An incredible debut from Sandfall Interactive.
Intro and Gameplay
Unless you have been living under a rock the past week or so, the gaming world has been rocked by some amazing gaming drops that have absolutely exploded. One of those titles is the debut from recently formed Sandfall Interactive, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. While I was able to play a bit of the combat demo at GDC and came away impressed, I had no idea what was in store for the full game.
While some may expect a long, wordy review for a title of this score, I am going to keep it brief and try to summarize. While we weren’t able to get our hands on the early access review period, we did receive a code at launch and haven’t been able to put this game down. In fact I didn’t want to interrupt my game to even write this review. It’s that good!
Normal and boss battles are equally impactful. SMACKDOWN!
To summarize, the story starts of with an emotional bang and rarely lets go. I can’t emphasize enough how quickly this game sucks you into the gameplay, lore building, and characters of this amazing world. A mix of some real-time and turn based combat, mixed with some fantastic exploration, you will never be bored. Dodging and parrying are 100% necessary. You will be be challenged. You will feel elated when you finally beat that seemingly impossible enemy. ‘Nuff said.
Graphics and Sound
889. That’s how many screenshots and video clips I have captured so far of my first playthrough of Clair Obscur. This is a moving piece of art in a technical and artistic sense. For a small team to achieve this level of detail and beauty is a massive accomplishment. Also for an Unreal Engine 5 game, it runs incredibly smooth overall. From dark to light, ugly to beautiful, it’s all here folks. If you jaw doesn’t drop during several of the environments, I don’t know what to say.
How about the audio? Sublime. The meaty soundtrack is otherwordly. The sound effects and voice acting are some of the best in the industrial. Audio and visuals in Clair are nearly unmatched in the industry.
Feedback and Verdict
There are a few hiccups here and there like gliding around at hitting a few snags in the environment but any quibbles here are minor.
I could go on and on with pages of praise, love, admiration and more for this game. While it might sound a bit hyperbolic, Clair Obscur is not only of the best game of year but one of the best of all time. It truly is a marvel and spectacular adventure that gives me the brightest hope for the gaming industry and the future of Sandfall Interactive. Whether on console or PC, this is an absolute must buy for every gamer out there.
