Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received praise from Baldur’s Gate 3’s Publishing Director for its successful launch. Read on to learn more about the game’s great opening day and Andy Serkis’ perspective on storytelling in video games.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the Highest Rated Game of 2025
Baldur’s Gate 3 Publishing Director Shows Support
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 launches with critical acclaim, making waves and receiving praise from players and developers alike. Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) Publishing Director Michael Douse shares this sentiment and encourages fans to support Expedition 33.
Douse took to Twitter (X) on April 23 to compliment the newly released RPG, and mentioned that it is currently the highest-rated game of 2025. As of writing, Expedition 33 has an aggregate score of 92 on Metacritic and is tagged as a "Must-Play" by the website.
Furthermore, the game is currently the third top-selling game on Steam within just 24 hours since its release. Despite sharing the same week release as Oblivion Remastered, Expedition 33 continues to have the spotlight on it with its high-quality gameplay and intricate storytelling.
Here at Game8, we gave Expedition 33 a 96 out of 100 for its new take on JRPGs that feels deeply familiar and daringly fresh. It is a hybrid of tactical combat and real-time interaction that reinvents traditional turn-based systems with dodging, parrying, counters, and timed attacks. For more of our thoughts on the game, check out our article below!
High Praise for Sandfall Interactive
Douse commends developers Sandfall Interactive for creating Expedition 33 from a small team of 30 members. He added that although the game is available on Xbox Game Pass, buying the game directly would help the development team the most.
There are also similarities between BG3 and Expedition 33, as Douse pointed out that both games share the same cast members. This includes Expedition 33’s Jennifer English, who voiced Shadowheart in BG3. It also features several other renowned actors such as Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Ben Starr (Final Fantasy 16), and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings).
In a separate Tweet, Douse highlighted the game’s essence and overall feel. He stated, "Expedition 33 perfectly captures the soft melodrama of 00s Final Fantasy. That sort of plodding romance that gives weight to the story, lost in more recent years." Douse also said that its music is "brilliantly attuned", comparing it to early Final Fantasy games.
Film Industry Could Not Exist Without Games
Expedition 33’s Renoir Speaks
Renowned actor and the voice behind Expedition 33’s Renoir, Andy Serkis, said that games have gradually taken over the film industry, and stated that the industry could not have existed without video games. Serkis was best known for his record-breaking role as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, and worked closely with Ninja Theory on the PS3 classic Heavenly Sword in 2004.
Talking with Game Watcher on April 22, Serkis shared his experiences in the entertainment industry, being at the forefront of motion capture for games and film. Despite not being a gamer, he has always been interested in the next generation of storytelling.
Serkis said, "Around 2004, when we made Heavenly Sword, I started our performance capture studio with a view to create immersive stories outside of traditional 2D experiences, like cinema or television."
Years later, Serkis is still adamant that video games are at the forefront of storytelling, which is the reason why he accepted his role for Expedition 33. Although he is not doing motion capture for this project, his vision of telling new stories outside of the norm is what attracted him to be part of the game.
There has been a different perspective on games when it first started, as Serkis explained that it didn’t focus on storytelling, "it was just about the gameplay, hack ‘n’ slash, and killing people." Because of this, people in the film industry did not consider it an art form. However, Serkis said that "it’s come of age", with actors coming out of drama school wanting to be part of video games as it has become another part of being a performer.
Indeed, video games have evolved through the years, becoming one of the important mediums for storytelling and have reached a level of prestige they deserve. With the release of Expedition 33, people will have the chance to witness the evolution of games with its genre-bending experience and top-notch storytelling.
Clair Obscur: Expedition is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, click on our article below!
Source:
Baldur’s Gate 3 Publishing Director Twitter (X) post on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s Release
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Metacritic
Steam Top Sellers
Baldur’s Gate 3 Publishing Director Twitter (X) post on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Feel and Music
Andy Serkis says the film industry ‘could not exist’ without video games
