Among all the upcoming games shown at the 2024 Xbox Showcase, one of the biggest highlights was undoubtedly Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur Expedition 33. While stunning in its Belle Époque France aesthetic, fans specifically highlighted its turn-based gameplay, something that was obviously sorely missed within the community.
The Clair Obscur Expedition 33 trailer introduces us to a tragically beautiful and fascinating world that is forever trapped in a cycle of death by a mysterious entity known as the Painter. As the world counts down further to Year 33, a squad known as Expedition 33, led by Gustavo, is tasked with destroying the Painter so that she never reawakens to erase another year of humanity from existence.
While the story is riveting and compelling on its own, what caught most prospective players’ attention during the trailer were the many examples of turn-based combat, from ominous creatures encountered along the squad’s path to fearsome boss battles. Each battle includes real-time mechanics with the ability to form unique, turn-based strategies with your chosen party members.
This type of gameplay echoes that of other turn-based RPGs of the past, and it’s a spectacularly smart move by developer Sandfall Interactive, who are making their official debut with the game. There’s heavy inspiration from classic JRPGs like Persona, Yakuza and the Final Fantasy series that’s injected into this particularly Western-style RPG, and FF16’s Ben Starr (the man behind Clive Rosfield) honors the feat by lending his voice to expedition leader Gustav. .
Fans later took to Reddit heaped praise on Clair Obscur Expedition 33’s first impression, with one person remarking that “the trailer stole the show” while another expressed their “shock” at seeing turn-based gameplay. Others said they were “delighted” upon seeing it and that it was an “instant hype” for them.
The grand reveal has since cumulatively logged well over 500K views between both console trailers and the official Sandfall. YouTube channel where comments are almost unanimously positive and excited. YouTubers such as Runebee, Player Essenceand GameCross also added to the universal applause for what could end up being one of the most hotly anticipated turn-based RPGs in recent years. Recent Steam discussion on wish list the game exploded as well.
Few games make as good an impression as Expedition 33 has so far with a single trailer, which is a good omen, to say the least.
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is set to release sometime in 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It can now be listed on Steam.
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