As one of the more surprising offerings from the Xbox directs lately, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been wowing gamers with its stylish presentation and flashy take on classic turn-based RPG mechanics, but the greater details of the world and its characters have been, perhaps aptly, obscured from our understanding.
Until now, at least.
Today’s Xbox Developer Direct presentation featured an extended showcase of both Clair Obscur and its development team, Sandfall Interactive, based in Montpellier, France. In the feature, the team delved deeper into the story of Clair Obscur: in this Belle Époque-inspired French fantasy setting, a being known as the Paintress wakes once every year and paints a number upon a giant monolith. Everyone in the world who is past the age marked on the monolith is erased. Every year, the number ticks down, taking more people with it. Every year, expeditions are undertaken to kill the Paintress and save the world, but none return successful. This is Expedition 33.
Also featured in the presentation are two previously-unrevealed characters: Monoco the Gestral (voiced by Rich Keeble) and Esquie the… whatever it is (voiced by Maxence Cazorla). Monoco is a fully playable character with a unique mechanic that allows him to transform into previously encountered enemies, and sports a personality that is equal parts friendly and bloodthirsty. Esquie, an altogether more unusual character, appears to serve as the party’s mode of transportation around the world map.
That very world map was also newly revealed in this presentation, doubtless a welcome feature for fans of the turn-based RPG genre, which has had a sore lack of games featuring the concept in the prior years. Not content to simply show off a map, however, Sandfall Interactive has also unveiled a plethora of attacks, passive abilities, and customization options to ensure that every player is capable of creating a unique team of combatants for their own journey to defeat the Paintress. They’ll need it, too, for the world map will house not only the level-based environments that progress the story forward, but also a host of unique caves and optional challenges that players will have to explore to discover on their own.
Perhaps most importantly, this presentation also unveiled the game’s release date: April 24, 2025. That means it’s only a scant few months until we’re all able to explore this twisted version of France and unravel the mysteries of the Monolith!
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be available on Playstation 5, Xbox Series X|S (with day one access on Xbox Game Pass), and PC via Steam. Digital pre-orders for the game are now available as well! Visit Expedition33.com/WhereToBuy for more info on pre-orders as well as the PS5-exclusive Collector’s Edition!
Finally, check out the new trailer for Clair Obscur, simultaneously released with the presentation, on YouTube or simply clicking play right here:
