Review does NOT include any story spoilers.

TL;DR: Expedition 33 is a beautiful, ambitious, and heartfelt experience that surprised me at every turn. Whether you're into RPGs or not, this one’s worth a try. You might end up loving it more than you expect.

I went into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with cautious optimism, and it ended up blowing me away on almost every front. This is one of the rare times where I found myself fully immersed in the story, eager to hear every bit of dialogue and never once reaching for the skip button during cutscenes. The writing is just that good - natural, engaging, and emotional in all the right places.

The animation work ties beautifully into this, with detailed facial expressions and subtle movements that bring characters to life in a way I didn’t expect from a studio of this size. It’s mesmerizing to watch, and combined with the absolutely breathtaking visuals, it’s clear the devs put their heart and soul into this. Every location is filled with an impressive amount of detail, and while the bloom effect might be a bit much at times (especially on an OLED screen), there's no denying how visually stunning the game is.

The music also deserves praise — the main theme can feel a little overplayed, but that’s mostly my fault for looping it endlessly at the party camp because it’s just that good. The overall soundtrack is packed with amazing tracks, and some of the endgame boss themes are so good I literally paused the game just to sit back and listen for a moment. I’ll definitely be picking up the OST.

Now, let's talk gameplay: I’m not usually a fan of turn-based combat, and I never quite understood the hype around games like Final Fantasy. But Expedition 33 completely changed that for me. It mixes turn-based mechanics with action elements like dodging and parrying so seamlessly that it never feels slow or static. Add to that a deep and flexible character build system—tons of skills, weapons, and traits (Picos) to experiment with - and you've got a combat system that's as rewarding as it is fun.

That said, the game isn’t without a few hiccups. Some of the earlier zones could really use a map, as they have very confusing layouts, it gets better as game progress. The bloom effect, while gorgeous in screenshots, could use a slider or toggle to tone it down in some areas. And as someone who loves experimenting with builds, the lack of loadout presets and better filtering (for keywords like Break, Shell, Parry etc.) or just searching options in the Picos menu feels like a huge overlook.

But these are minor nitpicks in an otherwise phenomenal game. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful, ambitious, and heartfelt experience that surprised me at every turn. Whether you're into RPGs or not, this one’s worth a try. You might end up loving it more than you expect.