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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

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Previews:

IGN

When my time Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was up, I wasn’t ready to stop. I wanted to fight more battles, learn more about the world, and spend more time with these characters. Sandfall Interactive is a new studio, but you’d never know this was their first game from playing it. Surprise. Conviction. Curiosity. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 nails all three. It had my interest before I played it; now it has my undivided attention. If Sandfall can stick the landing, they’ll have put together something remarkable.

The Gamer

Clair Obscur is also utterly gorgeous. The core visual style is the standard photorealism we’re accustomed to, but its creature designs are delightfully unique. Enemies (called Nevron) are painted by the Paintress, giving them weird proportions and eclectic designs reminiscent of an Art Deco painting. Environments are visually stunning too, with especially creative use of lighting that makes each new location feel both ethereal yet lifelike. One area in the preview saw us travel underwater as the bright blue liquid cast a melancholic glow as far as the eye can see.

[...]

After four hours with Clair Obscur I am now aggressively optimistic about the full experience. Sandfall is taking a cherished formula and moulding it around the studio's budding identity. The unique touches added to combat and exploration elevate the entire experience, and I hope this ambition is able to reach its full potential when it arrives this April.

Game Rant

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 ticks a lot of the standard RPG boxes as well, like finding new loot, equipping gear that offers passive buffs, and hitting rest points to save your progress. Rest points also reset enemy spawns and replenish healing elixirs (think Soulslike), offering a way for you to grind out XP and make the party stronger. For as much as the game has a unique flavor, it doesn’t venture too far off the tried-and-true either. Execution is where Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be most appealing, and so far, that execution is incredibly exciting.

Siliconera

So far, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is shaping up to be a memorable time. The game feels old school and brand new at the same time. Despite all the recognizable inspirations, the demo left me with a very strong impression, with the different gameplay systems involved harmonizing to make a very crunchy and flexible experience. The mystery of the Paintress and the fate of Lumière are enticing hooks, and I am eager to see where it goes. All of this is supported by a wonderful artistic department that blend fantasy with a uniquely French aesthetic.

Engadget

Though this is just based on a preview, Expedition 33 seems incredibly polished. Not only does it play seamlessly on a macro level, but it also gets the smallest details right, including voice-acted memories, haptic feedback that kicks in when a grapple point is in range, an opaque text box that’s both readable and seamlessly integrated into every scene, and the ability to put a rose in Gustave’s hair, even in cutscenes. The entire preview is impressive.

Noisy Pixel

I have so much more to say about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but I’ll save it for the review. All you need to know is that I was brought to tears several times in the game’s early hours, and I’m hooked. I loved the mature tone of the narrative that can be seen through the desperation depicted in this cast. Gustave’s raw emotion of hatred towards the Paintress, balanced by his curiosity and willingness to hear reason, makes him a great vessel for this experience, and I can’t wait to see where this adventure goes. I was hesitant to jump on the hype train of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but I’m fully on it now, and I hope you can join me.

 

[Luipadre]

Damn, really excited for this one

 

[Punished Miku]

"Brought to tears several times"
"Mature"
"Incredibly polished"
"The entire preview is impressive"
"I am now aggressively optimistic"

Alrighty then.

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Dazraell]

Sounds really good so far

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Sounds like a GOTY contender. We eating good this year!

 

[Gonzito]

 

[Luipadre]

Looks like the framerate is silky smooth too in the combat footage. The whole story just sounds so badass and if the writing is indeed mature this will be so good. VA sounds amazing too and the performance capture. Also thank god its linear and not open world, another big plus in my book

 

[balls of snow]

I need it.
Buying day 1 even though its on gamepass. Man shit looks badasss.

 

[mèx]

Never trusted a preview in my life, and I'm not starting now.

Still...

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Looks superb in every aspect: Visuals, music, intriguing story, original enemy design. Combat seems to be an enhanced version of HSR.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Bonus points for not having main characters that look like Uruk-hai.

 

[PanzerCute]

Looks "magnifique", can't wait!

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Looks terrible. I don't see any pinks or purples. Doesn't even have a character creator let alone my preferred pronouns and surgery scars.
I don't even get to lecture cis people or make them do mundane tasks for misgendering.
Hell this turn based combat isn't even done in an equitable fashion.

 

[HRK69]

Looks promising!

 

[Ferdimage]

Awsome previews, hopefully they release a demo for us to play before release.

 

[willothedog]

Free on gamepass, bargain.

 

[rickybooby87]

 

[Humdinger]

$50? Really? I figured it'd be $70.

Preview excerpts sound good, thanks for compiling them, Thick. I was already interested, but I think I'm sold. I want to support new IPs like this.

 

[BbMajor7th]

Looking fantastic. It's unbelievable for their first game. A 30-hour main campaign with 30 hours of side content for just £45? Could be onto a major home run here.

Charlie Cox (Daredevil from the Netflix series) voices the main character. Andy Serkis, Jen English (Shadowheart), Devora Wilde (Lae'zel) and Ben Starr (Clive, FFXVI) are all here too.

 

[RedC]

In for the turn based combat.

 

[Complistic]

Intentionally not watching this, I'm already sold on the game.

 

[Pejo]

Not about to start caring what modern journos think, but still it's great that the game has a positive sentiment and outlook. I really want this one to be good so that S-E and others wake up to the fact that AAA RPGs can have turn based combat still.

