It would have been hard to ignore Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has taken the media by storm since its release. To tell you the truth, personally, I find it exceptional. Indeed, it shows that you can make a great game with a smaller-sized team. It also stands out for its deep story, constantly balancing sadness and humor, together with its endearing characters. Finally, the beauty of this world and the atmosphere it creates are breathtaking.

Type	Turn-Based Role-Play-Game (RPG)
Publisher	Kepler Interactive
Developer	Sandfall Interactive
Release Date	April 24, 2025
Age Rating	16 years and over

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is Sandfall Interactive’s first game. What a first game! The whole press is singing its praises, with a score of 92 on Metacritic, and more than one name in the video game industry has mentioned it as a “game to remember.”

On the story side, you’ll discover a world where a semi-divine creature, the Paintress, first appeared 67 years before. Each year, she inscribes a number on a huge monolith, counting down every year from 100. When she erases a number, everyone who’s that age disappears, in the great Gommage (“The Erasing”), as the inhabitants of Lumiere City call it. This city is what remains of the ruins of Paris, blasted apart during the Fracture. It’s protected from creatures called the Nevrons, which are the Paintress’ creatures, by a dome.

To put an end to the Gommage, Lumiere City regularly sends out expeditions, usually made up of those destined to disappear during the next Gommage. If they’re going to disappear anyway, they might as well try to end this deadly cycle. The story follows Gustave, leader of Expedition 33, who leaves just after losing his beloved during the last Gommage. He’s accompanied by a 15-year-old dualist who has lost her parents. She follows Gustave, who’s like a brother to her, or even a father since he has taken her under his wing. The rest of the expedition is made up of other 33-year-olds, including Lune, versed in Chroma magic, and Sciel, who uses a kind of magical fortune-telling.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a dynamic turn-based role-play game. What does that mean? Well, the game most often compared to it is the Persona video game series. Most of the game takes place in fairly enclosed areas, which some would call corridors. You advance together as a group with a character of your choosing. Sometimes you’ll need to use grappling hooks to cross a precipice. In that case, the X key, or square on PS, will then pop up to assist you. Sometimes you’ll discover hidden passages where you can find resources and gear. While passages are often well-hidden, objects are indicated by a beam of colored particles, for example, white for chroma, which serves as the game’s currency, purple for upgrades, and so on.

You can access character equipment upgrades anytime from the main map or when you come across an expedition flag in exploration zones. It’s also possible to rest to charge up your health and resources, such as Healing Tints, AP potions and Revive Tints, which are limited in number.

You’ll come across enemies regularly, and then enter combat mode. After that, the three members you’ve selected as the main members of your group will appear in front of groups of up to three enemies. Every group member then acts according to an order displayed on the left, which you can adjust at will. Every enemy has its own health bar, and sometimes protects itself with shields that cancel out an attack, no matter how powerful it is. Of course, you’ll need to defeat every enemy before you can exit combat and be on your way.

Fights are very special, and each character has its own manner of fighting. Broadly speaking, you’ll need to generate action points (AP) by making default attacks and shots. You’ll then spend them on powerful skills. When you activate a skill, the game begins a cutscene, or QTE (Quick-Time Event), where you have to strike at one or two exact moments to get a critical hit.

Some skills will generate a resource or state for a certain character, whereas other characters will consume them. For example, Lune generates fire, lightning, earth and ice stains which enhance her skills. Maelle’s skills put her in a defensive, offensive or virtuoso stance which also improves her skills. You’ll need to perfectly associate AP gains with resources to be the most efficient possible. This can be very strategic because you’ll unlock many skills as you level up with every battle. However, you can only choose six skills for each battle.

To add an extra layer of complexity, you’ll unlock a huge number of Pictos and Luminas. You’ll have three active Pictos which give you stat bonuses and a passive ability. Since you’re limited to only three, you can also choose a select number of Luminas. These are weaker versions of Pictos, since you only have the skill but not the stat bonus associated with it.

So, there’s a large variety of possible teams, skills, Pictos and Luminas. That’s what creates the role-playing aspect of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. If you master it well, you’ll be very powerful.

