No Internet? Single-Player Saves the Weekend with Expedition 33

1 may 2025. In Russia, power lines are mostly laid above ground, on poles. Due to the climate, forests grow back quickly—even if just yesterday there was a field full of weeds and ground squirrels.

A week earlier, temperatures had risen to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). A sudden cold snap. A short ice storm lasting only nearly 10 minutes broke thousands of trees, which, as they fell, tore down power lines and even ripped poles out of the ground. Dozens of high-voltage towers were brought down by the storm—which isn’t easy to do. Blackout.

The government has said we should manage on our own and only call for help if things get really bad. Luckily, I was prepared thanks to experience. I have my own solar power station, several generators of varying capacity.

But I did miscalculate in some ways. The failure was so widespread that 4G towers went offline on the first day. On the second, even 2G service slipped on the frozen snow—working became impossible.

Praise be to gaming impotence. I have this dumb habit of buying games, downloading them… and never launching them. Good thing I had Expedition 33 downloaded. I got to spend the blackout in a meaningful way—playing this incredible game. Single-player games rule.

This will be Overwhelmingly Positive review

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a ground-breaking turn-based RPG with unique real-time mechanics, making battles more immersive and addictive than ever. Developed by the French studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive in 2025, it blends the best of classic RPGs like Final Fantasy and Persona with modern action elements such as parries, dodges, and timed counters.

Combat System

• Described as a revolutionary evolution of turn-based combat, blending mechanics from Sekiro (parry/dodge/timing) with traditional RPG systems.
• Compared favorably to Final Fantasy, Persona, Legend of Dragoon, and others.
• Encourages mastery and offers freedom in enemy engagement even at low levels.

Visuals & Presentation

• Fantastic visuals and music—art direction and soundtrack are frequently cited as best.
• Motion capture and character animations, especially facial expressions, are praised for adding emotional depth.

Characters & Story

• Rich world-building and emotionally resonant narrative, especially around grief and loss.
• Party members are well-developed, each with unique backstories and combat styles.
• Voice acting is consistently praised—no weak performances reported.

Technical & Design Innovations

• Interactive Map is a nostalgic but fresh feature, but… but keep reading.
• Freedom in exploration and non-linear content access is appreciated.
• Comparisons to Nier Automata in terms of emotional and thematic impact.

This will be Mixed review

Exploration & Navigation

• A lack of a detailed in-game map becomes frustrating in later stages with complex environments.
• Excessive backtracking and “pointless running,” even with fast-travel flags and mounts.

Difficulty & Balance

• Optional enemies often have disproportionately high HP and damage, leading to unavoidable content skipping unless the player has near-perfect parrying skills.
• Game balance can discourage casual players or those unwilling to master timing-based defense.

Equipment System

• Element-based weapon lock-in forces frequent gear switching and discourages personal weapon attachment.
• Weapon and “Pictos” progression systems are described as random and opaque, lacking clarity or player control.
• Limited resources make upgrading feel inefficient or unrewarding.

Performance Issues

• Unreal Engine 5 leads to occasional framerate drops, especially in dense or visually complex areas. Is somehow more stable on Ryzen 3600 than on 9800x3d, lol.
• Despite the cool animation of the characters themselves, lip sync was noted as a weak spot, likely due to localization or technical limits, but they are solvable.

Summary

Expedition 33 is widely regarded as a masterpiece by those who connect with its combat and story, delivering one of the most engaging and artistic turn-based RPGs in years. Its innovative mechanics, powerful themes, and stunning presentation are offset by some questionable design decisions in navigation and progression. While not without flaws, it’s the kind of game that pushes the genre forward—and might even change minds about turn-based systems entirely. And also, the game is single player, praise the single player.