 

[Luipadre]

A team of 30 people made this game. How? Probably this is what it looks like when a game is made by passionate people

 

[BbMajor7th]

Not about to start caring what modern journos think, but still it's great that the game has a positive sentiment and outlook. I really want this one to be good so that S-E and others wake up to the fact that AAA RPGs can have turn based combat still.

...and don't have to cost more to build than the Burj Khalifa or last for over three hundred hours.

 

[Brock2621]

Sold. Picking up on PC though for better frame rates (.....hopefully)

 

[Gonzito]

Looks terrible. I don't see any pinks or purples. Doesn't even have a character creator let alone my preferred pronouns and surgery scars.
I don't even get to lecture cis people or make them do mundane tasks for misgendering.
Hell this turn based combat isn't even done in an equitable fashion.

 

[Agent_4Seven]

A team of 30 people made this game. How? Probably this is what it looks like when a game is made by passionate people

Exactly. It's doable if people are extremely passionate, talented and want to make a good game first and foremost. Asobo pretty much did the same thing by making A Plague Tale games for example.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Could you imagine if they actually made an equitable turn based game though. Any white male would just be standing there waiting for his turn while everyone else gets 3-4 turns each. ha!

 

[Topher]

Previews are nearly always positive but hope this game is as good as it looks

 

[Pasta la Vista]

I was already in, I'm still in, but not watching anything else, full on black out from here.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Really optimistic about this game even though I know basically nothing about it. Love that it's priced at 50 USD. Not watching any of these videos though, like going in blind.

 

[Luipadre]

Whole 3 hour demo gameplay. Not gonna watch, but its 4k and PS5 version (?) nvm its on PC

 

[clarky]

Karak take.

Looks interesting.

 

[MudoSkills]

Looking forward to this one, but not in a rush as I have at least two 100 hour RPGs lined up to play already.

 

[R6Rider]

I still think they should change the name to just Expedition 33, other than that I was already sold awhile ago.

 

[clarky]

Looking forward to this one, but not in a rush as I have at least two 100 hour RPGs lined up to play already.

They are a small team of 30 and with its lower price im expecting a smaller game. Hopefully that is, im also halfway through a 100+ game currently.

 

[AJUMP23]

IS this one coming to Game Pass?

I have been wanting a nice RPG with turn based battles.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

GermanStrands' preview:

• Insane visuals
• Very good performance
• Outstanding voice acting
• Might be the best rpg world map out there (exploration, shortcuts, hidden bosses, design, soundtrack)
• Camp everywhere on the map
• Your camp will change overtime (extra dialogue, new NPCs, side content and more)
• You can see enemies anytime, even on the world map
• Difficulty options (change it anytime)
• Great UI / Fast 'menuing'
• Insane soundtrack
• Insane art direction and world building
• Super interesting story
• Very dark themes (Very 'adult', death/loss, love, swearing, blood and gore)
• But on the other side also super funny side characters
• Interesting characters overall
• Fast travel to checkpoints
• Great enemy design (some FromSoftware stuff in here)
• Great outfits
• New weapons will look different
• Widescreen support
• 30fps cutscenes
• No fall damage
• Skippable cutscenes
• Fast loading times
• Instant character swap (one button)
• Almost seamless gameplay into combat
• Amazing exploration with the grappling hook and climbing
• Secret bosses with great rewards
• Combat is super fun and challenging
• Bosses are no joke (died multiple times)
• You can see enemy turns
• One button press combat
• Persona meets Final Fantasy 10 with some own ideas!!! (It’s fire imo)
• High risk and reward system in combat
• You can parry/dodge ANY attack (final boss is also possible) / no hit run any?
• Battle theme(s) are freaking amazing

Ending note: If my play session is any indicator of the whole game - oh boy, we are in for a treat. Any RPG fan who doesn’t already have the game on their most-wanted list should do so immediately, because something very special arrives next month.

 

[viveks86]

I was sold when they announced it. Then I wavered when everything started looking same-y. Now I'm sold again.

 

[touchfuzzy]

It's looked like a banger right from the reveal, glad to see the previews are glowing. And not even a full price release! Looks like a definite GOTY contender for me, day one.

 

[Buggy Loop]

 

[balls of snow]

Devs please add difficutly modes and modifiers if its not that long of an rpg. Have a feeling I will be replaying this a few times this gen.

 

[DragoonKain]

Looks great, really excited.

 

[adamsapple]

IS this one coming to Game Pass?

Yes.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

A team of 30 people made this game. How? Probably this is what it looks like when a game is made by passionate people

Indeed. The narrative about AAA game budgets pretty much destroyed by this one.

 

[Jinxed]

Already pre-ordered on ps5, my most anticipated game of 2025.

 

[Isa]

I wish I could be excited about this but everything from the art style to story does absolutely nothing for me. Every character looks the same in world I don't care about at all. I'm happy everybody else is happy though, the price is better than most and I wish the devs the best of luck. I'll watch for your impressions after release and maybe pick it up on a sale.

 

[Davey Cakes]

A team of 30 people made this game. How? Probably this is what it looks like when a game is made by passionate people

Not too many cooks in the kitchen. Proper direction and vision. Passion. What's crazy is that I think this game only has a 4-year dev cycle and will probably be profitable even with modest sales. It didn't take 6 years and the studio won't close if it sells less than 20 million.

 

[Klayzer]

I was already sold after the initial reveal. The previews only confirmed it for me.