Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the most innovative turn-based RPGs of recent years. It takes the gameplay and flair of the beloved Persona series and combines it with the narrative strength of earlier Final Fantasy games, yet is wholly original in its approach to the genre. It’s an easy contender for Game of the Year already. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you should take a chance to get it for just $7.99 / £7.15.
A surprising entry into the best RPGs list, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is nothing short of magical. It has a masterful story that is wonderfully acted, with every character important to the narrative, but it doesn’t pull any punches with the combat either, offering solid turn-based gameplay that also requires parrying or dodging enemy attacks – you can’t take any breaks between turns in this world.
The story puts in charge of a group of adventurers as they take on Expedition 33 – an annual journey to defeat a godlike figure called The Paintress. Every year, The Paintress writes a new number on a giant monolith, effectively killing anyone at that age or above. With every previous expedition ending in failure, it’s very much an existential crisis.
Armed with Pictos, tools that grant special abilities as well as increasing each character’s stats, our party of characters has to deal with monsters called Nevrons. Each of the game’s characters, from Gustave to Maelle, offers unique powers that make them vital for certain battles. As you progress, you unlock new skills that perfectly complement the talents of other members of the team, adding a deep level of strategy.
I don’t want to go too far into detail on what makes this new PC game such a breathtaking and remarkable experience. Spoiling it – even only a little – would tarnish how beautiful and visceral this game is, and even looking at the packed slate of upcoming PC games, I don’t see anything that will stop Expedition 33 being my Game of the Year for 2025.
It’s not just me singing the game’s praises, as in our Clair Obscur Expedition 33 review, Josh Brown called it “an essential turn-based RPG that is both a love letter to its inspirations and a potential vision of the genre’s future”, awarding it an impressive 8/10 score. I will warn you to watch out for Francois, though – he’s a feisty one.
So, if I haven’t given you enough reason to buy one of my favorite PC games, perhaps a huge discount will help. Right now, you can take a chance at getting Expedition 33 for just $7.99 / £7.15 in the Fanatical VIP Mystery Bundle. Of course, that means you’ll need to be lucky, but considering you’ll get five ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ or ‘Very Positive’ games regardless of the outcome, you’ll still get a lot of value out of this bundle.
Check out the list below for the other triple-A hits you have a chance to get in Fanatical’s latest bundle:
- DOOM: The Dark Ages – Premium Edition
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered
- Kingdom Come Deliverance II Gold
If you manage to snag a copy, make sure you check out the best Clair Obscur Expedition 33 weapons so you can fight off any challenging bosses (and trust me, there’s plenty). Also, check out the best Expedition 33 Pictos if you want to build your party to survive the dangerous world.
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