Latest News “Stay informed with breaking news, world news, US news, politics, business, technology, and more at latest news.

Category: Sandfall Interactive

Auto Added by WPeMatico

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy are a perfect pair

    Ever since its release on April 24, the gaming world has been buzzing non-stop about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The French RPG was instantly hailed as a generational masterpiece upon release, winning players over with its stylish visuals and impressive combat. It’s most striking quality, though, is its emotional storytelling. Clair Obscur tells a moving tale about collective grief as an expedition sets out to save humanity from an annual plague that threats to wipe out every last person on Earth. It’s a loaded story about moving forward in the face of pain that has drawn out gallons of tears from players, no doubt.

    But that wasn’t the only game to launch on April 24 — nor was it even the only RPG about fighting for a better future released that day. It shared a release date with The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, the latest game from the team behind Danganronpa. One part visual novel, one part tactics game, The Hundred Line is incredibly ambitious in its own right thanks to its 100 endings across a gargantuan runtime. It’s not only one of the year’s best, but it’s also a perfect compliment to Clair Obscur. Both RPGs cover similar thematic territory in very different ways that are both indebted to video game history. If your Clair Obscur playthrough is starting to wind down, The Hundred Line is the perfect chaser. I’d even go as far as to argue that it’s the real main course.

    Fighting for the future

    The two games may not sound similar on paper, but they’re more connected than they seem at a glance. Both are about humanity’s impending death as a timer ticks down and one group’s fight to save the world. In Clair Obscur, the conflict comes from the Paintress, a mystical being who appears once a year to paint a number in the sky. When she does, it triggers an event called the Gommage, where everyone whose age is above the current number dies. The number ticks down with each year, so an expedition is sent out to try and put an end to the Paintress each year before everyone is inevitably killed.

    The Hundred Line‘s impending disaster is more shrouded in mystery. When the story begins, we learn that a group of students has been assembled at a school and chosen to defend a weapon housed within it from alien invaders. The group is told that the weapon will destroy the world if it gets into the wrong hands and they must protect it for a full 100 days. That only scratches the surface of what’s really going on, as the story plays out like multiple seasons of a TV show filled with twists and cliffhangers. Think of it like an anime version of Lost. Without getting too in the weeds, humanity is on a similar path to destruction and the students only have so much time to change that.

    Though both premises are incredibly bleak, each RPG is hopeful in its own way. They aren’t about succumbing to despair as inevitability approaches, but finding the will to continue the fight for a better future. And both do that by wielding the language of games in clever ways. For Clair Obscur, that idea comes through in its ode to classic RPGs. By drawing on a history of party-driven games about assembling a crew of misfit heroes, Sandfall Interactive speaks to the importance of collective action to push forward in times of pain. The crew members aren’t just battle companions, but a functional support system that’s stronger together. Successfully parrying a big enemy attack as a party triggers a devastating counter. When the active party falls in battle, the remaining ones come in for backup rather than sitting on their thumbs like so many other RPGs. And when a battle is won, a button on screen proclaims, “We continue,” driving home the idea that the team is one singular unit.

    The Hundred Line is comparatively high concept in its approach. Its grand trick is that it doesn’t just take place across 100 days as it initially claims to. That initial run almost acts as an elongated introduction to the actual hook. Let’s just say that things go a little south by the end of the first 100 days which sends the once peppy group into despair. Failure seems imminent as the students anticipate their own Gommage of sorts. When things are their bleakest, players are hit with a tantalizing question: What if you could change it all? What would you do differently if you had another 100 days? That opens up the true game, in which players go back through the story and look for divergent points in the timeline that could change that ending.

    What’s so smart here is that The Hundred Line leans into video game language to give players the possibility of hope. The fateful 100th day is framed as an “ending” and the one you get after your first run may just be the “bad” one. For seasoned gamers, that’s immediately tangible. I know how multiple endings function in games and know that getting a good one is entirely within my power. I just have to be willing to keep at it and figure out what I can do to get the ending that I want. We don’t get a redo in real life, but games can fulfill that fantasy. The Hundred Line gives players the power to turn back the clock and see exactly how their actions can shape the inevitable. I don’t feel down when I hit a bad ending: There are literally 100 ways that this thing can go.

    As different as these two games are, that idea unites them. They are both about people facing down hopelessness as mass extinction looms and being determined enough to fight as many times as it takes. Sacrifice is central to both stories, too. In Clair Obscur, players discover logs left behind from every previous party that has died to get Expedition 33 where it is today. The Hundred Line is even more explicit about that theme, as characters can sacrifice their lives in its tactical battles to pull off a devastating attack and supercharge the team’s energy meter so everyone else can hit their own big moves. Death is framed a steppingstone in both games, a noble sacrifice that the living can use to their advantage. It’s not an ending, but rather one important action in a collective effort that’s built on courage.

    Though Clair Obscur has been applauded for its emotionally gripping story, I find just as much power — if not more — in The Hundred Line. Through all of its silly one-liners and tomato-headed heroes, there’s a strong message to be found about our power to stop the inevitable. It is achievable through countless decisions that can change history even when we don’t realize they are leaving a mark in the moment. It only makes sense to explore that through a digital choose your own adventure novel where any outcome feels possible.

    So, once you’re done with Clair Obscur, consider jumping right into The Hundred Line. You’ll find a rich continuation of its themes that play with the language of games even more. Neither game will save our own world, but they might make you feel a little less hopeless in this dire moment.

