Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review – A Masterpiece in Motion

by Jim Smale · Published May 12, 2025 · Updated May 12, 2025

Step into the mesmerizing world of our Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, where light and shadow dance in a Belle Époque-inspired fantasy. This turn-based RPG blends real-time mechanics with a gripping narrative, offering players an unforgettable journey through artistry and adventure.

Clair Obscur Expedition 33 Review Pros

Gorgeous graphics.
42.3GB Download size.
1000 Gamerscore.
On Xbox Game Pass and is available on the Game Pass Cloud streaming service.
Graphics settings – motion blur, film grain, chromatic aberration, vignette, gamma, contrast, and brightness.
Camera settings – Invert axis and sensitivity sliders.
Controller settings – sprint input and aim input set to either toggle or hold, and vibration.
Accessibility options – camera shake, camera movement, automatic QTE, Colourblind support, and set if you want a persistent centre dot.
Action-adventure RPG gameplay.
Tutorial pop-ups as you play, but you can turn them off.
Expedition basics is a log of all what would be tutorials and explanations of mechanics.
A full 3D game world, and you have full 360-degree camera control with a handy recentre camera button.
Expedition flags in the game let you heal, recharge items, and do your level-ups.
Earn EXP and level up to get 1 skill point and 3 attribute points.
When out of combat, you are free to explore and do what you want. Click the left stick to instantly change character at any time.
The story is one that didn’t initially grab me, but the visuals later on had me clambering for more.
Five attributes you can upgrade: vitality, might, agility, defense, and luck.
Each party member has their own skill trees, earns their own exp, and you level them up individually.
You see enemies in the world and can sneak up and get a first strike bonus.
Turn-based combat, but this is where the game shines! Use action points to cast magic, use weapons, and even fire your gun using free aim. The whole encounter is a beauty as the visuals and animations bring home a unique experience.
Enemies can show weak spots for huge damage.
Clear, easy-to-follow button prompts for combat and the menus.
When an enemy attacks, you can time dodges or parries; again, they look spectacular.
Slow-motion kill shots add to the game’s style.
In combat, you can freely aim and attack any enemies, with no lock-on or cumbersome change settings.
Full party management for gear and healing.
You can explore and find items in the world and secret areas.
End of battle breakdown showing damage and loot.
Assign abilities to each character, with them having up to six in one go.
The element type attacks are her, so fire can burn them, ice can slow them, etc.
Unlock and use fast travel points with the expedition flags.
Excellent voice work. I like how the story is integrated into the world, and the voice adds a lot.
When you dodge and parry, you get a satisfying perfect pop-up if you are lucky; otherwise, it will just say parry or dodge.
In-game cutscenes and a lot of the character interactions happen as you are playing.
You can, of course, skip cutscenes.
Massive, impressive-looking enemies.
Seemless integration of cutscenes.
Find collectible book pages.
Multiple-choice encounters with characters within the game world.
Acquire new weapons, each with unique stats and buffs attached to them.
It’s a game where time melts away.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review Cons

On the Xbox Series S, the game does chug quite a bit, slowdown makes movement look sluggish, and the whole game is not as clear and clean as the X version, and indeed, the cloud streaming version.
You cannot remap the controls.
The music is very fairytale-like like and for me personally, I just didn’t like it.
Learning of the parries and dodges takes some getting used t,o and il be honest, I’m still bad at it now.
More a personal frustration, but I hate how hard it can be to predict an enemy’s tell for dodging their attacks.
The game ended.