However, enemies are not to be underestimated. Each enemy has a whole series of attacks that launch randomly when it’s their turn. A single attack can include several melee or ranged strikes, or alternate between the two. Each strike is delivered more or less rapidly, and these can be regular attacks or special attacks called “gradients.” You can either block every blow by dodging with the “B” or “circle” key, or parry using RB or R1. However, an enemy strike must be blocked at exactly the right moment. That’s mandatory for parrying. If you dodge at just the right moment during an enemy strike, it’s called “perfect,” but you also have a small margin of error for a simple dodge. If you miss it, you’ll take damage, though.

As you can see, with turn-based mechanics, the “defense turn” in fights is going to be very demanding. For those of us with a particular interest in accessibility, you can see that this will spell trouble if it isn’t compensated. Let’s tell you all about it!

What if I have a physical disability? 5 / 10

The suspense isn’t going to last very long, because the developers didn’t create much compensation for gameplay difficulties related to accessibility. It starts right from the moment you take up the game. In fact, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t feature key remapping, at least not for console. On PCs, keys can be remapped.

In fights, you’ll use the four face buttons for skill selection, directional arrows for enemy selection, the left trigger and right joystick for aiming, the right trigger for gradient attacks, and RB for parries. You’ll use the “B” or “round” button for dodging.

While exploring, use the “X” or “square” button for interactions, such as picking up objects, talking or using grapples. The “Y” or “triangle” button is used for status and chroma potions. RB or R1 is used to initiate fights when approaching enemies. You’ll need joysticks to control the camera and movement. Triggers are for aiming, shooting and running.

Note that for certain actions, such as buying skills, you’ll need to hold down certain keys for two seconds to validate purchases. However, there aren’t any long keyholds during battle. There aren’t any key combinations either, since each key is used as just a single press.

So, even though the number of buttons is limited, it’s impossible to remap them to your liking. There are a few useful aids, however, starting with 20 degrees of sensitivity adjustment for the camera joystick only. Camera axes can also be reversed.

As for muscle fatigue, you can disable vibrations and switch sprinting and aiming to “Toggle”, so that you don’t have to hold down the triggers. Since the game is turn-based, each attack or defense requires no more than four or five movements, and it’s easy to recover between active phases.

However, a big pitfall will be the need for quick reflexes, and this one will certainly be insurmountable for many players. As we mentioned when describing gameplay, the game uses QTEs to gain critical hits. The possibility of deactivating them is one of the game’s only accessibility options. QTEs will be skipped automatically, but you won’t get any critical hits, so you’ll lose a bit of power.

On the other hand, there isn’t any technical assistance for defending. You have to block attacks right at the exact moment of the strike, and that’s very hard. In fact, you have to anticipate strikes which sometimes remain suspended for a few tenths of a second before falling. The only way to deal with this is to identify which attack is going to be used while it’s displayed in an area at the top of the screen. You’ll need to learn all of your opponent’s move sequences. For example, if it says “this enemy attacks three times”, you know it’s going to use a fast attack, a fast attack, and then a slow attack. As you encounter the three or four enemy types in the area, you’ll learn. However, each zone is different. Also, bosses have many more varied moves.

How can you deal with this if you have reflex problems? Unfortunately, the only way to parry is to switch to Story Game Difficulty to take less damage. You’ll survive longer. Be stubborn, too! If you die, you’ll start again just before the fight with your remaining resources. So, you’ll have to repeat the fight until you memorize every enemy attack. Also, identify each enemy’s weaknesses. Some enemies are sensitive to certain elements. Using the right weapon can also help.

So our score is a middling one, especially for consoles where you can’t reassign keys!

What if I’m visually impaired? 3 / 10

Our initial team tests raised questions, and GummyMouton’s feedback confirmed our initial impression.

So, let’s get down to it. Once again, it’s the fight system that’s going to get a lot of players into trouble. When an enemy attacks, it actually involves a sequence of blows that need to be blocked using very precise timing. You need to either parry at the exact moment of the strike, or dodge with about a second’s margin of error.