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s success shows more of the same is not always best

    If you pay a visit to Metacritic and look up the scores for the recently released Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, you might notice something about its user score: a whopping 9.7 at the time of writing. Yesterday, Forbes published an article talking about players’ incredible reception of the game, and the score was 9.6 then. It’s only gone up in the 24 hours or so since the story was first published as more than 2,000 other users have lent their opinion on the game.

    Why is that impressive? It’s not just a high score; it’s one of the highest user scores on all of Metacritic. The remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has only an 8.1, while Metacritic’s overall highest-rated game (according to critics) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has a 9.1. There are hundreds of games listed on the site, and the highest I can find is Heroes of Might and Magic III with a 9.3. It’s quite possible that Clair Obscur has broken all the records.

    Fans have already dubbed Clair Obscur as a contender for game of the year, with some calling it a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy VII. That’s high praise indeed, especially considering it’s the first title from Sandfall Interactive, a small French studio with just over 30 employees (including Monoco, an adorable Spaniel with the position of “Happiness Manager.”)

    And perhaps therein lies the secret to its success. The studio is small, independent, and able to follow its own direction without answering to shareholders. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a AA game, not a AAA, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the game’s gorgeous art and engrossing, haunting soundtrack.

    Independence allowed Sandfall Interactive to take risks and try things that a more “experienced” studio might not, and that paid off in droves. That’s not the only reason the game is seeing such a meteoric rise, though. The storyline is relatable, centering around a group trying to make a better world while the powers that be try to stop them at every turn. As our reviewer points out, it feels insightful and relevant to current events. Through it all, the story focuses on a theme of “togetherness.” Without others, change isn’t possible. No one is an island.

    I don’t want to delve too deeply into the story. Clair Obscur is a game best experienced blind, but it’s a title you won’t soon forget after playing. The main story will take most players around 30 hours to finish, but there is so much more to explore that you can look forward to 60 or more hours of gameplay for completionists.

    That brings me to another reason why the game stands out in a saturated market: the price. Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 is only $50 for an incredible amount of content. When most new games are at least $70 (and in the case of Mario Kart World, $80), it feels like an absolute bargain. It’s also available as part of Xbox Game Pass, putting it in the hands of even more players.

    More people are willing to take a chance on the game when it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. At a time when economic uncertainty has many people more carefully deciding what to buy, it’s a lot easier to justify a $50 expense than an $80 one.

    Of course, a game needs to deliver once someone takes a chance on it, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 does so by paying homage to classic JRPGs in its battle and exploration system. The turn-based combat feels familiar to anyone who has played a game like Final Fantasy X, while the (frankly ridiculous) skill tree lets players create custom builds to suit every playstyle, but the game doesn’t stop there.

    Every character stands out in their own way, from their personality to how they fight. The variety keeps things fresh even after you’ve sunk a dozen or more hours into the story. Clair Obscur incorporates quick-time events to keep players on their toes and includes the unique Lumina system to further expand on build options.

    A massive world map provides plenty of opportunities for exploration, and it’s full of secrets to track down that can give you an edge in fights and secret bosses that challenge your skills. Our review calls it a “true homage to RPG history,” and I’m inclined to agree. At a time when JRPGs like Final Fantasy XVI are taking on more western-style elements like real-time combat, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a unique, intriguing game that uses familiar elements without relying solely on nostalgia.

    Its success might not continue, but of the 2,300 user reviews already, 97% are positive, 1% are mixed, and only 2% — a total of 48 reviews — are negative. 2025 has shown itself to be a powerhouse year for gaming with a lineup that includes Avowed and Monster Hunter Worlds, but Sandfall Interactive has carved out its own slice of the pie with the launch of Clair Obscur.

  • If you love Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, watch these 33 obscure French films next

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been out for a week and the critics agree: it is very, very French.

    While Sandfall Interactive’s RPG has been praised for its inventive storytelling and stylish visuals, its country of origin has also become a point of fascination for players. Clair Obscur is proudly French, packed with visual references to the country’s rich art history. If your playthrough has you eager to learn more about other media that paints a portrait of the culture, allow me to welcome you to the world of French cinema. There, you’ll find a storied history of eccentric, rule-breaking films that can be tender, unpredictable, and human. If you love the way Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reimagines the RPG genre in a fresh way, you may be able to appreciate how French filmmakers have done the same with movies for over a decade.

    For the sake of comedy, I’ve put together a list of 33 obscure French films that you can dig into alongside your playthrough. Are these films actually obscure? Okay, look: The cinephiles among you are going to scoff at how basic some of these picks are, but if you’re more of a gamer, most of these films will probably be entirely foreign to you. Still, I’ve tried to work around some of the obvious picks like Breathless and The 400 Blows in favor of more experimental or less appreciated work by the medium’s biggest names. I’ll highlight a few foundational ones to get you started, but everything on this list should be on your watchlist.

    Ballet Mécanique

    Much has been made about the way Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 experiments with the RPG form established in Japanese classics like Final Fantasy. You can’t talk about French formal experimentation without mentioning Ballet Mécanique. Released in 1924, the Dadist short is famous for stretching the limits of what a film looked like at a time where the medium’s voice was still being hammered out. It’s a flurry of stream of consciousness imagery and animation that set the stage for what would become a legacy of cinematic rule-breaking. Does Clair Obscur owe a bit of its spirit to it? I’d like to think so.

    Last Year at Marienbad

    Part of Clair Obscur‘s power comes from its visual design, which can often as surreal and unsettling as it is gorgeous. I’ll take that as a good excuse to recommend one of my favorite films of all time, Last Year at Marienbad. Directed by Alain Resnais, the avant-garde drama takes place entirely at a hotel and centers around an affair. It’s a slow, disorienting film designed to mess with your sense of time and place. It’s most iconic shot sees the camera peering out into a garden, where people and shrubs cast inconsistent shadows. Though it certainly isn’t as fantastical as Clair Obscur, it’s similarly haunting in a way that will stick with you even if you don’t fully understand what’s going on.

