Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG with timed hits developed by Sandfall Interactive, the ambitious debut game for a small studio. It is available for PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series S/X; supposedly, with some tinkering, it can run well on a Steam Deck, although it is officially unsupported.
Inspired by the narratively rich Japanese RPGs of the 1990s and 2000s, it tells the story of a group of warriors who set out to save the world from a mysterious malign entity that is slowly exterminating humanity by killing everyone above a certain, gradually decreasing age. Its highly emotional presentation, with forays into quirky comedy to relieve the overwhelming sense of sorrow and desperation (try to find the mime in the tutorial), is, to me, proof positive that this was made by people who have been powerfully moved by sincere and melodramatic game writing in the past.
The battle system, which is stylish and snappy, will feel familiar to anyone with experience in the genre, but I must call special attention to the timed hits system, which is its most distinctive attribute, which some might find a deal-breaker. All enemy attacks can be dodged, completely negating damage, and the game absolutely expects you to be landing the dodges a lot. With even more precise timing, you can perform a parry, not only avoiding damage but creating a chance to perform a powerful counterattack. Aside from that, it seems like there's a lot of flexibility in character building, and I've heard rumors that there's a world map eventually.
The reported game length is about 40 hours, which is the sweet spot for a linear RPG.
This is not a AAA game. With just 30 employees, Sandfall set out to demonstrate that with modern technology and a strong creative vision, a small experienced team can make something striking and gorgeous on a modest budget. So what if there's reused assets or the occasional janky animation? It doesn't look indie, but this is indie.
I'm about two hours in, still getting tutorials for basic game systems, but I've got a great feeling about this one.
Inspired by the narratively rich Japanese RPGs of the 1990s and 2000s, it tells the story of a group of warriors who set out to save the world from a mysterious malign entity that is slowly exterminating humanity by killing everyone above a certain, gradually decreasing age. Its highly emotional presentation, with forays into quirky comedy to relieve the overwhelming sense of sorrow and desperation (try to find the mime in the tutorial), is, to me, proof positive that this was made by people who have been powerfully moved by sincere and melodramatic game writing in the past.
The battle system, which is stylish and snappy, will feel familiar to anyone with experience in the genre, but I must call special attention to the timed hits system, which is its most distinctive attribute, which some might find a deal-breaker. All enemy attacks can be dodged, completely negating damage, and the game absolutely expects you to be landing the dodges a lot. With even more precise timing, you can perform a parry, not only avoiding damage but creating a chance to perform a powerful counterattack. Aside from that, it seems like there's a lot of flexibility in character building, and I've heard rumors that there's a world map eventually.
The reported game length is about 40 hours, which is the sweet spot for a linear RPG.
This is not a AAA game. With just 30 employees, Sandfall set out to demonstrate that with modern technology and a strong creative vision, a small experienced team can make something striking and gorgeous on a modest budget. So what if there's reused assets or the occasional janky animation? It doesn't look indie, but this is indie.
I'm about two hours in, still getting tutorials for basic game systems, but I've got a great feeling about this one.
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