Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Aims to Bring Back the Glory of Lost Odyssey with a Dash of Devil May Cry

There’s something irresistibly charming about a combat system that feels like it’s been plucked straight from an overstuffed sewing kit, bursting with chaotic energy. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 taps into this kind of chaotic fun, offering a battle experience that’s as intricate as it is nostalgic. While it doesn’t reach the wild heights of Disgaea in terms of complexity, this game from Sandfall Interactive is a love letter to mid-2000s JRPGs, especially the likes of Lost Odyssey—but with a touch of Devil May Cry thrown in for good measure.

Set in a fantastical world inspired by the Belle Époque era of late 19th-century France, Clair Obscur places you in the role of a hero tasked with stopping a malevolent Paintress from erasing everyone over a certain age from existence. But before diving into the story, let’s talk about the battle system that promises to keep you on your toes.

The game’s combat mechanics are an intricate mix of familiar JRPG elements and fresh, experimental twists. At first glance, you’ll see the standard fare: a turn order bar, character portraits, and an action point gauge. But delve a little deeper, and each character plays by their own rules. Gustave, a dashing hero with a mechanical arm, can overcharge it for devastating attacks reminiscent of Nero’s gauntlets in Devil May Cry. Lune, a floating mage, manipulates a resource called Stains to enhance her elemental spells. Meanwhile, Maelle, a young fencer, switches stances to balance her buffs and debuffs, crucial for surviving the game’s pattern-based boss fights.

Adding to the complexity are quick-time events (QTEs) tied to these abilities, rewarding precision with extra damage, stronger heals, or reduced incoming damage. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a bolted-on ranged combat system where characters can shoot enemies in third-person to expose weak points. It’s a lot to take in, especially when you start learning the in-game terminology like “Nevrons” and “Luminas.” (Thankfully, the PR team thoughtfully included a glossary with the game’s screenshots.)

Despite its experimental nature, Clair Obscur is steeped in nostalgia. It draws heavily from the mid-2000s RPGs that experimented with turn-based combat. Games like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, which emerged during Microsoft’s bold attempt to conquer the Japanese gaming market, serve as clear inspirations. That era was marked by a drive to blend traditional turn-based mechanics with real-time elements, in an effort to win over action-oriented players. Clair Obscur carries this torch, but with a twist: the QTEs are optional. You can tweak your characters to reduce their reliance on these timed inputs, though you might miss out on some rewarding gameplay if you do.

Beyond the mechanics, Clair Obscur strives to recapture the visual style of games like Lost Odyssey. Sandfall Interactive’s creative director, Guillaume Broche, notes that the market lacks JRPGs—or Western-developed “JRPGs”—that aim for a photorealistic aesthetic. Clair Obscur isn’t “realistic” in the strictest sense, but it does feature more naturalistic character designs set against a beautifully decayed world. The game’s levels feel like they exist in a dreamlike space, blending the eerie elegance of Bloodborne with the whimsy of folklore.

The world of Clair Obscur is dripping with atmosphere, from the ghoulish creatures lurking in decayed palaces to the haunted puppet merchants who dole out powerful items. The setting is both gorgeous and grotesque, a place where the Paintress—your main antagonist—threatens to wipe out entire generations by adding a new number to her Monolith each year. Your party, all aged 32 or younger, represents the latest in a line of increasingly youthful expeditions trying to stop her. As you explore, you’ll uncover remnants of previous failed attempts, adding a layer of tragic history to your journey.

The game’s story has the potential to be both deeply poignant and playfully self-aware. On one hand, it’s a tale about the inevitability of aging and the urgency of confronting mortality. On the other, it risks veering into a commentary on the angst of thirty-somethings grappling with the realization that they’re no longer young. Broche himself admits that the game’s focus on characters aged 33 and under is partly inspired by his own approaching milestone.

Despite its themes, Clair Obscur feels like a breath of fresh air in a genre often dominated by teenage protagonists and high-fantasy tropes. Its mature cast and complex combat system harken back to a time when JRPGs were unafraid to experiment, making it a title worth watching. If you’re nostalgic for the days of the Xbox 360 and games like Lost Odyssey, Clair Obscur might just be the modern JRPG you’ve been waiting for. In the meantime, who’s up for revisiting Lost Odyssey?