We’ve seen plenty of RPGs deliver great turn-based combat in recent times, but with its impressive cast, stunning cutscenes, and gripping narrative, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 has all of the extra components it needs to go on and truly rival the likes of Final Fantasy and Persona. You’ve probably already heard about the sky-high review scores that have established it as a Game of the Year contender alongside the likes of Blue Prince, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, and Split Fiction. Now, it’s time for it to be put through its paces by players, and on Steam at least, things look extremely positive for Expedition 33.

In this new turn-based RPG, you assemble an expedition team to investigate (and hopefully take down) a being known as the Paintress. Each year, the Paintress adorns a towering monolith with a new number – I think you can guess what the latest number is from Clair Obscur Expedition 33’s name. If your age matches the number, you will soon perish. With each passing year, the number on the monolith gets lower and lower – essentially a countdown to the total eradication of humanity.

Now, I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of Expedition 33 at first. I’ve seen plenty of games fork out for all-star casts (this one features familiar videogame voices like Ben Starr and Jennifer English alongside notable actors Charlie Cox and Andy Serkis) and deliver deep, beautifully presented narratives, only to be criminally short or have underwhelming gameplay.

However, its sky-high Metacritic average of 92 (tied with Blue Prince as the highest score of the year so far) has absolutely settled my concerns. Our own Expedition 33 review was a glowing 8/10, and that was on the lower end of the wider industry spectrum.

All that pre-launch hype has resulted in a mighty fine opening day for Clair Obscur Expedition 33 on Steam. Its user score is currently sitting at a ‘very positive’ 93% rating, and in terms of player count, it peaked at over 50,000 players.

That’s a commendable figure for any new PC game, but it’s even more impressive when you weigh up some other factors. This is a debut project from Sandfall Interactive. It’s a new IP and universe. Plus, Expedition 33 joins the ranks of the best Game Pass games straight out of the blocks, so there are plenty of PC subscribers that will be accessing the RPG for no extra cost. Its PC playerbase is split even further by it being on Epic too. So the stats below only tell a fraction of the story when it comes to Expedition 33’s stellar opening day.

So, that’s a mission accomplished then. The brilliant, GOTY-challenging Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is out right now on Steam, Epic, Game Pass, Xbox, and PS5.

It’s already got some fierce competition when it comes to awards season, but to see which other titles might join it in the fight for some gongs, check out our list of the biggest upcoming PC games. For more gripping narratives, our guide to the best story games is where you want to be.

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