    Au Hasard Balthazar

    Clair Obscur may be “weird,” but it’s also remarkably tender. It tells a human story about collective grief and a world banding together to overcome it and create a better future for those still to come. There’s something heart wrenching and grounded in all of its over the top design. What’s a great French film that captures that same feeling? Au Hasard Balthazar, another personal favorite of mine. The quiet film follows the life of a donkey as it is passed around between farms and families. It’s a story about an animal, but it’s through his innocent eyes that we get to observe the chaos of human drama around him. It’s the classic that set the stage for films like Flow to tug on audience’s heartstrings, all while rethinking who the star of a film needs to be in order to connect with humans. Balthazar is basically Monoco is what I’m saying.

    Weekend

    You can’t talk about French film history without mentioning Jean-Luc Godard and the New Wave movement. Godard, alongside filmmakers like Agnès Varda and François Truffaut, took pleasure in breaking just about every established rule in cinema in his day, from utilizing rough handheld camera shots to randomly slicing jump cuts into scenes. But the films of the French New Wave movement weren’t entirely counter-culture works; they were incredibly indebted to American films and looked to build on the works that inspired French filmmakers of the era. You can draw a parallel to Clair Obscur there if you’re, oh I don’t know, trying to figure out a good excuse to write about Weekend in a video game article. Weekend is one of Godard’s most challenging and formally inventive films, couching a seething consumerist satire into a series of unforgettable sequences. You’ll never look at a traffic jam the same way again (but be warned that it also contains a grisly animal death that’s tough to stomach).

    Atlantics

    Admittedly, those four films are a tough place to start if you’re entirely new to film like it, so I’ll close this off with more of a transitional film that’s easy to track down. Atlantics is a 2019 drama from director Mati Diop and it’s available to watch via Netflix. It’s both dense and sparse in the same breath, touching on everything from grief to a refugee crisis in a quiet ghost story that has stuck with me ever since I first watched it. More than any film on this list, it’s the one I’d most directly pair with Clair Obscur. It’s not because it’s loud and stylish, but rather because it does such a tremendous job at building a relationship between the human and otherworldly. It’s a spiritual film that uses the ocean as a recurring visual, not too dissimilarly to the way that Clair Obscur has players peering out at the Paintress across a vast ocean. Am I really pushing it here? You bet, but I’m just trying to bring a little culture to the RPG sickos! Sue me!

    The rest of the list

    • The Beaches of Agnès
    • The Beast
    • Beau Travail
    • Black Girl
    • Day for Night
    • Eyes Without a Face
    • Fat Girl
    • Fantasmagorie
    • Forbidden Games
    • Goodbye First Love
    • The Illusionist
    • Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
    • La Bête Humaine
    • La Haine
    • Last Summer
    • Les Misérables (2019)
    • Ma Mère
    • Mon Oncle
    • Murmur of the Heart
    • Petite Maman
    • Rififi
    • Saint Omer
    • Sans Soliel
    • The Seventh Continent
    • Stranger by the Lake
    • Summertime (2015)
    • Tout Va Bien
    • Vagabond
  • Where to find and beat a Burgeon in Clair Obscur Expedition 33

    where to find and beat a burgeon clair obscur expedition 33

    Sandfall Interactive

    One of the first big bosses you can fight in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are the hulking Burgeons. These creatures are as tall as skyscrapers and can be difficult to fight at the start of the game when you’re more under-leveled.

    Difficulty

    Moderate



    Duration

    20 minutes

    During the first few hours of your game, you’ll also likely come across a side quest which asks you to help a small Burgeon become a big one. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to come face-to-face with a Burgeon at some point. Here are some tips on how to beat a Burgeon in Clair Obscur Expedition 33, and where you can find them for the side objective.

    The Small Burgeon in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

    Sandfall Interactive

    Where to find a Burgeon

    If you come across The Small Burgeon location while perusing the overworld, you’ll meet the tiny creature itself. For it to become its normal size, it needs the skin of the same-looking creature, which are the gigantic Burgeons.

    Step 1: Your first run-in with a Burgeon will likely be in the Flying Waters. At some point you’ll make it to a fork in the road that isn’t so obvious. Instead of going left toward the lampposts and buildings, make a right through the tall kelp.

    Arrow pointing to a side path in the Flying Waters in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

    Sandfall Interactive

    Step 2: Head down this path and you’ll find your way to a Burgeon. I fought this Burgeon before I discovered The Small Burgeon quest, so by that point you may have already fought this guy.

    Burgeon in the Flying Waters in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

    Sandfall Interactive

    Step 3: Other than the Flying Waters, you’ll come across numerous Burgeons while traversing the overworld. You can choose to initiate combat with them or pass by them, but if you’re looking for a fight or for Burgeon Skin, you’ll want to start combat with them. Just be careful you’re not initiating a fight with a Burgeon that’s at a much higher level than you are, so just make sure you’re prepared and you go into the fight with the proper Pictos and Luminas.

    How to fight and beat a Burgeon

    The Burgeon is a unique boss due to the fact that it’ll take one of your three party members out of the fight early on. You’ll be stuck with two fighters most of the time, so here’s how to deal with that.

    Step 1: At the start of the fight before the Burgeon’s first turn, make sure to use any crucial moves that may be inaccessible for most of the fight. I say this because on the Burgeon’s turn, it will swallow one of your party members, making them unusable for quite awhile.

