Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

My Thoughts (Spoilers)

• Visuals are stunning, though the protagonist’s girlfriend looks oddly unattractive.
• Game isn’t perfectly polished but overall well done.
• Combat system is very satisfying; parrying is tricky at first.
• Grinding works effectively, making the game easier—rare in modern RPGs.
• Story is sad, with strong cosmic horror elements.
• François, Esquie, and the gestrals provide fun comic relief.
• Feels like a love letter to old-school JRPGs:
  • Lots of endgame exploration.
  • Freedom to become overpowered.
• Atmosphere, character design, enemy design, and scenery are excellent, similar to Souls games.
• Weak point: the “everything is just a painting” twist reduces the world’s emotional weight.

Plot Summary (Spoilers)

• Each year the Paintress erases people of a chosen age (the Gommage).
• Gustave joins Expedition 33 after losing his lover Sophie. Companions: Maelle, Lune, Sciel, Verso, Monoco.
• They fight Renoir (Verso’s father) and the Paintress, revealed as Aline, Verso’s mother.
• Killing her ends the countdown; truth revealed: the world is a painted Canvas born of family tragedy.
• Maelle is really Alicia Dessendre, Aline’s daughter; Verso is her painted brother.
• Final choice:
  • Alicia ending: stay in the Canvas.
  • Verso ending: destroy the Canvas.