Kepler Interactive and Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been a great success, having sold 3.3 million copies in 33 days. I just beat it last night, and I can say it's easily my favorite video game of the year so far.
There are many things that make Expedition 33 special, but one of the most important aspects is the way that the game invokes a sense of melancholy and longing that rarely ever is created to this extent in other video games.
But rather than evoking despair, Expedition 33 masterfully provides a bittersweet catharsis by using deeply-rooted contrast, just like the title implies.
Once you realize this, you can see Expedition 33 for the pure art that it is.
Don't worry. There are no Expedition 33 spoilers on this page.
Representing pain and hope through art terms
There are plenty of games out there that make you feel like an unstoppable badass, or else skirt over sad moments hurriedly while trying to get back to an energetic story. Alternatively, there are games that beat you over the head with their depressing stories.
While each of those types of games have their place, it's rare for a game to explore the beauty of sadness to the natural and, dare I say, uplifting extent that Expedition 33 does.
From the very start, Expedition 33 immerses players in its wistful world, using contrasting visuals, mechanics, and dialogue to create a dynamic, emotional experience that creates a sense of hope and a sense of nostalgia for something you'll never get back.
Each year in Expedition 33's France-inspired world, an entity known as The Paintress paints a number on her monolith and when she does, people of a certain age turn into smoke.
This event is known as "the Gommage," which means "erasing" in French.
The game starts on a Gommage day, where a man named Gustave accompanies his dear friend Sophie to the harbor so he can say goodbye before she gets erased forever.
It's an emotional opening that touched me deeply, even though I didn't fully understand what was going on at the start of the story. I've rarely ever felt this level of bittersweet longing while playing a video game.
After Sophie leaves, you learn about how Gustave is part of Expedition 33, which is mostly filled with people who only have one year left to live.
These expeditioners have all lost someone to the Gommage, so their goal is to make the most of the time they have remaining to defeat the Paintress and stop this annual death cycle "for those who come after."
Don't worry. That's all I'll say about the plot, so I don't spoil anything.
However, I was surprised at how the writing makes this world feel believable, even with its fantastical premise. Part of this success largely has to do with the game's masterful use of opposites, as indicated in the game's title.
It's rare for a game to explore the beauty of sadness to the natural and, dare I say, uplifting extent that Expedition 33 does.
"Clair Obscur" literally means "light-dark" in French. It's an artistic technique, also known as "chiaroscuro," that emerged during the Italian Renaissance. It refers to using a strong contrast of light and dark to create emphasis, emotion, and depth in art.
The game's art style often heavily makes use of this contrast technique to emphasize character faces or important things in the world.
It's also used more symbolically. For instance, the game starts you off in the city of Lumière, which literally means "light" in French. As such, you are literally leaving light to travel into the dark unknown where the Paintress lives.
Another example of how Expedition 33 masterfully uses contrast to evoke emotion is seen with the game's Belle Époque France era. This period in real history is often seen as a time of peace, advancement, and happiness. And yet, the world that Expedition 33 lives in is one of turmoil, degradation, and sorrow.
"Clair Obscur" literally means "light-dark" in French. It's an artistic technique that refers to using a strong contrast of light and dark to create emphasis, emotion, and depth in art.
So, having people live in a city and dress in clothes from this uplifting era while surrounded by a twisted and hauntingly unsettling landscape makes both of these extremes stand out while also allowing them to work together.
Lumière is charming and orderly from some angles, but then you realize that the city has been broken apart and there are fractured objects in the sky, including a curling Eiffel Tower.
Meanwhile, enemy designs often have somewhat grotesque features, while also being oddly beautiful. The landscapes are gorgeous, so seeing these imposing creatures or "Nevrons" walking around on a beautiful forest path makes them pop in their environments.
Then there's the human angle. Expedition 33's story gently expresses pain throughout, but also frequently lifts you up a moment later with a sense of camaraderie and charming characters.
It leaves me with a calming sense of acceptance that life ends and that I should make use of the limited time I have.
An idea that is further perfectly illustrated by the game's combat mechanics.
You only get one shot, so you better make it count
One of the best things about Expedition 33 is its real-time turn-based combat mechanics. They're fun, fast-paced, and visually stunning. Best of all, this battle system makes each action feel personal.
Instead of simply choosing a combat action at the start of your turn and letting your choices play out, players have to pay close attention at all times so they can press a button at the right time to deal the max amount of damage to enemies or avoid taking damage by dodging or parrying in a split second.
This system keeps me focused and engaged. It might take me a few attempts to take down trickier bosses, but the game is so fair and balanced that I know I can defeat an enemy if I just press the right buttons at the right time.
Alternatively, if I don't time my actions correctly, my whole team can die rather easily.
On a meta level, these combat mechanics work as a microcosm to represent the overall story idea that these characters only have one shot at defeating the Paintress, so they need to pay attention and make each moment count. Otherwise, it could be game over earlier than hoped.
As compelling as it is artsy
I play a lot of games each year, but Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stands out as one of the most masterful titles in ages. There is a lot of hidden depth and symbolism in this game that you come to understand, whether consciously or subconsciously.
It's a deeply moving story that explores the happiness life affords by diving equally into the sorrow people experience, but in such a way that the two meld together into one complex emotion.
Even without its depth, Expedition 33's story is absolutely enthralling, combat is very engaging, the music is fantastic, and the art style is next-level. If you haven't played this turn-based RPG yet, then I highly recommend you do.
It's a breath of fresh air that stands out from the sea of RPGs.
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