    In this case, it may be wise to use these first few turns to buff or debuff the enemy. That way, when someone inevitably gets swallowed, they may have been able to help in the fight in some way. For example, you should take this time to use Gustave’s Powerful skill that applies the Powerful buff to his allies for three turns in case the Burgeon swallows him.

    Burgeon swallowing Lune in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

    Sandfall Interactive

    Step 2: Once your party member is swallowed, you have to figure out how to synergize your party’s moves with only two members. By this, I mean think about how your two characters can help each other. In my first Burgeon encounter, it swallowed Lune, leaving Maelle and Gustave.

    Maelle has the ability to apply Burn with her Spark ability, which can help her get into the Virtuose Stance if she uses Swift Stride after. Gustave can benefit from this with his From Fire move which not only deals damage, but can heal himself if the target Burns. On the flip side, Gustave can use Marking Shot to Mark the target, and Maelle’s Percée move has increased damage to Marked targets.

    Step 3: You should note that the Burgeon is weak to Lightning damage. Gustave has the best Lightning damage moves at this point, but if he’s gone, Lune may have some if you’ve unlocked them in her skill tree. Your best bet is to have Gustave in play, since your goal here is to deal Lightning damage and Break the enemy.

    Once you Break the Burgeon and Stun it, it will cough up the swallowed party member. But first, you must use skills that say “Can Break” on them. For kill two birds with one stone, gain enough charges to use Gustave’s Overcharge ability to its fullest. This move deals high Lightning damage depending on your Charges built up, and it can Break the enemy.

    Using Overcharge on a Burgeon in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

    Sandfall Interactive

    Step 4: The Burgeon has a manageable but annoying move set that can hinder your progress in the fight. One of its moves will spit miasma on you, damaging your party member and inflicting Exhaust on them. This Status Effect prevents your character from gaining AP from any source, which makes it difficult to use any skills that cost a lot of AP.

    Avoid this by dodging the miasma. Once the Burgeon spits out that green miasma, wait one full second before dodging. This is a slow-moving spit that you’ll want to dodge right before it lands on you. In one turn, it can spit out four balls of miasma.

    Another move it has is a 4-hit combo. First, it will perform a slower body slam on you. Then it’ll wind up its arm to then hit you three times with its fist in quick succession. If it’s a 5-hit combo instead, the Burgeon will slam its left hand into you two times slowly, then three time in quick succession with its right hand.

    Burgeon spitting miasma at party in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

    Sandfall Interactive

    Step 5: Once you finally Break the Burgeon and Stun it, it will spit out the swallowed party member. The rest of the fight is a lot easier from this point on, and you should be able to take it out pretty quickly after that. Deal as much damage as you can during the time that the Burgeon is Stunned, since he’ll have to skip his next turn.

    Stunned Burgeon in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.

    Sandfall Interactive

    Once you defeat any Burgeon, one of your rewards is that Burgeon Skin. Give that to the tiny Nevron in The Small Burgeon area, and you’ll receive a reward for your efforts once you wait for it to transform and come back later.

  • Best builds in Clair Obscur Expedition 33

    Throughout your Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 playthrough, you’ll have control over six different party members. Each character has a unique combat style and special skills that you must organize in a certain way to make combat successful.

    With only six skill slots and a bevy of Pictos and Luminas to choose from, finding the right build for your party members can start to feel like a hefty task. If you’re unsure what the best builds are for each character in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, here are our recommendations based on plenty of gameplay experience.

    Best Gustave build

    Gustave in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive

    Best skills

    • Lumiere Assault
    • Overcharge
    • Powerful
    • Marking Shot
    • From Fire
    • Strike Storm

    The ultimate goal with Gustave is to reach maximum power with his Overcharge ability. You can gain charges each turn by dealing damage, dodging, parrying, and even using certain skills that grant Gustave charges. Skills like Lumiere Assault, Powerful, and Strike Storm give Gustave extra charges, which make them good skills to have. Aside from Powerful, which grants 1-3 allies the Powerful buff for three turns, Lumiere Assault and Strike Storm only give you charges with Critical Hits, so make sure Gustave’s Critical Rate score is high.

    It’s best to unlock Gustave’s Marking Shot skill early on, as you’ll want a party member to be able to apply Mark onto an enemy. Many other party members’ skills have benefits with Marked enemies, so even though it only deals low Lightning damage, it’s good to place a Mark on them so the next attack deals extra damage. You’ll also want at least one healing type of skill on most of your characters, so From Fire works best. It deals three medium weapon damage in three hits, and if the target Burns, Gustave heals himself by 20%. This can play off of either Lune’s or Maelle’s Fire damage skills that apply Burn, and it only costs 4 AP to use.

    Then, of course, we have Overcharge, which you should wait to use until Gustave has 10/10 Charges. It can Break an enemy, meaning it will Stun them, and even if the enemy is Resistant to Lightning damage, it’s so powerful that it’ll still deal a decent amount of damage. This build is good for both early to late Act 1 and has a balance of skills that cost low AP and high AP.

    Best Pictos & Luminas

    As Gustave continues to level up and you unlock more and more Pictos, you’ll be swapping them out quite often. The Pictos that will most often benefit Gustave are the ones that boost his Critical Rate, Defense, and Health. Making Gustave more of a tank can help him stay up in the fight to continue gaining Charges for his Overcharge ability. Also, since many of his skills apply more Charges with Critical Hits, you’ll want his Critical Rate higher than most party members.

