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Released just last year, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has cemented itself as a modern-day classic. Consisting of around just 30 in-house developers at Sandfall Interactive, the RPG set in a dark fantasy Belle Époque setting went on to make history in 2025’s The Game Awards, winning the coveted Game of the Year trophy as well as winning nine out of its thirteen nominations.
It is hard to believe that the project originated from an idea by Guillaume Broche, an ex-Ubisoft employee who left the company during the COVID-19 pandemic, and even harder to believe that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was met with universal acclaim almost immediately after its launch. Inspired by the likes of Final Fantasy and the Persona series, featuring turn-based mechanics and quick-time events, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 tells the story of the members of Expedition 33 as they set out on a journey to destroy the Paintress, who they believe to be the cause of a yearly Gommage which sees people at or above an ever-decreasing age erased from existence.
Despite it being a year on from release, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is still the topic of many discussions in the gaming sphere, and thanks to Xbox Game Pass, many players are discovering it for the first time. That is because the award-winning RPG is free to download for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Premium members on Cloud, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. As such, you only need to purchase the title once, to be able to play it on console, PC, the Xbox handheld, and via Cloud gaming.
Here at Screen Rant, we awarded Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 with an impressive 9/10, with our very own Lee D’Amato calling it “a heartfelt love letter to RPGs past.” Our review read as follows:
If I were to make a wishlist of everything I wanted out of a turn-based RPG, it would tick every box. I suspect that’s precisely what Sandfall Interactive set out to do, and its passion for the genre shines through in every aspect of the game. For anyone who shares even a fraction of that passion, then Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not to be missed.
It remains to be seen what is next for Sandfall Interactive, but with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to live up to, we can only imagine the pressure the studio is under. However, that also means that we have complete faith in whatever they decide to do next, and in the meantime, you can catch up on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 courtesy of Xbox Game Pass. It is worth it, trust me.
- Released
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April 24, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Sandfall Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Kepler Interactive
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5