France just gave the world its game of the year. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Montpellier-based Sandfall Interactive launches today on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store — and it’s available day one on Xbox Game Pass. First impressions from critics are unanimous: this is something extraordinary.
Set in a Belle Époque-inspired dark fantasy world where a mysterious Paintress erases people from existence each year by painting their age on a monolith, Expedition 33 is a turn-based RPG with real-time reflex mechanics woven into combat. Think Final Fantasy meets Persona meets French surrealist painting. The narrative is dense, emotional, and authored with a literary quality rarely seen in games.
What makes the story even more compelling: Sandfall Interactive is a studio of around 30 people. This isn’t a AAA mega-production — it’s the debut game of a small French studio that simply made something extraordinary. The game runs on Unreal Engine 5, features voice performances from Andy Serkis and Charlie Cox, and an original score already generating enormous buzz.
Three million copies sold in the first month. France’s President Emmanuel Macron has already publicly congratulated Sandfall. The world is watching. Expedition 33 is unmissable.
Source: Sandfall Interactive
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