    As for Luminas, you’ll want to think of activating ones that can help that Overcharge ability shine. Here are some Lumina options you should look out for:

    • Breaker: 25% increased Break damage
    • Dodger: Gain 1 AP on Perfect Dodge. Once per turn
    • Marking Shots: 20% chance to apply Mark on Free Aim shot
    • First Strike: Play first
    • Attack Lifesteal: Recover 15% Health on Base Attack
    • Critical Moment: 50% increased Critical Chance if Health is below 30%

    Best Lune build

    Lune in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive

    Best skills

    • Immolation
    • Mayhem
    • Healing Light/Rebirth
    • Thermal Transfer
    • Elemental Trick
    • Rockslide

    Lune is your best party member for dealing elemental damage to the enemy, especially if it’s Fire, Ice, and Earth damage. Even in mid-game fights, I’ve continued to use Immolation since it applies three Burn to the enemy and can apply two more if the target is marked. You can later replace this with Wildfire, which essentially does the same thing but more damage to all enemies. Then there’s Thermal Transfer, which works well with her Fire skills since she deals low Ice damage but gains 4 AP if the target is Burning. As for Earth skills, Rockslide is affordable on AP and has the opportunity to Break the enemy.

    I use Lune to either heal or revive my party members without Healing/Revive Tints, so I swap between Healing Light to heal and dispel Status Effects and Rebirth, which can revive and heal. Your choice of skill depends on whether you’re going into a fight where you know your party is at risk of death. Elemental Trick is good for figuring out an enemy’s weakness since it deals Ice, Fire, Lightning, and Earth damage, but only if the enemy is weak to any of those four.

    Mayhem is Lune’s best skill that only costs 3 AP. It consumes all of her Stains to deal high elemental damage, and if she consumes all four Stains, it can break the enemy. It’s a super powerful skill that you should unlock early on, and it’ll come in clutch during all boss fights.

    Best Pictos & Luminas

    If you’re using Lune as a healer, you want to choose Pictos that give her high Health or Defense so she can stay alive enough turns to support her party. I’d also recommend you give her a Speed bonus, as it wouldn’t hurt to play more times during combat.

    Here are the best Luminas you can give Lune:

    • Auto Shell: Apply Shell for 3 turns on battle start
    • Burning Shots: 20% chance to Burn on Free Aim shot
    • Critical Burn: 25% increased Critical Chance on Burning enemies.
    • Dodger: Gain 1 AP on Perfect Dodge. Once per turn
    • Energising Start: +1 AP on battle start
    • Staggering Attack: 50% increased Break damage on Base Attack

    Best Maelle build

    Maelle in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive
    • Offensive Switch/Fencer’s Flurry
    • Percée
    • Spark/Rain of Fire
    • Swift Stride
    • Breaking Rules
    • Fleuret Fury

    When playing as Maelle, you’ll start to play in a certain order of operations to end up dealing the most damage. Start by using a move that puts her in the Offensive Stance, like Offensive Switch or Fencer’s Flurry. The former only costs 1 AP, so it’s a much cheaper option, but later on you can switch it for the latter. These two moves also debuff the enemy with Defenceless. If Lune has already applied Burn to an enemy, you can use Swift Stride to deal damage and switch to her Virtuose Stance for 200% damage, but only if the target Burns. If no one is burning, you can instead use Spark or Rain of Fire to apply Burn.

    Once you’re in the Virtuose Stance, there are two good options. Percée deals medium Physical damage to one enemy and costs 5 AP, but in this stance, it only costs 2 AP. Or, you can use Fleuret Fury to deal three high Physical damage hits and stay in the Virtuose Stance for another turn.

    I highly recommend having Breaking Rules as well, especially during one section of Act 1 where a certain enemy will add multiple Shields to itself. This not only deals two hits of low Physical damage, but it destroys all of the target’s Shields. Maelle also gains 1 AP per Shield destroyed. On top of that, if the target is Defenceless, she plays a second turn.

    Best Pictos & Luminas

    When Maelle is in the Offensive Stance, she’s more vulnerable to attacks, so giving her Pictos with high Defense is a smart move. In the same vein, it’s smart to give her some extra health so she doesn’t go down right as you get her into the Virtuose Stance.

    As for Luminas, here are some great options to choose from:

    • Combo Attack: Base Attack has 1 extra hit
    • Critical Burn: 25% increased Critical Chance on Burning enemies.
    • SOS Shell: Apply Shell when falling below 50% Health
    • Dodger: Gain 1 AP on Perfect Dodge. Once per turn
    • Dead Energy: +3 AP on killing an enemy
    • Exposing Attack: Base Attack applies Defenceless for 1 turn

    Best Sciel build

    Sciel in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive
    • Sealed Fate
    • Focused Foretell
    • Marking Card
    • Rush
    • Harvest
    • Plentiful Harvest

    Sciel’s combat is all about applying and consuming Foretell while also getting in her Twilight Mode for the most damage. This means you need a balance of Sun and Moon skills, as well as skills that both apply and consume. Focused Foretell and Marking Card are your two best Sun skills for applying Foretell. While the former normally applies two but applies three additional Foretell if the target starts with none, the latter deals Dark damage, applies three Foretell, and Marks the target.

    To get into Twilight Mode, you can then use Moon skills like Sealed Fate. This deals high damage in five to seven hits, and each hit consumes one Foretell to deal 200% more damage. On top of that, Critical Hits don’t remove the Foretell. The fact that this move costs 4 AP is a steal. Harvest is good for dealing medium damage while also consuming Foretell to heal Sciel.

    Plentiful Harvest comes in handy when your other party members are lacking in AP, since it consumes Foretell when attacking the target and gives AP to your party members. Finally, Rush is a good buff move that increases the speed of your party. This means you’ll be able to take more turns.

