The French-branded role-playing video game that has sold one million copies in three days

In a sector as competitive as video games, few debut titles from new studios are as ambitious or generate as much expectation as Dark Clair: Expedition 33The project is the calling card of Sandfall Interactive, a young studio founded by former Ubisoft employee Guillaume Broche, based in France. The studio was born from the desire to create video games with a strong narrative and emotional impact, in addition to a polished technical and artistic finish, and for now they seem to have achieved their goal: they shipped 500,000 copies on the first day and within three days had already surpassed the psychological barrier of one million.

Labeled as a narrative-focused role-playing game with turn-based combat and a pictorial-referenced aesthetic, Expedition 33 It's not just another RPG. The title is inspired by the gameplay of great iconic Japanese sagas within the genre such as Final Fantasy or Persona, but adds a unique artistic section that draws heavily from the land of its creators. The new title features many references to the Belle Époque and France in general, such as a large distorted Eiffel Tower, but it also goes beyond visual features, since the characters, music, and legends of its universe also come from Francophone art and culture. The name itself already suggests this, since the light-dark (chiaroscuro (in Catalan) is a painting technique that emphasizes contrast and gives more strength to light and shadows, a very appropriate metaphor for the themes the video game deals with.

The story of 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33'

The narrative premise that kicks off the game is stark and harsh, but it gives its protagonists a clear objective and presents a central mystery that intrigues players. Every year, a mysterious figure known as the Painter sketches a number on a large monolith, and all people of that age vanish from reality. Therefore, each year the number decreases, and consequently, the population of Lumière dwindles, leaving a society now devoid of older people. The inhabitants, frightened but unwilling to give up despite their fate, organize annual expeditions to confront the Painter. The protagonists of this story are part of Expedition 33, and many of them, now 32 years old, set sail on a dangerous mission to try to break the cycle to which they are bound.

Dark Clair It features quality graphics and many cinematics and dialogues that enrich its universe and help tell the story. The player also experiences themes such as death and loss from the point of view of its main characters, with very distinct personalities and purposes that give weight to their actions. Unfortunately, the voices are only available in English or French, but to compensate, all the voice actors and actresses are highly trained professionals who have participated in important projects in the sector, and it is evident in their performances. The dreamlike environments that these protagonists discover feature a wide variety of colorful elements and a level design that encourages exploration, but also leads the expedition to the inevitable confrontations.

More fluid and dynamic turn-based combat

The most notable feature of its combat system is the inclusion, in its fair share, of real-time mechanics such as both offensive and defensive actions in which the player must react at the right moment. But it also features other, more innovative mechanics, such as the ability to fire projectiles, aiming freely at the enemies' weak points. These antagonists, by the way, have original, eccentric, and somewhat macabre designs, and that's without even taking into account the impressive final enemies. It's also worth noting that the role-playing and character customization system offers thousands of combinations (weapons, powers, skills, attributes, etc.) so that each player can tailor their Expedition 33. The resulting combination of all these mechanics offers a very deep combat system worthy of the great works of the genre, which also feels more fluid.

The game takes around 30 hours to unravel the main story, but offers another 30 hours of content to complete the exploration of the world and overcome the toughest challenges. Sandfall Interactive's debut proudly displays its influences, but is determined to make a name for itself in the industry. The title was released simultaneously for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series, as well as on Game Pass, this Thursday, April 24th at a lower price than usual for major productions. Nobody knows if it will end up being a huge success, but what is certain is that Dark Clair: Expedition 33 wants to bring something different to the genre and, for now, the public appreciates it and it is already one of the highest-rated games of the year on review aggregators.

We've already played!

We liked it...

• The overall solidity of the title. It's a very well-rounded game in the genre, featuring a good story, a very inspiring soundtrack, and a highly polished technical side—a great debut for a new studio. Hats off!
• Inspiration and references from French culture. The passion of its creators exudes from every corner, and it's a welcome change from the more familiar universes of Japanese developers.

We didn't like it...

• The game has room for improvement in some areas, especially in terms of player quality of life. For example, better support for inventory management and character building would be appreciated.
• While the world is generally well-designed and has a good exploration system, there are some confusing or overly cryptic decisions that can confuse and disorient the player. The platforming sections could also be more polished.

It's for you if...

• Are you a fan of the RPG genre? If you like deep systems, interactive turn-based combat, or character customization, there are thousands of possibilities.
• You like the Belle Époque and the art world. Besides, video games have the best of both worlds, as they are halfway between the creative freedom of Indians and the production value of the AAA.

It's not for you if...

• While the combat is much more dynamic and requires reactions worthy of the most demanding action games, if you're not a fan of turn-based combat, the essence is still there.
• You don't like crude or far-fetched stories. The plot is a central axis in Dark Clair, and the topics it covers and how it deals with them have earned it the +18 rating.

[Code provided by Kepler Interactive / Cosmocover and tested on PS5]