not in a Good Way)

The game’s beautiful, painterly environments are a delight to look at, but sometimes they’re a nightmare to navigate. It turns out that a world designed by an aesthetic-obsessed, reality-bending Paintress isn’t always big on clear signage. The in-game map shows you the general shape of the area but offers little help with elevation or your actual position. It’s the game’s way of encouraging exploration, but it often feels less like an adventure and more like being lost in a very pretty IKEA with no meatballs to guide you out.

3. …And That’s Honestly It. Seriously.

Look, we’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel for complaints here. The truth is, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is just a phenomenally well-made game. The combat is innovative, the story is compelling, the art is breathtaking, and the “AA” scope feels perfect for its ambitions. Any minor quibbles about navigation or the occasional bug are utterly dwarfed by the sheer quality and creativity on display. It’s a refreshing, confident debut that absolutely lives up to the hype.

The Verdict: Should You Play It?

Yes, absolutely.

So, Is Expedition 33 as Good as They Say? It might not be for everyone, since the craze for soulslike or very challenging games seems to be still very alive. It’s for a specific type of player: the masochistic strategist who loves to be challenged, outsmarted, and then rewarded for finally cracking an impossible strategy.

Play Expedition 33 if:

• You live for deep, strategic, turn-based combat.
• You appreciate stunning, unique art direction.
• You’re looking for a fresh and compelling fantasy story that actually makes you care about its world.

Avoid Expedition 33 if:

• You’re not a fan of the “soulslike” difficulty craze – the masochistic strategist vibe is strong here
• You think “JRPG” means relaxing after a long day.

In the end, the hype is real. It’s a modern masterpiece, a brutal ballet of tactics and tension. It’s a game that demands you meet it on its terms. But once you do, it’s one of the most rewarding and clever RPGs of the year. It’s not as hard as they said—it’s just smart. And honestly, that’s so much better. If you want to learn more about the game or the devs, check their website here.

The 2026 FAQ: Answering the Real Questions

Q: Everyone says it’s like a soulslike. I hate soulslikes. Will I hate this?
A: Maybe! But hear me out. It’s souls-like in its “learn from pain” philosophy, not its dark fantasy gloom. The pain here is more strategic than punitive. If you love deep tactics but hate rolling around in sludge, try the easier “Expedition” mode. It’s like the game puts on kid gloves—they’re still very firm, instructional gloves, but they hurt less.

Q: Is it true you can beat the whole game by just parrying?
A: Technically, yes. In the same way you can technically eat a whole cake with a spoon. You could do it, but you’ll feel sick, look ridiculous, and smarter people with forks will judge you. The system is designed for mix-ups, not cheese.

Q: How long before I stop feeling like a clumsy oaf in combat?
A: If you’re a tactical genius? Ten hours. For the rest of us mortals? Let’s just say the game has a wonderful, 35-hour-long tutorial called “The Main Story.” Embrace the face-planting. It’s part of the journey.