    Best Pictos & Luminas

    Giving Sciel Pictos with Critical Rate boosts works well with Sealed Fate since it increases the chances of Foretell not being consumed. It’s also good for her to have speed boosts, which make her even faster when she applies Rush on the party.

    These are the Luminas I recommend you give to Sciel:

    • Enfeebling Mark: Marked targets deal 30% less damage
    • Critical Moment: 50% increased Critical Chance if Health is below 30%
    • Dead Energy: +3 AP on killing an enemy
    • Dodger: Gain 1 AP on Perfect Dodge. Once per turn
    • Roulette: Every hit has a 50% chance to deal either 50% or 200% of its damage
    • Sweet Kill: Recover 50% Health on killing an enemy

    Best Verso build

    Verso in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive
    • Quick Strike
    • Paradigm Shift
    • Marking Shot
    • Assault Zero
    • Perfect Break
    • Powerful

    Verso’s build relies on you upgrading his rank from D to S while, along the way, using skills that take advantage of each rank. You’ll start on rank D, so use Quick Strike to deal low Physical damage. Although it doesn’t hit hard, being on D tier means it gives you more Perfection. And with more Perfection comes rank climbing. Once you’re at rank C, you can either use Paradigm Shift or Marking Shot. The former deals low Physical damage but gives one to 3 AP back, granting an extra AP on C rank. The latter deals low weapon damage but applies Mark, and increases the damage on C rank.

    Once you make it to B rank, you can start to deal more damage. Assault Zero hits five times and deals more damage on rank B, while Critical Hits generate additional Perfection. Then there’s Perfect Break, which deals very high Light damage and can Break the enemy. If they break, you surge up to rank S, and at B rank, it costs 5 AP instead of 7. Verso can also boost his teammates with Powerful, which applies the Powerful buff to one to three allies. On rank A, its duration increases to five instead of three turns, but three turns is still long enough.

    Best Pictos & Luminas

    Since Verso needs Critical Hits to generate more Perfection with one of his skills, pick Pictos with Critical Rate boosts. Otherwise, picking Health and Defense boosts is a good idea too.

    Here are some of the Luminas you should apply for Verso:

    • Breaker: 25% increased Break damage
    • Confident: Take 50% less damage, but can’t be Healed
    • Critical Moment: 50% increased Critical Chance if Health is below 30%
    • Dodger: Gain 1 AP on Perfect Dodge. Once per turn
    • Energising Start: +1 AP on battle start
    • Enfeebling Mark: Marked targets deal 30% less damage

    Best Monoco build

    Monoco in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive
    • Chalier Combo
    • Hexga Crush
    • Pèlerin Heal
    • Ramasseur Bonk
    • Cultist Blood
    • Cultist Slashes

    You get Monoco much later in the game compared to the other party members, and his skills work differently since you get new skills whenever you collect a foot from a new enemy type. With this in mind, there are a lot of options for Monoco’s build, so it’s hard to go wrong with it. Chalier Combo is my only Balanced Mask (Red) move here, and it costs the most AP, but once you get enough, you can deal high Physical damage in six hits. There are two Heavy Mask (Green) skills in this build, which are Hexga Crush and Cultist Blood. The former deals medium Earth damage in two hits, and it applies the debuff Defenceless. The latter is used in tandem with another skill on this list, and it sacrifices 90% of Monoco’s health to increase damage to all enemies.

    After using Cultist Blood, use Cultist Slashes, which is an Agile Mask (Purple) move that deals more damage the less health Monoco has. With barely any health left, he’ll be able to dish out incredible Dark damage. Another Agile Mask move here is Ramasseur Bonk, which deals the weakest damage, but if you’re on that Mask, you can fill 20% of the target’s Break bar to Stun them. Finally, my only Caster Mask (Blue) skill here is Pèlerin Heal, which applies Regen to all allies. If it’s on that Mask, it also Heals allies by 40%. These skills give Monoco a balance of offensive and defensive capabilities.

    Best Pictos & Luminas

    Since Monoco sacrifices Health for damage with some of his skills, give him a boost of Health and Defense on his Pictos. This way, he has a better chance of staying alive at such low health.

    These are the Luminas you should consider giving to Monoco:

    • Breaker: 25% increased Break damage
    • Dodger: Gain 1 AP on Perfect Dodge. Once per turn
    • Critical Moment: 50% increased Critical Chance if Health is below 30%
    • At Death’s Door: Deal 50% more damage if Health is below 10%
    • Dead Energy: +3 AP on killing an enemy
    • SOS Power: Apply Powerful when falling below 50% Health
  • Clair Obscur Expedition 33: Pictos and Luminas, explained

    In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, there are a lot of terms and mechanics that may be confusing at first. Even after reading some tutorials, you can easily miss certain features or misunderstand how they work. Take Pictos and Luminas, for example.

    Pictos and Luminas help upgrade your party members’ stats and passive abilities. But what’s the difference between them, and how do they work? If you’re unsure what to make of Pictos and Luminas in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, here’s everything you need to know.

    What are Pictos in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

    Each character in your party can equip up to three Pictos at a time. You’ll start to quickly grow your large collection of Pictos throughout the game, and the farther you get the higher their levels will be. With higher leveled Pictos comes better stats, since each Pictos gives you one or two stat boosts alongside one passive trait.

    Sciel Pictos menu in Clair Obscur Expedition 33
    Sandfall Interactive

    Take the level seven Pictos Energising Pain that my Lune has equipped in the image above. It gives her a decent 308 Health and 34 Defense, and its ability allows her to gain one AP (action point) each time she’s hit instead of any time she parries. This type of Pictos is great for someone who needs a boost of HP and also gets targeted by enemies a lot. It’s best to have a range of different stat boosts throughout your Pictos. It wouldn’t be great if every single one of Lune’s Pictos gave a Speed boost while neglecting others.

