Sandfall Interactive recently unveiled key details about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 during Xbox's Developer Direct, including the release date, character roster, and innovative combat system. Let's delve into the exciting news!
Confront the Paintress's Fury: April 24, 2025
Inspired by Belle Epoque France, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 arrives on April 24, 2025. Sandfall Interactive highlighted their ground-up development, reinventing classic turn-based combat. The game will be available on Xbox Game Pass on launch day.
Pre-orders are open! Secure the base game for $44.99 or the Deluxe Edition for $59.99 on the Xbox Store. Steam and PS5 offer a 10% discount ($44.99 and $53.99 respectively), but the Steam discount ends May 2nd, 2025, and the PS5 discount (requiring PlayStation Plus) ends at 3:00 PM (local time) on release day. The Epic Games Store listing is currently limited to wishlisting.
Meet the New Recruits: Monoco and Esquie
The team expands to seven playable characters plus one dedicated to exploration. Joining the previously revealed Gustave, Lune, Maelle, Sciel, Renoir, and Verso are:
- Monoco: A "friendly and bloodthirsty Gestral," capable of transforming into defeated enemies, leveraging their powers in combat. Gestrals are notably immune to the Paintress's influence.
- Esquie: A legendary being, the oldest and strongest in the world. Esquie focuses on exploration, granting access to various locations and requiring the retrieval of special stones to unlock new abilities and areas.
Reactive Turn-Based Combat and Deep Character Customization
Sandfall Interactive emphasizes a revitalized turn-based RPG combat system. CEO Guillaume Broche stated their goal was to create a truly engaging experience, with each character possessing unique playstyles and skill trees.
A real-time element is integrated, allowing players to dodge or parry attacks for significant damage boosts. This "reactive turn-based system" offers adjustable difficulty settings to modify parry/dodge windows.
Deep character customization is a core feature. Unique mechanics and skill trees (like Lune's "Stain" resource) combine with "Luminas" – passive effects gained by evolving equipment modifiers ("Pictos") after four battles – to create hundreds of build possibilities.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 promises a compelling blend of strategic turn-based combat and deep character customization, set within a visually stunning Belle Epoque-inspired world.
