Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 464 sampled Steam reviews (393 positive / 71 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing50% mention it
- Music & audio28% mention it
- Combat23% mention it
- Visuals & art21% mention it
- World & exploration10% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Story & writing72% mention it
- Combat54% mention it
- Visuals & art32% mention it
- Music & audio24% mention it
- Performance20% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
38%
29 reviews
5-15h
70%
60 reviews
15-40h
84%
116 reviews
40-100h
93%
199 reviews
100h+
97%
60 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 92 | 184 |
| Creator reviews (3 tracked) | – | 100 | 6 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 90 | 1442 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 97 | 691 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 91% | 85 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Jun 30, 2026) · 300 reviews sampled · 4820 total reviews in window · weighted 218.4 up / 21.2 down · computed 1h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (234)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 100
“Simply put, Sandfall Interactive’s debut game is a masterclass in presentation, storytelling, and gameplay. It’s a game you need to play to experience.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the epitome of an instant classic. Its premise alone had something special to it, but no elevator pitch could have prepared me for how the thing blossoms and blossoms and blossoms. Exciting battles and beautiful writing unfold in a world that looks and sounds sublime, all of it pulled off with unbelievable style. I’m in genuine awe of the accomplishment.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the perfect launch for Sandfall Interactive. It is a phenomenal game inspired by cult jRPGs with a huge and emotional story whose characters stay in our memory for a long time. Adding to this a great combat system, a beautiful game world and very good gameplay gives us in combination a big candidate for game of the year.”
read full review ↗ - 100
- 100
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterpiece made with love that combined a stunning story, an innovative and wonderful gameplay style, and a great variety of skills, enemies, and bosses, along with an extraordinarily beautiful artistic style with many diverse and beautiful environments placed in a world designed with high quality and great precision, full of secret places that made exploration a great pleasure. This masterpiece was completed with wonderful graphics, great cinematic direction, and stable performance.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“To sum it up, I can once again briefly talk about the numerous pros and some cons, and also recommend Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to absolutely all fans of the RPG genre, and mention that it is definitely one of the contenders for game of the year.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the fresh breath of originality and creativity that the video game industry needs. The title excels particularly in its narrative, which takes the stage for a new and complex world set in motion by a stunning audiovisual aspect. The combat system, which, due to the necessity of dodging and covering enemy wounds, will definitely annoy the player more than once, but will entertain him even more. While it's evident that this is an indie title, what one small studio can do is almost admirable. Despite all the criticisms, this was one of the best and most original games I've played.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“A brilliant debut from the Sandfall Interactive, which leaves unforgettable impression and sets a new standard for jRPGs - even though the game itself wasn't made in Japan.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the turn-based RPG from Sandfall Interactive, has revolutionized the genre, taking a community accustomed to ongoing sagas by surprise. Sandfall Interactive has created a brilliant video game, one that has achieved masterpiece status. There is no other turn-based RPG today that offers a similar experience, and few can match this instant classic. I am convinced that it is the best game of 2025 and that, in a few years' time, we will see its true impact on the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Clair Obscur is a dream come true. A team of just a few people managed to deliver what many AAA studios can't: a game that borders on perfection in everything it sets out to be; a JRPG with an engaging and well-written story, one of the best turn-based combat systems ever created, jaw-dropping visuals, and all of this to the sound of an incredible soundtrack. This game shouldn't exist. But thank goodness it does.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Even in the Dadaist dreamscape that they find themselves in, this crew of survivors still create new bonds, indulge their curiosities, and give voice to their pains. This is what it means for them to continue, that life, and this game by proxy, will continue to present the unexpected, and that it very much is worth enduring to experience it.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an excellent game and an experience that every RPG fan should give a chance. The developers have managed to create a world that deeply moves players, gameplay that’s fun, and audiovisual elements that we’ll be praising for a long time to come. Many people ask the developers at Sandfall Studio how they managed to create such a great game with such a small team. The answer? “We wanted to create a game that we’d enjoy playing. We’re still playing it and creating new builds. Our team consists only of people who feel the same way.” Perhaps that’s exactly why Clair Obscur exudes the creators’ care and concern for the players. The result is something that goes beyond what we’re used to. It’s not a game you simply play through and finish. It’s a story that the player must experience and that reminds them, once again, why playing games is so great.”
read full review ↗
Gamepressure
The Jimquisition
ZdobywcyGier.eu
Stryftek
Eternal Games
GameMAG
INDIANTVCZ
3DNews
La Orden del Pixel
GameFM
Slant Magazine
Gaming Professors…and 222 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is now available in Arabic!Jun 30, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch v1.5.6 is now live!Jun 30, 2026
- 1st Anniversary of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33Apr 24, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Patch v1.5.5 is now LIVE!Apr 24, 2026
- Patch v1.5.3 is live!Mar 17, 2026significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.5.1 is live!Dec 18, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- ‘Thank You’ Update available now - Thank you for an amazing year!Dec 12, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.5.0 Notes!Dec 12, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch v1.4.0 is now LIVE!Jul 30, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix 1.3.1 is now live!Jun 11, 2025
- Patch 1.3.0 is LIVEJun 10, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.2.3 is now live!May 9, 2025significant · resets scoring window
- Hotfix: NG+ Stonewave CliffsMay 2, 2025
- Hotfix 1.2.2 is now live!Apr 29, 2025
- [FIXED] Crashing on Launch due to Steam OverlayApr 24, 2025