    You’ll also notice that some Pictos will be greyed out, while others may have a colorful icon. Once you complete a successful battle with a Pictos equipped, it levels up and becomes available for all other characters to use as Luminas.

    What are Luminas in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

    At the start of your playthrough of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, you’ll have a finite amount of Luminas. They allow you to take the passive effects of a Pictos without having to equip it. This doesn’t carry over the stat boosts, just the passive ability. Each Lumina requires a range of Lumina points to activate on each character, which can range from one point to even 20 points.

    Gustave Luminas menu in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive

    To make a Pictos available as a Lumina for your party, just complete a battle successfully with one equipped. You can then go to your Lumina menu by pressing L3 (C key on PC) while editing your Pictos. If your party member already has that Pictos equipped, its Lumina is activated. But once you start to unlock more Lumina points, you’ll have much more room to activate other party members’ Luminas and even ones from old Pictos you don’t use anymore.

    Let’s say Gustave here had 30 total Lumina points. I could take a few Luminas that cost a lot of points, or I could go for a lot of low-cost Luminas. I recommend having a balance of both and only activating Luminas that make sense with that character’s combat build.

    Activating Critical Burn for Gustave wouldn’t make much sense since he doesn’t really have skills that deal Fire damage with the chance to Burn. But Lune or Maelle, on the other hand, have those types of skills, so increasing their chance of hitting a critical when burning an enemy makes sense. You’ll be constantly changing each character’s activated Luminas as you change around their Pictos and unlock new ones.

    Curator menu in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive

    If you’re running low on Lumina points, you can eventually give new ones to your party by talking to the Curator. Sometime during Act 1, you’ll get someone in your camp who can allow you to use Colors of Lumina on your party. This is an item you’ll find around the world as you explore and sometimes as a battle reward. Your characters also gain one Lumina point each time they level up, so eventually, they’ll be able to activate a lot at one time.

  • Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 review: A challenging game for challenging times

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

    MSRP $50.00

    4/5

    ★★★★☆

    Score Details

    “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a stunning, ambitious first outing for Sandfall Interactive.”

    ✅ Pros

    • Tells an emotional, relatable story
    • Shocking narrative twists
    • RPG gameplay is a great genre homage
    • Stunning art direction
    • Amazing performances

    ❌ Cons

    • Constantly shifts narrative’s themes
    • Presentation clashes with parrying focus
    • Easy to get lost in levels

    Buy at Amazon

    When it begins, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an RPG about younger adults fighting to give themselves a future in a world controlled by forces that seem hellbent on taking it from them. It’s sad how relevant that feels right now.

    Every day, wake up and uncover some piece of news that threatens to destroy me and the people I love. Politicians are decimating social programs, a world that once embraced globalization is splitting itself apart again, and an older generation seems dedicated to determining the future of those who come after for as long as they can. It can sometimes be hard to find hope within that, but Expedition 33 raises an important point: We can find solace in working with like-minded people to do whatever we can to help fight back against those overwhelming forces. While an individual might not accomplish that much alone, we continue.

    In the moments where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 embraces that theme narratively and mechanically, it’s one of the best games of the year. For a first outing for developer Sandfall Interactive, it’s an astoundingly ambitious and impressive RPG that many fans of the genre will adore. That ambition does come with some warts, but most of the risks Expedition 33 takes pay off and reinforce the theme that working together is necessary to create change and make a name for yourself.

    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Release Date Trailer | Developer_Direct 2025

    We continue

    In the world of Expedition 33, a being called The Paintress paints a new number in the sky every year. Everyone older than the number in the sky disappears in an event called the Gommage. Expeditions of people set off to “The Continent” every year to try and stop the Paintress, but none have been successful. The story begins on a sad note as we follow a scientist named Gustave, who watches the love of his life disappear before his eyes. He, along with his adopted ward Maelle and some of his friends, sets off to The Continent as part of the titular expedition.

    You spend the first hour or so of the game getting familiar with all the different members of the Expedition, which makes it all the more shocking when Expedition 33 is attacked by an old man as soon as they make landfall on the continent. Gustave survives and considers taking his own life, but is found by Lune, one of his friends, before he can do that, and is encouraged to find Maelle and continue. It’s one of the most emotional and captivating starts to any game I’ve played in recent memory, and it sets the stage for a relatable, yet fantastical adventure.

    While there’s a lot I can’t talk about because it treads into spoiler territory, each party member features a lot of hidden depth, and there are plot twists that can give games like Final Fantasy VII a run for their money. Expedition 33 joins a pantheon of games like The Last of Us Part II, Nier, and Final Fantasy VII Remake that aren’t afraid to narratively and thematically challenge players. All of this is backed up by outstanding performances from the likes of Daredevil: Born Again’s Charlie Cox, Final Fantasy XVI’s Ben Starr, and Baldur’s Gate 3’s Jennifer English.

    Gustave in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive

    That willingness to challenge the player will make some aspects of its narrative divisive, though, and I found the story more poignant in the first half than in the second. Thematically, Expedition 33 shifts with each act break for better and worse. I loved the story when it was focused on finding the will to live, fighting back, and continuing on in the first act. Eventually, it shifts to become more about how we process grief, whether that be through action or art.

