Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review
Story and beauty drag it to an 8.9, almost in spite of the battles.
The Good
- A story that hits harder than most prestige TV
- Every zone is a painting you're scared to leave
- The cast carries the grief without flinching
The Rough Edges
- Battles keep interrupting strategy with rhythm tests
- The parry-or-die tuning wears thin late
The story is absolutely captivating. Every year the Paintress paints a number and everyone that age dies, and Expedition 33 walks into that nightmare knowing it's a suicide mission. Gustave, Maelle and the crew carry scenes that hit harder than most prestige TV, and the writing trusts you to sit in the grief instead of skipping past it.
And the graphics are beautiful, full stop: a Belle Époque France run through a painter's fever dream, every zone a canvas you're scared to leave.
The story is absolutely captivating. The graphics are beautiful.
Here's my fight with it: the battles just aren't what they could have been. The turn-based bones wear a parry-and-dodge costume, and when every enemy attack becomes a rhythm test, the strategy I want from a great JRPG fight keeps getting interrupted by a quick-time event. A lot of people love that tension. I respected it more than I enjoyed it.
An 8.9. Story and beauty this strong drag the score up almost in spite of the combat.
Story and beauty drag it to an 8.9, almost in spite of the battles.
The Good
- A story that hits harder than most prestige TV
- Every zone is a painting you're scared to leave
- The cast carries the grief without flinching
The Rough Edges
- Battles keep interrupting strategy with rhythm tests
- The parry-or-die tuning wears thin late
Quick Answers
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review score: what did it score?
Moe Train scored Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 a 8.9 out of 10. Story and beauty drag it to an 8.9, almost in spite of the battles.
What platforms is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on?
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is out now on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Moe played and scored it on PlayStation.
Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 worth playing?
Story and beauty drag it to an 8.9, almost in spite of the battles. Read the full Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review above for the breakdown.