The only way to know when an attack is coming is to carefully watch the animation. There are sounds, but they’re ambient and not isolated. There aren’t any sound cues or warning flashes, just pure animation. The sequence type is displayed, but only a second before it begins, in writing at the top of the screen in a low-contrast font. This is more distracting than anything else since you have to look at the display at the top of the screen, then focus on the enemy and find the right one when there are several.

In other words, it’s extremely complicated with impaired vision. All the more so since some enemies hide invisible weapons, or whose attacks produce difficult-to-see ground ripples. Airborne enemies can only be hit by shooting at them. You’ll need to aim the joystick at weak points to be effective. In some cases, flying objects are even used to perform area attacks. Once again, there’s little in the way of visual aids, apart from the viewfinder, which is a white plus sign that turns red when it’s on an enemy. There also isn’t any auto-aim available in the settings.

The other fight phases are okay, though. In fact, you’ll have plenty of time to read skills’ descriptions which are explained in inserts over a black background. You’ll have time to select a target with no time limits by using the keys for melee combat. As for attacking, QTEs are as demanding on reflexes as dodging is, but they can be automated. Fights will, therefore, be a real problem. As explained above, the only way to avoid this remains by using Story Game Difficulty as well as perseverance to get through the battles. In fact, your character will be much tougher in taking damage, so defense is less crucial. In the event that your character dies, you’ll start again just before the battle. However, it’s still pretty frustrating.

Exploration doesn’t help. In the world section, you see characters from above, often with a blurred effect. However, there’s a map with important places in thumbnail form with contrasting white outlines and a big red “X” for the objective. Your position is marked by an arrow with a black outline.

However, once you enter a zone, you don’t have a map anymore! It’s not an open zone; it’s more like a corridor. There aren’t any collision sounds, either. What’s more, your character won’t stop when faced with an obstacle, at least not if you arrive at anything other than a right angle. On the other hand, you can’t fall. Well, not for the most part, because I still remember the nightmare of having to cross a whole series of logs, while slipping at every step! Fortunately, it’s for a side quest to get an outfit, so it’s not relevant.

The environment’s very colorful, with many particle effects. These can interfere with aim accuracy. Enemies don’t stand out against the background, but a small bundle of multicolored light particles identifies collectible objects. You can set a filter to adjust these colors if you have a color-blind perception disorder. There are a number of rare items hidden beneath bright domes. To open them, you’ll need to find three sparkling zones in the nearby area. They’re often well-hidden and far away, therefore you’ll need to aim and shoot all three areas to dispel the dome. So, without markers or aim assist, you’ll be in trouble.

Regarding user interface, even though it’s legible enough, you’ll also be able to choose from three text sizes. You can’t choose colors or add an opaque background. However, you’ll have the time to read during conversations, whose subtitles have a slightly opaque background. In fact, it’s you who decides when to move on to the next comment. Unfortunately, the text scrolls by automatically during cutscenes while appearing over the image, without any background. It’s too bad when you consider that to enhance cinematic effect, there are black bands above and below the video. So you’ll need to concentrate on the audio. Please note that there isn’t any audio description.

It would have been nice to have more contrast in the user interface. It’s not always clear what’s been selected, such as the character or the Luminas. Note that for certain actions, such as buying skills, you’ll need to hold down keys for two seconds to validate. A circle gradually surrounds the selected button, but with very little contrast. So it’s not obvious, and it may seem as if the key isn’t working.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 relies heavily on visuals in its gameplay. Its highly stylized environment, while magnificent, makes it difficult to read for the visually impaired. This score is therefore final, and we can’t recommend it.

What if I have hearing loss? 6 / 10

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has just been criticized for being overly visual in terms of gameplay. This means that it should be accessible for someone who’s hard of hearing or deaf, especially since battle isn’t very dynamic. Enemies are right in front of you, so there’s no need to worry about managing enemies beyond your range of vision once the fight begins.

The story holds a central role. There are frequent conversations and decisions to make, and that’s where there can be problems. The sound settings allow you to bring voices to the forefront so you can concentrate better. However, subtitle quality is going to be a problem.

As explained regarding visual aspects, subtitle size can be modified, as well as displaying speakers’ names. Yet, colors and contrasts are beyond your control. Legibility is sometimes very poor during cutscenes with light backgrounds.