    While all of those concepts are thought-provoking, the latter hours of the story had me yearning for the more impactful emotions I felt in that first hour. Still, I appreciate that Expedition 33 is not afraid to challenge me as a player, throw me into a special universe with shocking lore, and deliver an unpredictable story that I could still relate to. While I might not click with every choice made, Expedition 33 is certainly a thought-provoking game I will not forget anytime soon.

    An RPG homage

    Expedition 33 is quite original from a storytelling standpoint, but its gameplay is an obvious tribute to Japanese-developed RPGs. It features turn-based battle, a world map, lots of ability and skill depth, and all of the other features you’d find in a Final Fantasy, Persona, or similar RPGs. It’s entertaining to see all these design philosophies reinterpreted by a European studio making its first game, resulting in an impressive gameplay loop — albeit with room for improvement.

    If you’ve played a turn-based RPG before, you’ll understand the basics at the core of Expedition 33’s combat. You fight enemies to build up AP, which can be used on abilities that eventually allow you to deal massive damage and win the fight. Each party member has a vast skill tree, allowing players to shape their playstyles. Where the game gets more interesting is in everything it layers on top of that.

    A fight with Monoco in Expedition 33.
    Kepler Interactive

    Sandfall Interactive did a great job of making each party member feel distinct. For example, Maelle switches between three different stances — Offensive, Defensive, and Virtuose — depending on the ability players use. Each comes with its advantages and disadvantages, so using Maelle requires mastering stance switching and knowing when to use each skill effectively. Meanwhile, mage character Lune builds up “Stains” with each of her abilities, and those are used to enhance her abilities further. Like all the best party-driven RPGs, the way you think about playing changes depending on which character you are controlling.

    While battles are turn-based, Expedition 33 does require real-time attention during combat. Each attack requires the completion of a quick time event to maximize its effect, while all enemy attacks can be parried or dodged. Parrying is the main way to build up AP, so it’s critically important to master this if you want to successfully play Expedition 33, even on its easiest mode. This can get tiring as the fights get longer in the late game, so if you struggle to learn timing in video games, know that parrying is a major component of success. It would go a long way towards accessibility if Sandfall could add the ability to adjust parry and dodge window timings in a future update.

    There’s even more gameplay systems to consider, like the Lumina system. Players can equip three Lumina on each party member at any time to grant that character specific buffs. These range from gaining AP when dodging to outright reviving the first time the player dies. After completing four battles with that character, the Lumina is “mastered” and all characters can equip that buff if they have enough points to spend on it. This is where the extreme character build depth of Expedition 33 comes in, although the menu for it is quite daunting.

    Sciel Luminas menu in Clair Obscur Expedition 33
    Sandfall Interactive

    The Japanese RPG inspiration can also be seen outside of battle. There’s a world map that players explore, and it’s surprisingly big and full of hidden bosses, items, and Lumina to discover. At any time on the world map, players can enter camp and speak to their fellow party members. These conversations unlock special abilities for each character and also add a ton of depth and context to the backgrounds of party members like Sciel and Monoco. Individual levels are somewhat linear, but succeed at offering worthwhile environmental storytelling as it’s possible to come across audio logs from previous explorers and checkpoints are all at flags laid down by those expeditions. This outside-of-battle presentation is reminiscent of PS2-era Final Fantasy, in a good way.

    Expedition 33 is a true homage to RPG history, made for people who love the genre. In a time where modern RPGs like Final Fantasy XVI seem like they are borrowing a ton from western games in an attempt to stay relevant, it’s nice to see Expedition 33 go the other way as a western game paying tribute to Japanese greats.

    The consequences of ambition

    Another area where Expedition 33 draws inspiration from Japanese-developed games is in its presentation style. The UI is flashy, and attacks are all framed in cinematic camera angles, similar to Persona 5. Generally, Expedition 33 is a gorgeous, colorful game with character designs that are equal parts outlandish and lovable. In a year already full of games with great art direction, like Avowed and South of Midnight, Expedition 33 still stands as one of the best-looking. It also features an amazing soundtrack that I’ll be adding to my Spotify rotation as soon as it’s available publicly.

    Unfortunately, the emphasis on style can sometimes hurt the substance. In particular, some cinematic camera angles and overly intricate enemy animations make parrying quite difficult. It was always hard for me to nail the timing of a parry when I was facing a new enemy for the first time, and the camera was pulled back far away from the action that was actually going on.

    It’s in moments like that where this young team’s ambitions for this vast RPG, and Expedition 33 being a mid-budget game, come into play. For example, the lack of maps for explorable areas makes it easy to get lost, especially in some of the larger, more visually dense spots. Each new enemy is experimental and challenges previous enemy designs, while the story constantly shifts to explore a new theme or idea.

    Sandfall Interactive was not afraid to constantly try new things throughout Expedition 33’s entire adventure. That approach creates some problems, but it’s also the game’s biggest strength. From presentation to gameplay to narrative, Expedition 33 is constantly punching above its weight. It takes well-trodden RPG ideas forged by Japanese developers, but isn’t afraid to put its own spin on those mechanics and their presentation to create something special.

    Maelle fighting an enemy in Clair Obscur Expedition 33.
    Sandfall Interactive

    And narratively, Expedition 33 presents a story that feels relevant to our current time, even if it’s entrenched in a fantastical world of painters, lumina, and wacky creatures like the living, blimp-like airship Esquie. While playing Expedition 33 reminded me of all the issues plaguing our modern world, it’s also inspiring. Just as this game picks up the torch left behind by classic RPGs to forge a new path forward for the genre, I’m inspired not to feel put down by all the forces that seem to be conspiring against our generation.

    Great art inspires, and a playthrough of Expedition 33 made me want to continue and fight on.

    Digital Trends reviewed Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on PS5 with code provided by the publisher.