Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 offers the best kind of RPG journey. The quest and its stakes are established from the very beginning, while the looming presence of the Monolith means that your goal is quite literally always in sight. Gustave and his companions know they are unlikely to succeed, but they have to do everything in their power to press onward and defeat the Paintress either way, ending the cycle of the Gommage. This doomed journey is set to be etched into the memory of everyone who plays Expedition 33, just like it was 24 years ago when we first undertook it alongside Yuna and her Guardians in Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy 10.

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This article contains spoilers for both Final Fantasy 10 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

The Spiral And The Canvas

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The similarities between Final Fantasy 10 and Clair Obscur aren’t subtle. A group of volunteers sets out on a suicide mission to stop a recurring global catastrophe, knowing that their sacrifice is merely buying time for the future. In Yuna’s case, dying to summon the Final Aeon defeats Sin and buys Spira a few years of Calm, while for Expedition 33 the hope is to defeat the Paintress and stop the Gommage, but the more likely outcome is that they die in the attempt but at least make the journey easier for the next Expedition.

“For those who come after” is a line repeated over and over by Expedition members. A harrowing philosophy, reminding the Expeditioners that even by setting out on such a mission they are dooming themselves to failure.

Both groups experience the wonders and horrors of their world along the way. They’re obstructed by someone who wants to turn the deadly cycle to their own ends, and helped by an immortal, veteran warrior who knows more than he lets on. There’s even a furry non-human party member in both games whose main power is stealing enemy skills.

Both groups eventually succeed in their mission, but the Awful Truth is revealed and they pivot to face the true threat, a godlike being in whom they had formerly put their faith and trust in. Curiously, the two games are inverses of one another at this point; Tidus is the only character left in the dark about Yuna’s fate as a Summoner, while Verso alone knows about the Paintress’ origins and the consequences of their quest but refrains from telling the rest of the team until it’s too late.

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Au Zanarkand

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Of course, it would be reductive to say that Clair Obscur is just French Fantasy 10. It takes a very different approach in exploring its themes of duty and perseverance, and the interactions between the members of Expedition 33 feel much more human. Nobody tries forcing laughter at the Monolith in the face of the hopelessness it represents.

Yuna’s path is laid out for her in its entirety, having been walked countless times before. Expedition 33, by contrast, plays entirely by ear from the moment they arrive on The Continent. Their journey isn’t a solemn ritual, but a desperate, organized scrabble against fate. They are trained to adapt, improvise, and overcome whatever lies in their path, because there is no other choice if the people of Lumiere are to survive.

For all that, Clair Obscur is always willing to let the Expeditioners show their humanity. The mission must come first, and that takes its toll on everyone as they push through hardship, tragedy, and the knowledge that their failure is all but assured. These quiet moments in camp set Clair Obscur apart from its clear inspiration, which (being a Final Fantasy title) was always bigger and more bombastic.

The Monolith Rises

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So, if Clair Obscur has all the pieces that made Final Fantasy 10 an all-time classic, can it reach the same heights? A party of likeable characters, each with distinct combat styles, a well-crafted story with achingly beautiful worldbuilding, and a truly epic soundtrack all seem to suggest that it could. Of course, Final Fantasy 10 wasn’t without its flaws, and neither is Clair Obscur.

If any game has the potential to be the FF10 of the 2020s, it’s Clair Obscur, but that’s not a judgment that we can make without the benefit of hindsight. I couldn’t have known at eighteen that Yuna’s last line, “Never forget them” as the screen cuts to black and a single pyrefly drifts along, would be etched into my memory forever; the true test of Clair Obscur’s legacy will be how we talk about it in five years, or ten, or twenty-four.

Clair Obscur’s big twist, the hidden truth that drives the latter third of the game, changes the nature of Expedition 33’s journey so fundamentally that it ceases to be the same game from the moment of the big reveal onward, even on subsequent playthroughs. That’s a big departure from Final Fantasy 10, where the twist makes the scope of the quest grander while maintaining its basic premise. More than the combat, characters, or soundtrack, it’s the twist and its consequences that will define the legacy of Expedition 33, leaving its fate, as it was for FF10, up to you.

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Turn-Based RPG Fantasy Systems 44 9.6/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 92/100 Critics Rec: 97% Released April 24, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence Developer(s) Sandfall Interactive Publisher(s) Kepler Interactive Engine Unreal Engine 5
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