News Expedition 33 Launches Strong with 93 Percent Positive Reviews on Steam

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made a powerful debut on Steam, reaching a peak of 51,922 concurrent players on launch day. At the time of writing, the game had already gathered over 1,900 user reviews, with a 93% positive rating.

Reviewers and players alike are praising the game for its emotional narrative, fresh turn-based combat, and stunning presentation. The game currently holds a Metacritic score of 92, reinforcing the positive reception.

According to players, the game’s slow-burning introduction helps immerse them in its world, while the unique combat mechanics demand player engagement — rather than passive turn-taking. The combination of dodges, parries, and quick-time elements adds a sense of urgency and agency rarely seen in traditional turn-based RPGs.

Players also highlighted:

• The melancholic soundtrack, featuring both instrumental and vocal pieces
• High-quality voice acting that enhances character depth
• French-inspired design details that bring personality and flair to the world

"Gorgeous visuals, gameplay, characters. The voice work is stellar. The parry and dodge mechanics are incredibly fun — they keep me from rushing through battles like I often do in games like Persona."
– Steam user

"This is my Game of the Year so far. Music, art direction, battle system, story, characters — all of it is flawless. The 30 ex-Ubisoft devs made a true masterpiece."
– Steam user

"Playing on the hardest difficulty and it’s amazing. Huge props to the sound team — the way the music fades during dialogue is something Hollywood still hasn’t figured out."
– Steam user

"From the first few minutes, I was hooked. The battle system feels like a wild blend of Persona and Dark Souls with a touch of QTE — and it works. You want to keep playing."
– Steam user

Still, not all feedback has been glowing.

Some negative reviews pointed out technical issues such as frame drops, crashes, and cutscene framerate caps (locked at 30fps). Others criticized the lack of ultrawide and HDR support and input lag during parry-heavy fights, which affects timing.

There were also mixed opinions on the dodge and parry mechanics themselves. A few players found these systems frustrating or overemphasized, especially when tied to difficulty.

"Constant stutters every few seconds make timing-based combat unbearable. Nothing I tweak in settings fixes it."
– Steam user

"Honestly, I don’t love the combat. You can disable QTEs, but dodges and parries are still mandatory — and I didn’t expect that when I bought it."
– Steam user

"The setting is gorgeous, but that’s the only highlight for me. Dodging and parrying are forced into the system, and if you can’t master them, the game punishes you hard."
– Steam user

Thankfully, the community is already stepping in. Modder Lyall released a patch that removes the 30fps cutscene cap and adds ultrawide monitor support, making the experience smoother for early adopters.