What’s more, there isn’t any area devoted to subtitles which could also give you information on non-verbal elements, such as tone or context. This can make conversations difficult to understand, especially since there isn’t any indication of speakers’ locations.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is therefore a highly narrative game lacking subtitles. So, that can be a problem.

Regarding exploration, there aren’t many difficulties. Sometimes you’ll need a grappling hook to get from one area to another. Then, you’ll need to locate the point where the grapple hooks onto and press the interaction button. The controller vibrates when a hook point is nearby. This encourages you to look for it.

Enemies are often well-hidden in the background, and you usually hear them before seeing them. If you can’t hear them, you’ll need to keep your eyes open during exploration phases, especially out in the world, where zooming out is important and objects such as enemies appear smaller.

In terms of sound management, you’ll find classic settings for various sound sources. However, there isn’t any way to switch sound to mono to understand better. As for vibrations, they’re rarely used. In fact, the controller will only vibrate when a grapple point is nearby, and not at any other time such as climbable walls or collectible items.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 should therefore be technically playable for a deaf or hard-of-hearing person, but with a possible loss of information on the narrative side, which is very rich in this game.

What if I have a cognitive disability? 4 / 10

The team enjoys RPG action games, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 really interested them! However, for people with cognitive difficulties, it’s how high the dose of RPG is that will often make the difference between the game being accessible or not.

Here, we have a tactical RPG. To be effective in combat, you need to analyze your opponent’s techniques and weaknesses. It’s through this learning process that you choose which tactics are best, such as which team to choose, and with which abilities and bonuses. There are a multitude of possible combos. Each character has his or her own way of maximizing their effects, such as Lune controlling the elements, and charges for Gustave.

During our team tests, we quickly realized that whatever your profile, this was a very difficult aspect of the game to manage!

Concentration is a real issue for some of our testers, and slow turn-based battles, where you have to analyze and choose from the dozen or so battle settings, can be complex. You can shoot, use one of six skills, or one of three items available. As for our team, frantically pressing “A” is often the simplest way of dealing with things, but far from the most effective in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

For other players, having the time to see what’s happening on-screen is a big advantage, but only if you’re given a clear explanation of what to do. However, as is often the case, techniques are explained only once. In the game menu, you’ll find these explanations in a written tutorial, so they’re not very usable for this type of player. Yet, by taking the time to explain things properly, many of them could understand the basics and applied them well afterward.

Another aspect that’s generally important is knowing what to do. However, in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the game leaves you to discover and explore the world on your own. In exploration zones, there isn’t any map at all. Without being really labyrinthine, the few possibilities and dead ends mean that you risk getting lost if you have trouble finding your way around a rich 3D world.

The game is entirely in French, [sic., English version also available] which helps you to follow the story in the cutscenes, but many conversations are silent. You’ll need to read. It’s you who decides when to move on to the next line, though, and the game allows you time to read. If that’s a problem for you, since there’s no screen reader, you’ll miss out on a lot of information about the world.

The same applies to character management. Apart from an icon, which can give you an idea of its purpose, every description of Pictos and Luminas is in writing, and this is the basis for creating a fighter profile. In fact, it’s by combining them that you become specialized in a certain strategy. For example, one strategy is to increase damage and bonuses when parrying and earn as many action points as possible, which you then spend on expensive skills. If you have difficulty reading, it’s almost impossible to develop an effective strategy.

What We Think

The enthusiasm surrounding Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is understandable. The game is magnificent, the music is epic, and the game mechanics are very interesting. So, it’s all the more frustrating to realize that a lack of accessibility will prevent many people from enjoying it.

It’s a game that combines a good deal of strategy with the need for fast reflexes. Both of those are two uncompensated pitfalls for accessibility. You’ll need to create highly specialized builds and powerful skill sequences. In fights, you’ll need excellent reflexes to make critical hits during your attacks, and avoid opposing attacks using precise timing.

The settings allow you to do a few things, but not enough to make Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 accessible to many user profiles. It’s certainly possible to automate attacks, but only by sacrificing critical effects. The only solution is to set the game difficulty as low as possible. That’s a bit of a shame when you consider what can be done today to nuance things.